Vivian is drop dead gorgeous, but she is about as dumb as it gets. Not to mention high maintenance. She’s not at all thrilled that I chose a sub shop for our lunch date, and she’s not afraid to let me know. “I got all dressed up for this?” she grumbles as I order her what I know is her favorite vegetarian sub garbage she eats. I take a look at what she’s wearing: a skimpy black dress that shows off more leg than necessary, some expensive jewelry I had bought her close to a year ago, and tall, red stilettos to match the tiny ribbon she has braided into her hair. She almost looks like an upscale hooker.
“Well, you look good, Vivian,” I say as we find ourselves a seat in the back of the sandwich shop to enjoy our lunch. She looks like a whore who is probably going to make this a lot easier. She doesn’t normally dress so skanky; she probably had some sort of modeling gig this morning that required her to dress this way. She’s getting a little older so finding good modeling gigs has gotten more difficult; she about died last month when she was offered a job doing an anti-wrinkle commercial. She had turned it down, of course, just like she had turned down a hand modeling gig. She would probably prefer doing a Playboy shoot over a wrinkle commercial.
“So,” she says sing-song before I have a chance to start up the whole break up routine, “I have some news. I just got an interview to be a part of next year’s Victoria’s Secret lineup.”
“Are you serious?” I ask and smile. I can be proud of her. That was her dream, and it’s all she’s talked about ever since I’ve met her.
“I told you that I’ve got the goods,” she jokes. “This is just what I need to get back out there. I’ve wanted to be a Victoria’s Angel ever since I first started modeling, and my agent finally got me an in. If it goes well, I’ll be in their magazine and walk the runway come this time next year. This is real modeling that could lead to serious runway shows in places like Paris and Malan and London.”
“Good job, Viv,” I say, and she snarls slightly at the nickname, but obviously something so trivial is not about to ruin her excitement. I hate to burst her bubble, but I have asked her here for a reason. “Look, Vivian-” I start to say, but she cuts me off again.
“I mean, can you imagine? I can’t wait until this interview next week. My agent seems to think I am in; she’s got some connections, and the people I’m interviewing with have already seen some of my previous photo shoots, and they apparently loved it,” Vivian is apparently going to keep talking over me, so I give up on the breakup temporarily to let her have her moment. I’m not going to part ways today without ending things, though. It’s time; I know it.
She rambles on and on about her previous modeling experience that has led to this moment, talks to me in detail about her agent’s connections, and what all this could mean for her career. I keep my mouth shut for now and pretend to be interested in what she has to say, not wanting to completely destroy her excitement just yet even if I would probably give anything to avoid this boring conversation.
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8
I stretch my back and chug down the rest of my coffee before heading to the gym. Damion is already going to be pissed off at me for ditching my training lesson to go talk to Vivian yesterday, so he doesn’t need to see me drinking coffee. He has forbidden it –along with a number of other dietary restrictions I ignore. I’m actually in a pretty good mood this morning. I had woken up in Vivian’s bed, and I had headed into the kitchen to find her making breakfast. She has literally never made me breakfast… like ever. The woman always refuses to lift a finger and make me cater to her. I guess she had just been in an exceptionally good mood after learning she could potentially become a Victoria Secret Angel.
It had been at that moment that I decided to give her the news and dump her. Much to my surprise, she had taken it almost frightfully well for a woman who likes to tiptoe on the crazy-sane line. She had even told me congratulations once the conversation had opened up as to why I was breaking things off all of a sudden.
I smile slightly as I enter the gym, thinking of Brandi. I think I’m going to go ring shopping today while she is out of town visiting her mom. Geez, how am I going to ask her? I never really envisioned myself doing anything like this before.
Damion gives it to me hard today to make up for my missed time. I supposed I deserved it after ditching training to go fuck a woman I was supposed to be breaking up with. Oh well, it’s done now. I get what’s coming to me between Damion and Gabe; Gabe’s not at all thrilled to find out I stayed at Vivian’s last night, but he is glad to hear that I ended things finally.
