SMITTEN (Paris Après Minuit)

by Juliet Braddock

  Of course, she couldn’t wait to see him. She just hoped that same chemistry existed between them on the morning after.

  Layers of guilt and worry emerged in her consciousness, alongside traces of self-doubt and sadness. January couldn’t deny that her wounds with Etienne were still gaping, regardless of the fact that she’d been considering a separation for months. She knew she shouldn’t dive head first into a sea of lust with the first man who came along, and she wished she could have stopped herself before trekking into the fields with a virtual stranger.

  Most of all, though, she felt sorry for Nigel. He had no idea what sort of complications she could inject into his quiet little world. Although she’d told him that she had a recent breakup, she still hadn’t revealed the secret of her identity. Admittedly, she enjoyed the idea that Nigel didn’t take an interest just because of her celebrity, but January felt like she was lying to him.

  Conflicted, she struggled with her whirling thoughts. Nothing justified her sudden need to rebound. Try as she might to process the tumultuous end to her relationship with Etienne, January found her thoughts drifting back to Nigel.

  As with the aftershocks of any upheaval in life, this whole trip to Provence unearthed every trace of uncertainty in her life and forced her issues with her family to the surface. Reconnecting with the countryside, she realized she missed her old life dearly. Of course, she had no intentions of moving back to Kansas, but she craved the comforts that home once afforded her.

  Somehow, she had to find a way to converge the best of both worlds—on the city sidewalks and on the back-country roads.

  Unlike Dorothy, though, she couldn’t just click her ruby slippers three times to return.

  Just after six that morning, she abandoned her last hope to catch a few winks. Around seven-thirty, Clarissa delivered some carrots for Lenny and left the plate just outside the door. She didn’t bother to wait until January answered.

  And precisely at eight-fifteen, January took a good look in the mirror and panicked. In the sunlight streaming through the room, she could see the traces of very fine lines near the dark circles that formed overnight around her eyes.

  Reality wasn’t kind, and now she wondered what Nigel might think of their age difference without the canopy of a starry night sky to hide the inevitable flaws of age.

  “Can you see my wrinkles?” January asked without bothering to greet Xavier.

  “My night was good, thank you. Not the mind-blowing sex I anticipated, but it was okay.”

  “I’m serious!” She turned around from the vanity to face him. “Look at my eyes.”

  “Did you have sex last night?”

  Horror veiled her face. “No. Nigel is a nice young man.” While she applied another coat of lashes, she muttered, “Operative word being young.”

  “Like age ever stopped you before.”

  “I said he’s a nice guy, Xav. I have to show some manners here.”

  “And look at you in this get-up,” he said and plucked at the thigh of her jodhpurs. “So refined. I am going to guess that this has something to do with the strapping young chap.”

  The idea that maybe she should cancel the trail ride crossed her mind. Perhaps taking a step back would alleviate this crush she had on Nigel. However, she didn’t want to lose a chance at something special before it even began.

  “We’re going riding this morning,” she explained, her voice full of exasperation. “I told you I’d need my gear.”

  “Do not drink this water,” Xavier said as he popped his contact lenses into a full glass that he’d drawn from the bathroom faucet. Once, in the early days of their friendship, a hungover January swallowed his precious lenses. “All I need to know right now is confirmation that you did not fuck him yet.”

  “I did not fuck him.”

  “Yet…” He crawled into bed without taking off his club couture. “Now, you’re going riding with him.”

  “It’s all innocent.”

  “Just as innocent as when you drank my contact lenses, right?”

  “I wrote you a check on the spot!” she shouted. “I felt terrible.”

  “Money can’t buy love, Janvier…”

  “Xav, go to sleep.”

  The door slammed, jarring Xavier as he snuggled under the covers. “Please fuck him, January. Please fuck him…”

  # # #

  “Well, good morning, January…” Nigel greeted her as she made her way to the stall where he brushed Nessa. “Did you have a good sleep?”

