“That sounds great. I’ll just grab my stuff, and we can go.” I retrieved my purse and pulled out my keys handing them to him so he could drive my car. I didn’t think it would be a good idea riding on the back of his motorcycle in my short dress.
“I don’t need these, Mimi. I didn’t bring the bike tonight,” he informed me.
“I’m not really in the mood to ride the bus, Justin,” I said sarcastically.
“But I take all my first dates out on the bus. It’s how I learn whether or not they want me for my money or just my spectacular body.” He winked.
I snorted while dropping my keys back in my purse. “Well, at least you know I don’t want you for either,” I said, then immediately bit my tongue when I saw the disappointed look on his face. He recovered quickly, but I’d seen it and felt like a total dumbass.
He gently took my elbow and steered me toward the front door. “Let’s get this show on the road, Peaches. I’m hungry.”
We walked out to the curb where a sleek, black Porsche 911 sat waiting for us.
“Oh my God, Justin. Is this yours?” I asked excitedly.
“I just bought it this morning. Do you like it?”
“I love it!” I exclaimed. “Did you get rid of your bike?”
“Aw, hell no. I wouldn’t be the same man without my hog.” He grinned at me.
“No, I can’t imagine you without it either. This is great, though. Are you going to let me drive it?”
“Are you out of your mind? I’ve seen how you drive. You’re the woman who makes U-turns in the middle of PCH,” he said emphatically.
“What? I am an awesome driver. I have a perfect driving record, and I obey all traffic laws.” He looked at me with a raised brow. “Okay, I obey most of them.”
He pressed the button on his key and unlocked the doors. “Just get in and buckle up. We’ll be there in no time with the way this baby flies.”
He was right, the car was fast. Of course, he enjoyed showing me what he could do in it, as much as L.A. traffic would allow. We arrived at Garcia’s in fifteen minutes, though it was almost 10 miles from my house. As we pulled up to the valet, he looked at me.
“You look a little pale, Mimi. Are you okay?” he asked.
“Oh I’ll be alright, but you are letting me drive home. Otherwise I will be taking the bus after all.” I gulped, then grumbled under my breath, “And he thinks I’m a maniac driver.”
He just laughed as the valet opened my door and helped me out onto slightly unsteady feet.
After we were seated and digging into the basket of chips and salsa, Justin spoke. “I’m very honored that you would accompany me out tonight, Mimi.”
What? Was this a pod person and not my friend? It didn’t sound like anything he’d ever say. Justin was laid back and easy going. Plus, we went out together all the time. Why was tonight such an ‘honor’?
“Um yeah, of course, Justin. When have I ever not agreed?” I asked.
“Just last week, in fact,” he reminded me.
“I was going on my trip! I can’t very well be in two places at once!”
“Nevertheless, you turned me down,” he said grinning.
“No, I gave you a raincheck. You knew we’d go out as soon as I got back, ass.”
Justin just laughed before reaching over and grabbing my hand. He looked right in my eyes and said, “I really am glad you’re here.”
I squeezed his hand and smiled at him. “I wouldn’t be anywhere else right now.”
The waiter came and we gave our orders: sizzling steak fajitas for him, a smothered chicken burrito for me, and margaritas for the both of us. I ordered another margarita after the meal, but Justin abstained saying he had to drive. Our conversation was light and effortless as it usually was between us. In the back of my mind the issue of his kisses lingered. I wanted to talk about it, to put us on the same page, so to speak, but I also had feelings to sort out and wasn’t sure if I was ready to talk about it. I decided to just proceed as if nothing had ever happened and enjoy my friend’s company the way I normally did.
Justin did not seem at all changed by the fact that we’d gotten just that much more intimate. He was his typical self, other than when he told me it was an honor to be out with me, so it made it easy to just be the way we always were together. I felt my initial nervousness and discomfort dissolve in the face of our familiar bond.