I brush it all off and focus on training, pushing Brandi to the back of my mind temporarily so that I can actually make some progress today. After my close call with Stockney, I’m sure my manager is going to want to set up some big name fight to ensure the fan’s that I’ve still got it. A small part of me gets a thrill out of the waiting game –wondering who I’m going to try to stack up against next. Undefeated, and I plan on staying that way. I’ve been at this for a long time, but no one has been able to get the better of me.
By the time the evening arrives, I’m drenched in a layer of sweat, and I can feel Damion’s revenge weighing down on my shoulders after one of the roughest training sessions I have worked through in a while. I go shower off, and a few of the guys are blabbering on about how Damion was having me whip my own ass today in the locker room. I can hear them over by the lockers talking smack, and I shake my head before wrapping a towel around my waist and leaving the shower.
“Hey, I know you fools aren’t talking shit behind my back!” I say, half-jokingly as I approach my locker.
Marty is here again today, and he laughs at me as he throws on his t-shirt and jeans. “Just talking about how Damion likes to abuse you, Jonathan. We were all taking notes and had decided it is probably best not to piss the old geezer off.”
“Better watch what you say, Marty,” I tell him, “Damion has got some pretty sonic hearing. Don’t let him hear you call him old, or he’ll make you go a round with him in the ring.”
“He sure does punch hard for an old man,” Marty says.
“Yo!” I hear Tyler’s voice as he enters into the locker room. He always stops by for an evening workout. Tyler is still an amateur boxer, and he really sucks. He is getting better, but we all give him hell about not being a real boxer.
“Whoa, what the hell is Tyler doing here?” Marty jokes. “This is a boxer’s only gym.”
“Cute,” he says as he throws down his gym bag.
“You know, there’s a ladies gym down the street from here, Tyler, maybe you should go by there. I hear they’re hiring a kick-boxing instructor,” I say.
He spins around on his heel, and I can tell by the slight smirk on his face that he has a really good come back. He crosses his arms. “So… Jonathan when’s the last time you saw your car?”
That seems pretty random. “Why?” I ask.
He just grins. “Nothing… just saw it parked out back on my way in looks like Vivian paid you a visit while you were training.”
“What the fuck did she do?” I snarl.
Gabe laughs. “Oh, shit, sounds like she was not as laid back as you said, Jonathan.”
“Fuck!” I shout and throw on my clothes as quickly as possible before darting out of the gym and into the back parking lot. Marty, Jonathan, and Gabe all follow me while the rest of the boxing buffoons stay behind for their regularly scheduled locker talk.
My brand new Ferrari is parked out back, and I am regretting having chosen my favorite car to drive to the gym today. I had left the top down…
The car is full of bubbles, the beautiful red paint has her fucking name scratched all over it, the tires are slashed, and it looks like she went to town on it with a bat. Apparently, she had just needed time to decide just how mad she was going to get. “I’m going to run that bitch over!” I snap.
“With what?” Gabe jokes, and I punch him in the arm
–knocking him back so suddenly that he almost trips.
I open the door, and a ridiculous amount of water comes pouring out all over the pavement. “Cool, it’s like a portable hot tub,” Tyler says, and I think about turning around just to punch him too.
“Mother fucking bitch! I just got this-this week… I haven’t insured it yet!” I practically scream.
“Awe… that sucks, man,” Marty says. “Why the hell would you buy a Ferrari and not immediately get it insured.”
“Because I’m a dumbass,” I say. This sucks. I mean, this sucks a lot. I had paid for it outright too. “I was going to go get Brandi a ring today,” I say.
“Hey, relax, my Uncle TJ still owns a body shop… I know you probably would rather have somewhere a little more upscale working on it, but he can get it moving and get Vivian’s name off the thing for you until you can get it insured,” Marty says. “I’ll give him a call and have him come tow it. Let Gabe drive you to go get your girl a ring, and Tyler and I will handle this for you.”
