The Platinum Rebound

by T V Hartwell

  “I don’t know why. I’m single again. I still have to remind myself of that sometimes. And at this point, anyone who’s been paying attention should know that by now anyway. So it shouldn’t matter if we’re photographed together, unless . . .” She looked at him quizzically without completing her thought.

  “Unless what?”

  “Unless you’ve been dating someone else and haven’t told me about it. That would be fodder for a pretty juicy story . . . being seen out with your ex while being linked to somebody else.”

  “I’ve already told you that I’m not seeing anyone else right now. In fact, I haven’t seriously dated anyone since you and I last dated. I’ve been too busy quite frankly.”

  “But did you hear what one of the photographers said last night? I don’t know which one it was, but one of them asked, ‘Who’s the lovely lady?’ and then another one said right after that, ‘There’s always a different one.’ Why would he say that? Do you see these guys a lot? Do they see you?”

  Adam sighed and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Well . . . yeah, they see me because I go out. And I do go out with girls. I’m not going to lie about that. In fact, I can’t because there’s too much evidence out there to prove it. But those are just dates.”

  “One-night-stand type of dates, huh?”

  “Sometimes. Sometimes things last a little longer than that. But any woman I’ve dated or gone out with over the last year and a half knows that I’m seeing other women. I’m single. Just like you now. I admit . . . I play the field a little.”

  “A little?”

  “Okay, a lot,” Adam admitted with a chuckle. “But what did you expect me to do? A man’s got needs. Give me a little slack, will ya? I play the field only because I haven’t found the one I truly want to be with or at least not since you broke things off with me.”

  “Hmmm,” Amanda uttered while taking a sip of mimosa.

  “I like women. No, I love women. I’m a man. And as long as I’m single it’s fair game for me to date as many women as I want,” he proclaimed boldly.

  Amanda swallowed hard before placing her glass down. Disappointed, she didn’t want to look at him.

  Seeing her reaction, Adam felt the need to quickly clarify things. “But you have a say in that . . . of course.”

  “A say in what? You just made it very clear that as long as you’re still single, the world is your oyster and you’re going to date and see however many women you want.”

  “Right. If I’m single. Meaning if I’m unattached and don’t have a steady girlfriend.”

  “So what do you want? To be single, banging a different girl every night, or do you want to be attached?”

  “I think you already know the answer to that.”

  “I’m not so sure I do.”

  Adam reached over to grab and hold Amanda’s hand with both of his. “I want to be attached . . . if I can be attached to you. You’re all I want,” he said, causing tears to well in her eyes. “Come on, you know that. I’ve been telling you this since before your wedding got called off. I tried to persuade you to cancel it even before it was officially called off. Remember?”

  Amanda giggled as she wiped away a tear that was about to fall from her right eye.

  “For lack of a better metaphor, I’ve had to kiss a lot of frogs, or should I say a lot of froggettes, to find someone like you. But, so far, it’s been an epic fail because there is no one like you. The truth is I don’t want to be single. I want to be with you and only you. I’m in love with you. What about you? How do you feel? What do you want?”

  Staring him in the face, Amanda thought for a second, pondering her choice of words before saying, “I like you a lot, Adam, and you know that I’m very attracted to you. I want to be with you too, and I want to give us a chance to see where things could go and explore our feelings for one another. I wish I could tell you that I’m in love with you too, but I don’t think I’m there just yet. And it would be unfair for me to lie to you and not be completely truthful. But I am happy when we’re together, and I think I very much could end up falling in love with you.”

  “And you know what? That’s enough for me to hear right now. Actually, it’s more than what I’d expected to hear you say. I was so happy and relieved when you reached out to me the night we met at the Sunset Tower because I knew that it represented the possibility of a second chance for me. Another chance for me to show you how much I love and want to be with you and to show you that nobody could ever love you better than I can. I know you’ve been through a lot and that this is not where you planned or expected to be right now. And to be honest, as much as I want to hear you say it, I don’t expect you to come right out and say that you’re in love with me or that you have the same feelings for me that I have for you. I understand that you still need some time to work through your emotions considering everything that’s happened, but I’m willing to wait. You are more than worth the wait to me. I just want you back in my life. All I can do is open my heart and show you the love I have for you and hope that you’ll eventually come around to see that everything you’ve ever wanted or needed in a relationship—the loyalty, commitment, and trust—you already have waiting for you, right here, with me.”

  Amanda sighed, feeling guilty for not be able to fully reciprocate Adam’s feelings for her. “You’re such an amazing guy, Adam. I feel so undeserving of your love. You shouldn’t want me like this. I mean it feels good to be wanted and to be loved, but it feels so unfair to you.”

  “It would be unfair if you led me to believe something other than the truth. That’s one of the main reasons I like you so much. You don’t tell me something just because it’s what you think I want to hear. Unlike most other girls who tell me they love me on the first or second date and then want to have my baby by the third date.”

  Amanda chuckled at Adam’s sarcasm. “You know, that’s one thing I’ve always loved about you, Adam. You’re always willing to say exactly what you think and in a very clear and direct way.”