  “Delightful…” she lied. Now, it was her turn to feel awkward. She hated just standing around while he did all the work. “Listen, I can help get them ready.”

  “Tack room is right behind you.”

  Lucky for January, she knew the difference between English and Western riding. Once she’d suited up Nessa, Nigel turned to her in surprise. “Well, that was quick work for someone who’s out of practice.”

  “You can check—just to make sure I did it right.”

  With amusement, he poured over the bit, the reins and the saddle. “I’d say you got it right…but you need a helmet.”

  And you need a crop, she thought to herself, then turned away before he could see the embarrassment heating her face with its prickling sting. She doubted this proper young gent knew anything about her chosen lifestyle, but she had to find out after she spent half the night fantasizing about him.

  However, Nigel was far more concerned with her safety, and he settled a helmet on her head. “Equestrian fashion suits you, January. You look lovely.”

  “Even in the light?”

  He wrinkled his forehead. He had no idea what the hell she was talking about. Maybe he didn’t notice those etchings of age that she thought were so obvious after all.

  “Dare I say, there’s something about a pair of jodhpurs…”

  “I told Xavier!”

  “What…?” Nigel leaned in close as if he didn’t hear her. “You’re talking in some kind of code this morning.”

  “Oh, let’s ride. Shall we?”

  “Need a boost?”

  “Nope. I’m good.” Before Nigel’s bewildered eyes, she climbed up on Nessa and sat comfortably in the saddle like a champion. Looking down at him, she giggled. “Ta-da!”

  “Such tiny might you have there.”

  “And don’t you forget it.”

  In the stall beside her, he mounted Nellie and much to January’s delight, brandished a crop. “Time for a ride. Ladies first…”

  With the extension of his arm, he gestured for January to go ahead of him, blissfully unaware. Likely, Nigel thought that deep breath she took and that slight fidget on the saddle were born of anxieties because she hadn’t been on a horse in so many years. However, if he only knew about the raunchy daydreams that rolled through her mind, Nigel would have crapped the seat of his own little riding pants.

  Head turning, her eyes zeroed in on his firm grip of the handle. Already, she could feel the imagined sharp and steady swipe over her ass.

  It was also then that she realized he had a bit of a bronzed glow that she hadn’t noticed in the near darkness. Of course, he was tanned. He spent his days teaching kids how to ride horses. Just looking at those whitening knuckles against his tanned skin left her clit trembling with hope.

  “You want me to go first?” January asked.

  “Please?” Nigel returned with patience. “I want to watch from behind—to see how she does. She’s good with other riders, but I always just want to make sure she’s comfortable.”

  Aw, fuck, she thought. January hoped he wanted to check her ass, but it was all about the horse! However, she could still couldn’t give him a little show.

  January kicked up her very English boots and led Nessa out of the stable and into the field. With every rise on the saddle, she tightened her ass, driving herself crazy with her own desires. And then she stopped and waited for him to catch up and align beside her.

  “You ride well, January…” he observed. Meanw
hile, she still couldn’t tear her eyes from his hand. “Now, let’s see what you do on tougher terrain.”

  Together, they synchronized Nessa and Nellie into a trot in the field. At that point, the earth seemed to stretch to infinity with wildflowers and weeds. In January’s mind, they had the entire globe to explore on their own private journey. She felt so giddy and free, and all doubt disappeared from her mind.

  “So, what else does January enjoy doing with her time?” Nigel asked her. “Aside from horseback riding.”

  How she wanted to cut loose and tell him the truth about her lifestyle, but she wasn’t prepared to lose their connection just yet. Nigel seemed so polite and reserved. He wasn’t exactly a candidate to be her next Dom.

  “She enjoys museums…fashion…history. And since she lives in big cities, she also really loves a good park.”

  “You split your time with New York?” he asked. “Now, that’s a great city.”

  “I do, and it is.” Perhaps, she hoped, they’d found some common ground, aside from their love of horses. “You’ve been?”