We decided to forego the movie in favor of going home and seeing if there was anything interesting On Demand. We both had eaten far too much and truth be told, we just wanted to loosen our waistbands and veg out on my comfy couch. Justin took us back to my house, this time being far less maniacal in his driving, to my gratitude. We ended up ordering some action flick he assured me was ‘kick ass.’ I was feeling the effects of the margaritas I’d had and ended up falling asleep on the sofa halfway through the movie. I woke to him turning off the television and laying the blanket I had thrown over the back of the sofa over me. I was a little foggy as he looked down at me. He gave me a soft smile then leaned over and placed the softest of kisses on my lips. It was sweet, it was gentle, and I thought very nice. He smoothed my hair back from my face and whispered, “Goodnight, Peaches.” The next thing I knew, my front door had closed, and he was gone. I was too tired to get up, change out of my clothes, and crawl into my bed. I just snuggled deeper under the blanket and slept on the sofa until the sun woke me up the next morning.
The Certificate Administrator at UCLA got hold of me in the late morning. I was in luck, the summer session was about to begin, and there was still room for me to register. I decided to go forward because if nothing else, this would give me something to do with my days. At least for a little while. If my luck held out, I’d be able to find work I found rewarding and worthwhile. I was excited for the new opportunity and felt like I had some kind of direction in my professional life finally.
The next night found me in my comfortable pajamas in front of the TV binge watching episodes of some zombie show. I’d seen them all before the current season had ended, but I was oddly attracted to the show. Somewhere around the end of season three, my mobile phone rang. I looked at the screen to find an unknown number. Normally I’d just let it go to voicemail, but I needed a break from my marathon. As soon as I answered, I was greeted with a familiar and welcome voice.
“Hey there, Mimi! It’s Laurel! How the hell are you?” She crowed into my ear. Laurel O’Malley was my best friend who lived in New York. We’d been friends since elementary school, and we were as close as sisters. Eternally exuberant and upbeat, Laurel lived her life in exclamation points. She had more energy than a jack rabbit with a cocaine habit. I envied her a tenth of her enthusiasm for life. I wouldn’t have needed as much caffeine to kick start my day every morning if I’d had some of it.
“Hey sugarbuns, where are you calling from? I don’t recognize the number.” I said.
“Oh, I’m on Pete’s brother’s phone. He’s here for a brief visit and he, Pete, and I are out at some cop bar having buffalo wings and beer. I stole his phone since I’m bored to tears. I thought I’d see what my dear, sweet friend was up to.”
“What’s wrong with your phone?” I asked.
“Unfortunate incident involving me, the ladies’ restroom at work, and a selfie stick.”
I closed my eyes. Knowing Laurel as I did, this was not a story I wanted nor needed to hear. “I can only imagine. Please—no explanations. It’s better that way.”
“You got it, sister. Hey, I was wondering if you had any plans yet for your birthday.”
“No not yet. Why do you ask?”
“I’m dying to get out of town so I thought maybe I could come visit you?”
Although if anyone ever asked, I’d totally deny it, but I squealed. I hadn’t seen Laurel in over a year, and we were overdue for some major bonding. She had been with Pete for almost five years now, and I was expecting to hear some kind of news about them either moving in together or (gasp!) getting married someti
me soon. So far she’d let me down on that point, but I still had hope.
“That would be awesome, Laurel. Please, please, please come!” I begged.
“Then it’s a done deal. I’ll make my reservations in the morning and email you all the details. So, in the meantime, what’s up with you?” she asked.
“Oh I might have a couple things going on…” I hedged.
“Would any of these things involve some hot beefcake action?” she asked in her typical sing-song voice.
I laughed out loud. “I hope you’re sitting down.”
“Oh no! You didn’t!” she shouted. The line suddenly sounded muffled, but I heard her say in the distance, “So sorry! I’m sure your hearing will go back to normal very soon.” Then her voice was back over the line. “Sorry, Mimi. I just deafened someone.”
“What do you mean by I ‘didn’t’?”
“You’re going to tell me you finally did the dirty with that fine, bald hunk of biker, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Justin? No, no I didn’t sleep with Justin; however, I did sleep with someone else.”