  “Well, I don’t know about that. Had I been more open and direct about my feelings when we last dated maybe you wouldn’t have gone back to that other guy and would’ve been spared all the hurt and pain of finding out the truth about him.”

  “No, you can’t blame yourself for that. There’s nothing you could’ve said or done back then. I was completely blinded by what I thought I saw in Jake, and I had to learn and know for myself that he isn’t right for me, and that what we had wasn’t real. Nobody could’ve told me that. I had to find out for myself.”

  “So are we now officially a thing?” Adam asked jovially, changing the tone and direction of the conversation.

  “I guess we are,” Amanda said, smiling.

  “So you’re game for being chased and photographed by the paparazzi again?”

  “I don’t know about that. But I guess I’d be willing to tolerate it when I’m with you.”

  “Good, because the premiere of my new film is coming up in three weeks, and I need a beautiful, sexy date to walk the red carpet with me.”

  Amanda gasped and beamed. “Of course. I’d love to be your date,” she said excitedly, feeling happy to be back with Adam and returning to his fantasy world of glitzy Hollywood parties, red carpets, and, yes, even the increased attention and scrutiny from the paparazzi that had once dubbed her “the Platinum Princess” when Adam had introduced her to the world as his girlfriend when they’d first dated more than two years before.

  * * *

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “Shish,” Jake cautioned Julie as she let out random loud bursts and shrieks. With her rear pinned to the restroom counter, skirt raised above her hips, and legs wrapped around him with high heels still on her feet, Jake had his length buried deep in her soaking wet sex. That single stall restroom hidden away at the Jonathan Club, across the street from their office building, had become one of their go-to spots for a quick, afternoon booty call ever since they’d first ended up there more than
a week before.

  Jake, his pants pulled all the way down to his ankles, continued to thrust his pelvis, pushing his length into her at a steady and relentless pace. “I’m going to come,” he gasped, nearing climax. Julie grabbed and held on to his butt cheeks tightly, which made Jake pound her even harder and faster. “Oh yeah, baby . . . oh yeah, oh yeah,” she kept repeating in a high-pitched voice, growing louder and louder.

  Startled, Jake quickly placed one of his hands to her mouth without breaking his stride. “Shish,” he uttered yet again to quiet her down before, “Oh fuck, oh fuck,” he gasped in a hushed tone as he exploded into her, nearly collapsing himself onto her before she placed her hands to his chest and held on to his shirt to avoid losing her balance atop the sink counter and falling to the floor.

  “Fuck,” he said, winded, with his forehead leaned against hers.

  “That was good, huh?” she said, grinning and licking her lips.

  “Yeah, it was,” he replied before they both busted out laughing at themselves as if they were two very naughty juvenile delinquents.

  As Jake pulled out of her and went to remove the condom from his member, she said, “This is becoming quite the habit. You’ve managed to nail me seven straight days in a row between my house, your house, and two different public restrooms.”

  Jake chuckled, feeling proud of his sexual prowess and success at claiming her as yet another one of his conquests since his newfound freedom as a bachelor.

  “Look at what you’ve done to me,” Julie continued. “I’m starting to feel like a nymphomaniac and I’m not even all that sexual a person. I never even had this much sex when I dated my ex, Roger.”

  “What can I say?” Jake said with a grin.

  “A thank-you will do.”

  “A thank-you?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

  “Yeah, for holding up my end of the bargain. I basically have been giving you pussy on demand for the last week. But I’m not complaining. It’s what we agreed to as long as you stay away from other girls, especially Samantha.”

  Jake chuckled. “I still don’t get what you have against her.”

  “Nothing, really. I just don’t want to share you with other girls in the office.”

  “Or maybe it’s because you’re a control freak?” he said, seemingly touching off a nerve in her.

  “It’s not about being a control freak. It’s about having a little self-respect. Like I’ve said before, if you decide you want to fuck other girls in the office just let me know, and we can end this right now. I’m not going to be just another one of your random office tricks, as if I’m some sort of flavor of the week. Although I know that’s how you probably see me, anyway.”

  “Whaaat? What are you saying? I can’t believe you’d say that. I don’t feel that way about you at all,” he said, looking at her in the mirror as he went to wash his hands.

  Without looking back at him, she pursed her lips and fixed her hair in the mirror as if to show doubt in his words. “Are you ready?” she said, sounding and acting in a hurry before moving to step out of the bathroom.

  “Yeah, Julie, let me dry my hands. Jeez.” Jake followed her out of the restroom. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. Just come on,” she said, walking briskly ahead.

  When they made it outside they ran into another colleague from the firm and walked with him across the street, back to their building. Jake wanted to confront Julie about the statement she’d made, how she thought he perceived her to be nothing more than a trick. So when they stepped inside the lobby on the ground floor of their office tower and started to head toward the elevators, Jake gently grabbed her by the arm and spoke into her ear. “Come downstairs with me for a second to grab a Frappuccino.”

  Although she seemed caught off guard at first, Julie complied with his request without knowing his true intent. “Oh, looks like we’re going downstairs for a Starbucks run,” she blurted, causing Jake to cringe as he didn’t want their colleague to try to tag along.