  “Many times—for work, for play. There’s nowhere quite like it. In fact, I almost moved there before…before my job in Paris came through.”

  Again, distance echoed in his voice when he mentioned Paris. “New York is the place to be when you’re young. I like to think that I took full advantage of it.”

  “Alright, please stop. You’re still quite young,” he insisted. However, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was just being nice. “You can still appreciate New York for all it is.”

  “I suppose.” Her thoughts slipped off for a second as Nessa slowed down to cross a narrow stream that drifted across the property. In truth, January didn’t know what she wanted. Etienne’s life had been her priority for so long, and she hadn’t realized how much independence she’d lost in clinging to a relationship that ultimately went nowhere.

  But her options were now wide open.

  Nigel was right. She was still young enough to appreciate life. Etienne was older and so settled in his ways. Perhaps, the obvious was dangling right in front of her.

  She had to face the facts. Etienne’s last communication had been a flurry of furious texts after he discovered his clothes in her lobby. He hadn’t even bothered to call. January knew he ignored the underlying issues in her arguments. Now, he’d just slip back into his old routine without her. However, she didn’t have to sit around and dwell on the obvious. She still had a life to live.

  “You’re quite good, you know.”

  Nigel’s voice brought her back to reality, forcing her to live in that moment.

  “What? Oh…”

  “For an old lady who hasn’t had any practice in years.” Sarcasm fought to rupture his sense of convention.

  “Watch it, young lad,” she admonished. “Maybe I’ll race ya tomorrow.”

  They had stopped for a moment, and Nigel held his crop high, waving the worn leather in the air. He had no idea what the hell he was doing to her panties. She was going to have to shower and change clothes immediately. In fact, January might even have to kick Xavier out for a bit and put those toys he’d packed to good use.

  And she couldn’t resist a little banter. “Better watch what you do with that thing,” January warned. “I might like it.”

  Now, Nigel turned away. “Wow, January…”

  One thing he couldn’t hide with the brim of his helmet was the fact that his neck had turned bright red.

  Fuck, she had to ride Nessa all the way back to the stables! Every nerve in her body trembled with anticipation, and every bump on the ground accentuated her need for him. She wasn’t looking forward to this return trip.

  “We should go back. I do have a lesson coming up.”

  While she remained somewhat unsteady, January conjured the actress within to hide her needs. Every time she moved up and down, her clit thumped against the leather saddle. Even the slightest glance over toward Nigel enhanced the swell between her legs. She had no idea how the hell she was going to dismount, and if Nigel dared to touch her, she just might come.

  Their small talk was so futile. She wondered if he could sense her arousal. Clutching the reins, she trotted onward, suffering in silence. In the tight cups of her bra, her nipples puckered. She was certain that he’d noticed through her fitted Polo shirt. As she analyzed the height of the weeds in the adjacent field, she was tempted to ask him to stop—just so that she could have a kiss and a roll in the grass.

  Too much time had passed since she’d fucked in the open countryside. She envisioned their clothes ripping as they grabbed for each other. January wanted to do just that. Right there. Right now.

  Damn her dirty mind, but she could just see that young, perfect ass of his, bucking around as he gave her his cock beneath the willows. If she dared to close her eyes, she could almost feel him.

  January had to stop herself from indulging in these brazen thoughts. They still had some distance to go. The last thing she wanted to do was lose complete control while perched on top of a horse.

  Misery continued to prevail with every little step Nessa took. January wished she could kick her up to a gallop, but she just knew that wouldn’t end well.

  In their approach to the stable, Nigel turned to her once again. “Well, I hope you enjoyed today’s ride.”

  “Oh, I’d love to do this again,” she said quickly. “Tomorrow.”

  “You’re on.” After climbing down from Nellie with ease, Nigel reached out his hands to January to help her dismount. Perhaps, he wasn’t as aloof as she thought.