“Really?” I question as though this has to be some sort of joke.
“No, man, really,” Tyler says. “Don’t let that bitch Vivian ruin shit with Brandi. That’s a good woman right there. You dumped the slutty side chick and are getting your head on straight. The last thing you need is for Brandi to see some other woman’s name carved into your car. Go on and go get the ring, and Marty and I will make sure to get your car to the shop.”
Gabe nods in agreement, still rubbing his arm where I had nailed him. “Yeah, I can drive you. I am the best man, right? Makes sense that I get to go help you pick out the ring.”
I smile and thank them all. They’re really helping me out on this one. I didn’t realize I had such a cool group of friends. Gabe and I climb into his black pickup and head out. I feel like I’m sitting really high up whenever I am in Gabe’s red neck mobile. No one drives pickups out this way unless you work in construction, but Gabe was from down south a little ways and had always driven trucks. He didn’t have much of a southern twang; his mother was from here, San Diego, originally, so he had definitely picked up on her accent.
I give Gabe directions to this fancy ring shop I had been reading up on. Brandi deserves the best, so I’m going to give it to her. A part of me is nervous and anxious about shopping for a ring. I guess because once I buy it, it kind of becomes real. It’s not just an idea in my head anymore once the ring is in my pocket. It’s a plan set into motion.
9
So far everything has gone according to plan. I had Gabe pick Brandi up from the airport after her weekend with her mother, and he drove her to the private airfield instead of taking her home –much to her surprise. I had been waiting just outside of my manager’s jet that I had convinced him to let me use to take Brandi and I on our special trip. She had raised an eyebrow to learn that she would not be headed home and had said something about needing to get back to the dance studio tomorrow, but I had assured her I had already talked to her director and that there was no need to worry. That was a total lie and a minor detail I had overlooked, so before we took off in the jet I had Gabe call up her director to fill the woman in on why Brandi was not going to be at work tomorrow morning –that woman has always been really sappy, so I am pretty confident that she will understand.
We enter onto the jet, and I point out a suitcase I had already packed for her. She raises another eyebrow, wondering how long we’re going to be gone –I assure her everything she needs is in the bag. I had pretty much packed up her entire bathroom because I have no idea exactly what she would need. There is even a box of tampons in there because it’s not like I keep track of that shit, and I don’t want her to need anything or to feel like I did not plan this down to every minor detail.
I tell her to head back to the private room in the jet and to change; her favorite little black dress with matching shoes and jewelry is already laid out for her. She only wears that dress on really special occasions, so I want her to know something big is planned. I’m dressed to the nines myself in a gray suit I know she loves with my favorite blue tie and matching cufflinks. When she returns I catch myself stammering a little bit; she looks gorgeous in her dress, and she’s combed her hair and pulled back her bangs –letting her curls fall down around her shoulders and back.
It’s a short flight, and I can tell she is already starting to get antsy in anticipation since I won’t budge to tell her where we are going. We’re headed to Hawaii for a three days’ trip; she’s always wanted to go, but she’s never had the time. I’ve made time for her. We sip on wine and eat strawberries and flirt the entire flight down south to the islands. As we are approaching our destination, I tell her to look out the window. We can see Pearl Harbor, and she just about loses her mind. “Jonathan, are you serious?” she exclaims.
“You’ve always wanted to go, right?” I say, and the pilot circles around so we can get an aerial view of a good bit of the islands before heading to the airstrip.
“Yes, I have. Where did this come from all of a sudden?” she asks and practically jumps into my lap to kiss me.
“I’ve been planning it for a while,” I lie. Truthfully, I planned this in a matter of days while she had been staying with her mom. The idea for the proposal had just come to me while Gabe and I had been ring shopping, and I had decided that I didn’t want to wait.
