by Claire Adams
“I love you, Logan.”
“I love you, too, Chloe.” He took my face in his hands and caressed it with his thumb while he kept it tipped up towards his. “So pretty,” he said again before dipping his head down and capturing my lips with his.
The breeze drifted across us while we kissed. Between the blanket and Logan’s body heat, I was warm, almost too warm. I felt his hands go underneath the blanket and begin working at removing my clothes. He was skilled, but there was no way he’d be able to peel them off me in the cramped space we were in.
I stood up and handed him the blanket. He smiled up at me and licked his lips. I decided to do something I’d never done before: a striptease.
I took hold of the bottom of the sports jersey I’d worn to the derby bout and I began to slide it up slowly, revealing just an inch of skin at a time until I reached my head and finally pulled it off. I swayed my hips back and forth to invisible music as I reached behind me and unhooked my bra. I loved the look on his face when my breasts were free. I loved that he was turned on by my body.
I put my hands on the button of my jeans and as I kicked off my shoes, I unbuttoned them. He licked his lips again and reached for me. I took a step back, turned my back to him and slid the jeans slowly off my hips and over my ass. I was wearing a thong and I heard his sharp intake of breath as my entire butt was naked in front of him.
I did a sensuous little dance as I slid that tiny, wet thong down my thighs. When I reached my ankles, I stepped out of it. I picked it up and twirled it around on one finger until it spun off and landed on his chest. He picked up the thin, pink garment and brought it to his face and inhaled. “Mm, so sexy.”
I leaned over him and started to unbutton his shirt, but he used his hands to gently push me away. “I don’t think so. You got to do your striptease and now it’s my turn. Have a seat.” He stood up and before I could sit down, he smacked my bare ass. I reached for him to retaliate, but he stepped out of my grasp.
I got comfortable and watched as he dug his phone out of his pocket. With a few swipes, soft, romantic music was suddenly wafting out of speakers that must have been hidden in the greenery. I was impressed, but where Logan was concerned, I usually was.
I watched him sway slowly to the music and unbutton his shirt one button at a time, revealing his sexy, muscular body one titillating piece at a time. When he had it unbuttoned, he pushed it off his shoulders and let it slide off into the sand. I could see how big his erection was already pressing into the front of his pants. I waited in eager anticipation as he unbuttoned and unzipped and finally pushed them off, as well.
He did a silly dance as he dropped his shorts and stepped out of my reach when my hands got so itchy I couldn’t stand it. Instead of letting me touch him, he got down on his knees at the end of the chair. He grabbed me by the ankles and slid my body down toward him, draping my legs over his shoulders.
He started by kissing my inner thighs, first one and then the other. He tossed the blanket aside and worked his way up, kissing all around the outside of my lips until all at once, he pressed his face into my wet pussy and began to lick.
I cried out and tangled my fingers up in his hair. I use my grip to press his face into me harder. I squealed again as he found my clit and began nibbling and sucking on it. I arched my back and pressed my head into the chair. I was wiggling so hard that he had to use his hands to hold me still as I felt the first hint of an orgasm approaching. It was getting hard to breathe even in the open, fresh air, and I felt blood rush to my chest and head as heat began to pulse from my sopping wet pussy.
He held onto with one hand while I came and reached up with the other and pinched down on one of my nipples. Damn, he’s good. When I finally finished panting and writhing, he had to untangle himself from my legs so that he could stand up. I was so wet that I felt the trickle of my own juices down the insides of my thighs. His face glistened in the new moonlight as he grinned down at me. He was proud of himself, as well he should be.
I pulled myself up to a sitting position. My body was still shaking as I reached up for his thick cock. I looked up into his eyes as I put the tip of it into my mouth. I felt him shudder and he reached down and fisted my hair up into both of his hands and pulled it back so that he could watch me. I sucked him in more and then put my hands around the backs of his hard thighs and held on, pulling him even closer until I felt the head press against the back of my throat.
I sucked hard, and when I finally couldn’t breathe, I let him out for a second. My eyes were watering as I sucked oxygen in through my nose and then pulled him back into my mouth with my lips and tongue. My pussy was on fire again with the anticipation of him being inside of me. Feeling him skin to skin last night had been an experience unlike any other and I couldn’t wait to do it again.
I sucked and licked and fondled for as long as he could take it before he pulled his hips back and bent down to claim my mouth with a long, deep kiss. He had his hand on the back of my neck, and he let his tongue probe. I was surprised at how much I was turned on by tasting myself on him.
We kissed for a long time and when he broke it, I pushed myself back on the chair. He leaned over me, and I reached up and wrapped my hands around his thick erection and guided it where I wanted it so badly.
I was so wet and slick that he slid in with barely any effort at all. I arched my back and bit down on my bottom lip to keep from screaming. My whole body was on fire now, and he pumped in and out of me at a rapid, even pace. I let my lip go and my moans came rushing to the surface. He caught them in his mouth and kissed me while not missing a beat, plunging in and out, hard and fast.