  On wobbly legs, she walked her horse back to the stall, and then she lingered for a moment. All the while, Nigel still held that damn crop in his hand.

  “Well, um, that was quite lovely. Thank you for taking the time to join me this morning.”

  Always so damn polite, Nigel just couldn’t be broken from his blue-blooded ways.

  However, January was too worked up, and she had to press a few buttons just to see how far she could tempt him. Leaning in close, she allowed him to think that she wanted a kiss. Instead, she whispered, “Whatcha gonna do with that crop?”

  “What do you mean?” He furrowed his brows. “Put it back in its place so that I don’t lose it.”

  “Crack me with it.”

  The breath he’d been holding exploded from his lungs, heaving his chest in absolute shock over her suggestion.

  “I…we…” Nigel shook his head like a madman and lowered his voice. “What are you saying?”

  “Just try. Strike me.” She turned around and bent over a half-wall. “Crack me with it.”

  Ass in the air, she waited, and she wasn’t about to move until he did as she asked. When at last Nigel delicately tapped the crop to her backside, she said, “Like you mean it.”

  “I’ll hurt you…” he countered.

  “I know!” she laughed lasciviously.

  “I’m crazy!” Nigel sounded as if he were ready to cry. “I must be crazy. Either crazy—or this isn’t happening. It’s a dream. A nightmare. And I have a filthier subconscious than I’d ever imagined.”

  Clearing her throat, she prompted him.

  “I cannot believe I am even humoring you.” With those words, he brought the leather to her ass with just the slightest bit of pressure.

  Groaning in pleasure and in her need for more, January shook her ass. “Like you mean it—stop being such a wimp.”

  That caustic command seemed to hurtle Nigel to his breaking point, and the crop suddenly whipped over her ass, crossing her with its bite.

  “Oh, fuck that was so good. Do it again.”

  “January…”

  “Do it again…you wimp…”

  That time, he’d made an X, striking across each cheek. She couldn’t wait to return to her room to see if he’d actually marked her through her jodhpurs.

  Maybe Nigel enjoyed a little goading to get his Alpha male into gear. And January was happy to oblige him.

  Howeve
r, he needed some reassurance first. “Oh, January…I didn’t mean to do that,” he babbled. “I am so sorry.”

  “Hell, I’m not…” Swiveling around, she rung her arms around his neck.

  “You’re…this is what you enjoy…uh, sexually speaking?”

  Pressing closer, she could feel the intensity of his erection straining against those tight khaki riding paints. “Fuck, yes.”

  His lips barely moved with his soft utterance. “Christ on a bicycle…”

  “Come on. Let’s fuck and get it over with. In the tack room.”

  “January, I can’t! I have a lesson—”

  Maybe he did, but she didn’t care. Unrelenting, her lips found his and took on an exploration like none other. She wanted to feel the slick roof of his mouth, the bite of his teeth and the roughness of his tongue.

  Once they broke, gasping for air, Nigel framed her face with his hands. “I’ll see you tonight?”

  Somehow, she managed to remember that Xavier executed this whole trip, and she knew she had to spend some time with him. “Xav…I have to…oh, you can come with us…”

  “Third wheel?”

  “He does this shit to me all the time,” she said. “Picking up men. Bringing them to brunch. Fuck it.”

  Live for the moment, January, she reminded herself.

  “I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Meet us in the foyer after dinner.” She was rather in love with his mother’s cooking, and she didn’t want to miss a meal.

  “I’ll see you then.”

  As she made her slow way back to the house, kicking up pebbles with her riding boots, Nigel watched the methodical shake of her ass with every step she took.

  It was also at that moment when he realized that two essential elements were missing. First, she hadn’t offered up her phone number, and second, she never told him her last name.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Nice shirt!” Xavier put two fingers to his lips to whistle as Nigel hustled rather anxiously through the front door of the main house. For the occasion, Nigel specifically selected one of Xavier’s zippered polos in solid black. “You look so ready for a night on the town.”