“Wait, I need to go outside before I shatter the ear drums of the poor man next to me.” After a few seconds, I heard the door open and the bar sounds in the background fall away to the din of street noise. “Okay, who is he? Where did you meet him? How was it? You don’t necessarily need to answer in that order.”
I laughed again. “His name is James. I met him on the trip I took last weekend, and it was surprisingly amazing for being the quick and dirty business it was.”
“Quick? This adjective is not usually partnered with amazing when speaking of sex.”
“I know, right? It was though. This could perhaps be because I haven’t had any in more than three years, but honestly nothing was lacking. He was sexy, he was strong, and he was definitely packing.” I said.
“It must have been good if he’s reduced you to Dr. Seuss level rhyming.”
“That’s what cured me of the stutter I walked away with.” I giggled.
“Woot! Now this is what I want to hear. So, was this a one-time deal or will there be more stuttering in your future?”
“I originally thought it was a one-time thing, but he called yesterday and asked me on a date for this weekend. I mean, I had given him my phone number but never really expected to hear from him. He’s a military pilot. He’s stationed two hundred miles away. I’m sure he could find a stream of steady, ready women where he’s at with much less hassle.”
“Well, obviously he wants another taste, don’t you think?” she suggested.
“I can only assume so. Either way, I like him. He’s fun besides being totally sexy. I think we’ll have a good time, regardless.”
“You can’t underestimate the value of a good time. I think it’s exactly what you need, Mimi. While you stopped being a hermit a long time ago, your life has been lacking in the fun department. Now you can get out and live a little. What are you guys doing this weekend?”
“He hasn’t told me yet. I’m supposed to hear from him tomorrow, I think.”
“Well whatever it is, enjoy it, then give me all the details.” I could practically hear her wink through the phone. “Listen I should get back inside with the guys and slip this phone back into Pete’s brother’s pocket before he misses it. I’ll send you an email tomorrow with my flight information. Take care, you wanton woman, you.”
Around ten o’clock, my phone rang once more. Looking at the screen, I smiled and answered with, “You realize it’s almost past my bedtime, don’t you, James?”
“You’re in bed already? The night is still young. There’s no reason a gorgeous woman like you should be home in bed alone at this hour,” he remarked.
“Who says I’m alone?”
“If you’re not alone and you’re still answering your phone, then you might as well be alone. If I were there, the last thing on your mind would be your phone,” he said with complete confidence.
“You do make a good point, and yes, I am sadly alone.”
“I’ll make up for it Friday night,” he promised. “Which is why I’m calling.”
We proceeded to make arrangements for our date. He planned on driving down to L.A. once he’d finished work for the day and to pick me up at my house. He wouldn’t tell me what he had in mind, only that it was a surprise. He did instruct me to wear a red dress and black heels though. I’d never had a guy make demands or suggestions on my wardrobe before. For some unknown reason it turned me on. I started mentally cataloging what clothes I had that might be appropriate.
“I’ll see you at six o’clock Friday evening at your house,” he said. “Be ready to have fun, Mimi. I have plans for that body of yours.”
We hung up shortly after that with a few more suggestive promises from James. It gave me a thrill. I decided this was exactly what I needed. Something light and fun that I didn’t need nor want to analyze. I was just going to go with the flow and enjoy his company, and if I were really lucky, lots of really great sex for as long as it lasted.
I fell asleep dreaming of wild nights with a faceless man. I’d try to get a glimpse of him, but each time I did, I’d get distracted by his glorious body or the sensations he wrung from me would force me to close my eyes and forget to care whom I was with.”
Five
All day Friday I was buzzing with anticipation for my date with James. I assumed it was the promise of more great sex, but if I had been pressed to look deeper into it, I’d have had to admit, I was looking forward to spending time with him as well.
When four o’clock rolled around, I was so anxious I decided to start getting ready and really put some ‘pow’ into my appearance. I wanted to see this sexy man’s eyes pop out of his head when he saw me. So after a nice leisurely shower where I attended to every inch of my skin making sure it was smooth and silky, I took my time expertly applying my make-up and styling my hair. Though my hair was naturally curly, I decided to smooth it out with the hair dryer and then add long spiraling curls with the curling iron. It came out looking very glamorous and sensual. I hoped it would entice him to run his fingers through it.