I felt sweat dripping off his hard body and rolling down between my breasts. I had my fists curled into his shoulders so that I didn’t dig my nails into his flesh. Like a raging, out-of-control fire, waves of heat began to roll through me as I escalated into another orgasm. I felt his body tensing up and just as he erupted, I couldn’t hold the scream back any longer. I let it out and I came with it.
When he dropped down on top of me, his sweat-covered body slid across mine and he lay next to me in the small chair. I curled into him and felt safe and warm and loved. I could handle my Dad or anyone else that had anything to say about this wedding. I wanted to be his wife so badly at that moment I could taste it.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
LOGAN
“You look like hell.” Mel brought my coffee and bagel into the office like she did every Monday morning, and like she did most mornings, she insulted me.
“Thank you. You look as beautiful as ever. Did the devil teach you how to hide your black heart with your stunning beauty?”
She laughed as she sat the cup and the bagel on my desk. “Are you still feeling guilty?”
“I had the most amazing weekend with Chloe. We had a great time with our families. We went to a roller derby game. We had sex on the beach. And then last night just before she fell asleep in my arms, she kissed me and told me she loves me and that nothing in the world had ever been as exciting to her as the thought of our future together.”
Mel smiled. Pure evil. “That’s good. Damn, maybe I have been underestimating how good you might be in the sack.”
I rolled my eyes at her and said, “Of course you have, but that’s beside the point. Look, Mel, in all seriousness, I like this girl – a lot. She’s incredible and any man on this earth would be lucky to have her.
“And, what am I doing? I’m using her for my own personal gain and keeping her off the market until I’m done with her. Then she’s going to be a divorce with a hardened, cynical heart. I’m tainting her future. I’m a horrible person.”
“If you stop all this guilt nonsense, she will never know why you married her. You are brilliant, and between the two of us, we can come up with a way for you to divorce her that won’t humiliate her and leave her devastated. Yes, she’ll be a divorcée, but aren’t we all?”
“You’ve been married?”
“Not the poi
nt. We’re talking about Chloe, who will be a very, very rich divorced woman. She has her career on the right path and she’ll be living large in Manhattan. She’ll be okay. Just don’t knock her up.”
I thought about all the sex we’d had the past two days without a condom. Chloe told me she’s still on the pill, but I never left it up to the chance that the woman was telling the truth or the pill was working. The worst part was when I was inside of her, I let myself imagine having a baby with her for a second. I’d lost my mind almost completely and I blamed Mel for most of it.
“She’s in love with me, Mel. There is no way that this is not going to hurt her.”
“I’m beginning to wonder if you might be in love with her, too, boss, maybe just a little bit.”
“I’m not in love with her, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care about her.”
“Then be nice to her and shower her with gifts and attention. Zelda is planning the most fabulous wedding that this city has seen in a long time. Even when the marriage ends, she’ll have those memories.”
I ran my hand through my hair. “So, when is this wedding exactly?”
“Saturday at St. Paul’s with a reception to follow at The Plaza.”
“How the hell did she get The Plaza on such short notice?”
“Your money is magic,” Mel said. “I need to borrow your bride this afternoon. Call Josiah and tell him not to give me or her a hard time about it.”
“Jesus, Josiah’s going to have a lot to say about this. He’s already suspicious.”
“So? Remember that he works for you and he cannot work for you if he doesn’t know how to mind his business.”
“So, suddenly I have no morals.”
She stood up. “Morals are for losers. You, sir, are no loser. Tell Josiah I’m taking Chloe at noon and she might not be in tomorrow.”
I groaned and rested my aching head in my hands. If I could have stayed at the cottage in my safe haven with Chloe this morning, I wouldn’t have ever left. I reached for the phone as there was a knock on the door. I looked up as Josiah poked his head in the door.
“You busy?”
“No, come in. I was just going to call you.”
“What’s up?” he asked as he came over near the desk and took a seat.
“You go first. What did you want to see me about?”
“I just saw your fiancée.” He paused. I was not sure if it was for effect or if he was trying to organize his thoughts. I waited and finally, he said, “That was quick.”
“Yes, it was. Chloe and I are very happy and excited to get married as soon as possible.”
“You have to understand, Logan, how I could be confused about this, right? I’ve known you for ten years and that entire time you have been a fuck ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy.”
“You don’t have to be so crude about it, and people change. I just hadn’t met the right person.”
“Really? So, I didn’t hear you talking to Mel about using Chloe?”
I leaned across the desk and through gritted teeth I said, “No, you didn’t hear anything like that and I suggest that Chloe doesn’t hear anything like that, either.”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “You know, Logan, I’ve always respected you not just as my boss, but as a person. You’re a player, yes, but as far as I’ve ever seen, you did it with integrity. You always told the woman up front that you were playing with her and she had the choice to walk away. Did you give Chloe that choice?”
“I’m not playing with Chloe. She and I are getting married, soon.”
“What’s the hurry?”
“You know what, Josiah? You seem to have forgotten that I was your boss first. I don’t appreciate your tone or your implications or your intrusive questions. It will bode well for you if you stay out of my personal life and my relationship with Chloe.”
“Are you threatening my job?”
“I’m telling you that if you do anything that hurts the woman I love, you won’t work here any longer.”