After we spend the day exploring the islands, checking out a volcano, and of course taking a walk along the beach, we head to the private resort I have booked out for the evening. We’ll be spending the rest of our two days in a beach hut, but tonight is special. The resort staff has prepared a special dinner out on the cabana complete with a white table cloth table decorated with red rose petals, surrounded by tiki torches, and a professional Hawaiian band that includes an ukulele player. I want to make sure Brandi gets the full experience.
The look in her eyes when we walk out onto the cabana is priceless. I’m pretty sure she suspects what’s up at this point. Halfway through our meal I work up the courage to finally drop down to one knee just as the ukulele guy starts singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow –Brandi loves that song on the ukulele. “Oh my God,” Brandi utters under her breath, one hand going to her mouth when she sees the classy ring I’ve picked out for her.
She probably wasn’t expecting all of this after we had gotten into a fight right before she went to visit her mom. There is this huge grin on her face; she’s practically shaking. “Brandi,” I say, and I’m surprised that I’m actually a bit nervous. Nothing really ever makes me nervous. I mean, she’s going to say yes –right? “I know I haven’t exactly been the best boyfriend, but you’ve stuck by me through so much. I’ve known for a while now that I’ve wanted to do this, but I just didn’t know how. You deserve the world, and I want to do my best to give it to you. Brandi, will you marry me?”
Cheesy, but the words just sort of sputtered out of my mouth. She exclaims, “Yes!” really loud as I slip the ring on her finger and get up for a big hug and kiss.
The ukulele player and his band start singing Meaning of my Life, and she starts to get really giddy as she checks out the ring and gives me more kisses. We don’t finish our dinner; we head up to our room. She drops her dress to the floor and throws off her heels. I pick her up and carry her to the bed –the bed is covered in red rose petals. I hadn’t planned the rose petals on the bed, so I make a mental note to give the staff an extra tip because Brandi loves it.
I kiss her lips softly, and she arches her back expectantly. “I love you,” she says excitedly as she slips herself out of her underwear and bra.
I get undressed quickly, telling her that I love her too and whisper in her ear about how eager I am to marry her. This is a very different interaction in the bedroom from what I am used to, but I love it. It really is time for me to settle down, to get serious with Brandi. She’s everything I’ve ever dreamed of.
I push myself inside her slowly, taking my time to touch her and kiss her everywhere. I want her t
o remember tonight, to take it with her. She groans as I cup my mouth around one of her breasts and then work my way up her chest and throat. She cries out my name, and I call out hers.
This is memorable for me too. This is a huge change in my life, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
10
Brandi straightens my tie and gives me this almost sensual grin and a shake of the head, chastising me about how I can’t tie a tie straight to save my life. “I don’t see why I’ve got to wear this,” I say, and she laughs at me.
“You look great,” she says.
“No, you look great,” I say, taking a moment to admire her in that floor-length gown she had bought just for this occasion. We’ve having this big engagement party at the mansion, and she’s really eager to make our entrance down into the party that is already happening. Her red dress fits her snug, and it’s got a low back that is driving me insane. She’s got her hair curled and down which she rarely does since she’s so used to pulling it up in a tight bun. I sometimes forget how long her hair is since she always pulls it up.
She kisses my lips and drapes her arms around my shoulders for a moment, allowing me to drop my head to kiss her throat for a second and admire the new perfume she had just sprayed on herself. “Everyone is waiting,” she says when I linger on her longer than I should.
“I don’t care,” I say and run my fingers along the curve of her back. “I didn’t even want to have a party. I’d rather just stay home with you and-”
She traces her fingers across my lips to tell me to shut up while still keeping a flirty tone. “You’re going to have to get used to parties, sweetie. There’s going to be a bridal shower, a bridal luncheon, my mom’s stepsister wants to throw me a lingerie shower; then there’s the bachelorette and bachelor party and the rehearsal dinner-”
Filthy Desires: A Romantic Suspense Collection Page 129