  “We’ll catch up with you later,” Jake quickly said before pulling Julie by the arm to whisk her away.

  “I’ll have a grande Caramel Frappuccino, please,” Jake told the cashier after they’d made their way to Starbucks in the basement level food court. “What do you want?” he said to Julie.

  “I’ll have the same.”

  “So two grande Caramel Fraps,” he said, turning back to the cashier before offering his bankcard to pay.

  “I think we need to change things up and avoid the Jonathan Club for a while,” Julie said as they stood and waited for their drinks. “I think the doorman is becoming suspicious of us.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “I don’t know. I just get this weird feeling, this vibe. The way he eyed me when we left. It was as if he was onto us or something.”

  “Maybe we should come and go separately next time or just go over to the Bonaventure. Although we might get interrupted there since it’s such a busy hotel with a lot more foot traffic.”

  Julie rolled her eyes. “You know these afternoon quickies are kind of getting ridiculous. Maybe we should just wait to do our business after work at my place . . . or yours.”

  “Why? I thought we were having fun. Sex in a public restroom is hot.”

  “Why because it’s so adventurous, risky, and illegal?”

  “Exactly,” he said with a grin.

  “Two grande Caramel Frappuccinos,” the barista yelled out.

  After he picked up the drinks from the counter, Jake handed one to her and continued where they’d left off. “We don’t have to keep running off to find a restroom to do it in if you don’t want.”

  “I don’t mind,” she said, seeming to vacillate. “I mean, we can move over to the Bonaventure; I’m just getting nervous about the Jonathan Club. That’s all. So many of the partners are members there, and I don’t want us to get caught and have them find out that the newest junior partner of the firm has been busted for public indecency and lewd conduct.”

  Jake sensed that she might’ve been walking back her words a bit because she wanted to accommodate him and not push him away, especially since he’d admitted to liking restroom sex. “No. If you’re uncomfortable, we don’t have to do it there or at the Bonaventure either. I just thought we were having fun and enjoying being a little adventurous together.”

  “A little less adventure would probably be for the best.”

  “Okay. Then let’s stick with meeting up at your place or mine, if that’s what you prefer.”

  “I’m good with that.”

  “And by the way, I don’t see you as my trick. You were joking when you said that, right?”

  “Oh, Jake. Don’t try to get all sentimental on me. There’s been sexual tension and innuendo going on between us almost from day one, when you first started working here as a summer associate. You’re no longer with Amanda, and now you want a piece of ass from as many girls as possible to see what you’ve been missing. I get it. I’m giving it up to you, be happy,” she said grabbing and squeezing his chin playfully.

  “I am happy about it. But I’m not a charity case. I mean, I hope you’re happy too. This is what you want too, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” she said somewhat halfheartedly, her tone and body language betraying her.

  Not fully convinced, Jake stared into her eyes to try to connect with her more deeply to see if she’d open up to him more and let her guard down a little.

  When she stared back, her eyes became red and teary as if to convey that she wanted more than a hookup, but then she quickly snapped back to her self-controlled, self-possessed self. “Don’t try to play me, Jake. I know what this is. Let’s keep it simple and not complicate things. I’m a good lay. That’s why we’re like bosom buddies all of a sudden.”

  “And you’re also my friend and I care about you.”

  “Oh. Well it’s nice to know that we’ve finally graduated to being friends with benefits,” she said in comedic fashion.
<
br />   “Would you stop? Come on, I’m trying to be serious here,” he said, struggling to contain his amusement at her dry humor.

  “Me stop? You need to stop. What’s gotten into you? I’ve known you for over two years now and you’ve shown more interest in me, at least on a personal level, in the last week than you have the entire time we’ve known each other, and now you’re calling me your friend and telling me that you care about me. What the fuck?”

  “That’s not true,” Jake said, becoming defensive. “We’ve talked a lot about personal stuff and have spent time together—”

  “Spent time together at the office or at firm events. Outside of work, when have we spent any time together before now?”

  Jake just stared at her, unable to come back with any examples, feeling cornered and confused by her seeming hostility.

  “See. Admit it. I don’t think you even liked me all that much before you started fucking me.”

  “Well, you can be difficult at times,” he said with a straight face, growing annoyed, “and you like to dominate things, but I’ve always liked and respected you.”

  She huffed at him dismissively.

  “Look when I was with Amanda my life revolved around hers. I’m sorry if I came across as detached or if I appeared to display a lack of genuine interest in getting to know you on a more personal level, outside of work. But you were with Roger and you had your life too. When you’re coupled and in a relationship and engaged to be married on top of that, you don’t get in the habit of developing cozy friendships with the opposite sex, especially at work. You know what I mean?”

  “Hmmm . . . true,” she agreed, albeit reluctantly. “But I still think this budding friendship between us will be short lived. Once you get bored with me and my coochee you’ll move on to somebody else and things will return to normal.”

  “Uh-uh,” he protested. “You were my friend before we had sex and I hope to keep you as a friend during and after.”

  “See? You’re already letting me know that there will be an after and that this is nothing more than a passing phase. A fling.”