I went to my closet and looked at the two red dresses I owned. One was a sexy, fringed dress with spaghetti straps. I loved the dress, but I’d only ever worn it twice and it had special meaning for me. I’d worn it when I went dancing with Vance early on in our relationship, and the night had been positively magical. I couldn’t imagine wearing it for anyone else so I pushed it to the back of my closet and pulled out the other dress which showed far less skin but was equally sexy. It had a longer hemline, was tight-fitting, and had a daring neckline that exposed a fair amount of cleavage. I paired it with towering black stiletto sandals. I usually tried to match my shoes to whatever I was wearing, but the man had demanded black. The impish side of me tempted me to wear something entirely different just to see how he’d react, but the truth was, I wanted to comply with his orders. It made me feel oddly feminine, and I realized that I wanted to please him. Something else to look deeper into another time, if ever. I was determined to simply let things come as they would without overthinking anything.
I managed to use up the entire two hours getting ready. Just as I was walking back out to my living room to wait, my doorbell rang. I opened the door to the mouthwatering vision of James in a black tailored suit. He was wearing a white dress shirt beneath, but the collar was open, exposing a tasty patch of tanned flesh at his throat. I had the sudden urge to lick that hollow between his collar bones. Rather than throwing myself at him, I stepped aside to let him in.
He entered without a word, his heated eyes traveling all over me. They skated slowly along my face, my arms, my chest, and downward to the tips of my shoes. I shivered as it felt as tangible as if he had run his hands over every inch of me. Instantly, my nipples pebbled and the hair on my arms raised up as my skin begged to be caressed.
Once he was inside, I turned to him clearing my throat. Before I could say anything, James whi
spered to me urgently, “You look fantastic, Mimi, like a femme fatale. I have a sudden urge to mess you up completely.”
I closed my eyes as my brain warred with my body. On one hand, I wanted to go out and have a good time, but on the other, I was tempted to move in and beg for him to peel my clothes off me and take me any way he desired. It must have shown in my eyes as his widened for an instant before he grabbed me by my waist. He dragged me to his chest and proceeded to kiss me thoroughly, so completely and so well that my toes curled in my sandals and a wet heat began to dampen my core. I didn’t know what he’d had in mind for our date, but it was clear to me that we were not about to leave the house after that kiss. Not if I had anything to say about it, anyway.
I pulled back and looked at him pointedly before unbuttoning his shirt. He grinned sexily as his hands reached up and slowly dragged the zipper of my dress down. We enjoyed slowly revealing each other, then parted to admire each other for a moment. A split second later, we were diving onto each other like hungry animals, him completely naked; and me in nothing but my sandals.
He took ahold of my face in both hands and devoured my mouth as my hands skated over every part of his chest. When I got down to his waist, I gripped him firmly and pulled him forward as I backed into the living room and up to the sofa. He pushed me down on it and then climbed on top of me. He rained kisses all over my face before moving in to ravish my neck and chest. He greedily consumed my flesh with those soft full lips as his hands moved down to my core and stroked me gently. I spread my legs wide, opening up to him fully, a silent invitation for him to give me more, more, more.
He chuckled and whispered to me, “I’m suddenly ravenous for a taste of you. You’d better grab on to the cushions, baby, because you’re going to be writhing under my mouth. I am going to lick, nibble, and eat you up before I fuck your lights out.”
I felt my pussy spasm with his promise and my hips buck up to grind against his groin. He gave a low moan and proceeded to kiss and lick his way down my torso before settling his shoulders between my thighs. He parted me with two fingers and paused for a moment. “My God, Mimi, you are so beautiful. I have been dreaming of taking a taste of this pussy. I went to sleep that first night in Havasu with the scent of your body covering me. I was rock hard and wanting you again all night long. I just know you’re going to taste as sweet as you smell.”
Fighting Perfection (The Perfection Series Book 2) Page 7