He scoffed at me and stood up out of his chair. “You’re not the man I thought you were,” he said as he stormed out of my office. I sat there and stared at the door after he slammed it and I realized that I wasn’t the man I thought I was, either.
*****
I got a call from Chloe later Monday afternoon. She was worried about taking care of the wedding stuff during office hours. “This internship is still important to me, Logan. I asked more than once that you don’t give me any special favors. I think that includes leaving at noon and taking whole days off to meet with dressmakers.”
“So, you don’t want to meet with the dress designer?”
“Manhattan has a lot of bridal shops. I’d be more than happy to have my mom meet me in the city in the afternoon one day this week and find one that way. I don’t need a custom gown. I don’t need people flown in from Europe to make me a dress that will cost you a fortune…that I’m only wearing once, by the way.”
I shook my head. She keeps proving to me that she’s not like any woman I’ve ever met before. “It’s your wedding, baby, you can wear whatever you want.”
“Thank you.” I could almost hear the smile in her voice. “Will you do me one more favor?”
“Sure; what do you need?”
“Can you tell Mel for me?”
I laughed. “A little scared of my assistant?”
“Maybe just a little…intimidated.”
“She’s scary, I don’t blame you. I’ll tell her, baby. Is there anything else?”
“Can I meet with the wedding planner myself…without Mel there?”
“Of course. Like I said, it’s your wedding, whatever you want.”
“Really? Whatever I want?”
“Yes, absolutely.” Giving her the wedding of her dreams was the absolute least I could do.
“Thank you.”
I chuckled, “You’re welcome. What else?”
“Nothing. Are you and Josiah okay?”
“As far as I know; why do you ask?”
“He’s just been kind of weird, distant.”
Distant was good. “I don’t know; like I said, as far as I do know, we’re okay.”
“Okay… One more thing.”
“Yes?”
“People are looking at me funny over here.”
“You want me to talk to the staff?”
“Oh no! No, that will make it worse. But I would like to invite them to the wedding. I think it might help my relationships with my co-workers. Do you mind?”
“Nope, you invite whoever you want. As long as it’s you and me at the altar, it’s all good.”
“Thank you.”
Laughing I said, “You’re welcome.” I hung up with a smile on my face and realized that Chloe had a way of doing that. No matter what was going on, she seemed to be able to make me smile.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHLOE
“Do you think Logan is disappointed about getting married and having the reception here instead of that big church and the Plaza?”
Charlotte was helping my mother hem my dress. The dress shop had done alterations, but not very well. Thank goodness, I had two seamstresses at my fingertips two days before my wedding.
Charlotte had pins in her mouth, so she talked out of the side of it as she pinned up the hem on my dress. “No, baby girl, I don’t think he’s disappointed at all. Did he seem disappointed to you?”
“No, but he spoils me. He just tells me it’s my wedding and I can do whatever I want.”
“That’s good,” she said. “It means that he was listening to me, at least a little bit all those years. My Logan is very controlling; I’m sure you’ve noticed.” I smiled and nodded. “If he’s willing to hand over control of this or anything else to you, it means that he trusts you, Chloe, and since you two are getting married, that’s a good thing.”
“It’s his wedding, too, though, and that woman, Zelda, keeps telling me that a wedding on the beach to a woman in an off the
rack dress and no shoes is not befitting a man in Logan’s position.”
I heard my mother snort. Charlotte took my face in her hand and tipped my head down so she could look at me.
“Zelda obviously doesn’t know my son. Logan has a lot of money and he’s an important businessman, but none of that defines him. I see the way he looks at you. He wants you to be happy.” I nodded. “You’re going to be beautiful, but I have a feeling what you’re wearing isn’t going to be important to Logan, at all. I also happen to know the venue you chose is one of his most favorite places on earth.”
“Thank you, Charlotte.” I had so many questions in my head, but those were the only ones that I was brave enough to ask Logan’s mother and mine. This was all happening so fast that my head was spinning. It had everyone a little discombobulated and I prayed that by the coming afternoon when Logan and I were officially married, things would settle down and get back to normal.
Logan and I were the ones getting married, but our plans were affecting both sides of the family in broadly different ways.
There was team Logan: Mel and Zelda and his Mom and the kids. Mel was barely speaking to me. I’m not sure why she was so offended that I rejected Zelda’s ideas for the wedding, but for some reason, she took it personally.
Zelda was hired help, but she forgot that for a while. She was treating me like I was simply in the way while she tried to plan my wedding. One word to Logan, however, and he put her back in her place. It was not that I thought I was better than her or special in any way, but this was my wedding, not hers.
Then there was Logan’s niece and nephews who were genuinely happy for us and excited about being in the wedding. I liked to bask in their joy. It helped relieve some of my anxiety.
My dad was barely speaking to me, and he glared at Logan every time they were in the same room, like he was the enemy. I tried to talk to him, but all he wanted to say was that this was too fast. He was suspicious of Logan, like he thought Logan had an ulterior motive. When I confronted him and asked him what he thought that might be, he had no idea. He made me feel like he couldn’t imagine why a man like Logan would want me. My dad had always been my biggest supporter, so it really hurt me.