I shut the door to her bedroom as gently as possible, and ran into Kari who stood in the hallway with a solemn look on her face.
“Don’t hurt her, okay?”
I wasn’t sure how to respond to her and by the time I could summon my voice, she’d already stepped back into her bedroom and closed the door. The quiet limo ride back to my hotel gave me time to think about what I was doing. I knew without a doubt that I had strong feelings for Ginny, stronger than anyone I’d ever been with, even Vanessa. And that bitch damn near killed me. The five thousand miles between us was something I couldn’t change,— unless one of us moved. And I didn’t feel like I could even talk to Ginny about moving this early in the game.
Maybe I was more worried about getting hurt. I didn’t think she’d intentionally do anything to hurt me, but I couldn’t be too sure. We’d only known each other a few months and being apart had a way of changing people, and not always for the better.
The big question was… what would I regret more? Trying a long-distance relationship that may not work out, or never trying it and living the rest of my life not knowing? What if it does work out? What if we have a happy-ever-after? Fuck!
I lay in bed with questions swirling and circling around in my brain and when morning arrived, I still didn’t have any answers.
Chapter 6 — Ginny
I rolled over and realized Tristan was already gone. I knew he had to wake up early for work, but it still sucked to know he’d left. I stretched my arms and the pleasurable ache in my body assured me that last night wasn’t just a dream. I glanced over at the clock and noticed a note on the side table. It was thoughtful enough of him to leave me a note, knowing he wasn’t going to be here when I woke up. I stretched out the kinks in my back before reaching over to grab the piece of paper.
‘Morning sunshine. Had to leave after you fell asleep last night, though I’d much rather wake up to your smiling face. Don’t forget our date tonight. How’s Providence at 8:30pm.
Tristan
P.S. You taste like an angel
Angel. That’s a new one. The last sentence of Tristan’s note gave me delicious chills and I became instantly aroused, reading his words. I’d never felt so buzzed and so alive than when I was with him and we hadn’t even fully had sex yet! Goosebumps broke out on my skin as I remembered his tongue licking into me, hitting deep inside as if he wanted to become a part of my very essence. My fingers crept down between my thighs, touching my lips without even thinking and I moaned at how wet I still was, even after a few hours of sleep.
“Ginny! Get up! We’re going to be late!” The sound of Kari’s voice just outside my door startled me and I shook off the pleasant thoughts rising in my head. I threw my robe on, grabbed my clothes for the day and when I opened the door, I ran smack dab into Kari’s smirking face and my cheeks flushed instantly.
“Kari! What, um— good morning!” For all my stuttering, Kari’s smirk deepened into a beaming smile.
“And a good morning to you too, my delightful tasting cumquat,” Kari replied, her voice smug as if she were the one who’d been eaten to within an inch of her sanity. “That man must be a god in the sack because I have never heard you scream so loud in my life, Gin. Thank God, I knew it was him and what you people were doing or I would’ve called the damn cops. I thought he was killing you.”
I giggled at her. Shit! What could I really say? I was blissfully unaware of how loud I was last night, since I was used to being alone and able to control my responses. “Well…Miss Nosy Butt, he was killing me, he was trying to eat me alive. So howya like that?” Then I wiggled my hips and threw my hand behind my head in a diva pose right before she slapped my butt. “Hey!” I let out a long mewl-like sigh, unable to keep the wonder out of my voice as I remembered last night. Kari pulled me into a hug before giving me a loving smile.
“Go. Shower. You smell like ass and happiness and it’s fucking nauseating. Oh my God, Gin, is that cum in your hair?”
I laughed. “Are you jealous?”
“Extremely! But I’m happy for you too, girl.” She put her hands out in front of her and circled her hips in a grinding motion, “Oh, Tristan, oh, Tristan!” she laughed. “But honestly, you deserve to be humped within an inch of your life and I’m glad it’s working out for you. Now we have to get to work and see if we can expend some of your sickeningly upbeat energy on filing our way to your promotion. Cum? Hair? That wouldn’t go over too well with old man Westin— or maybe— don’t you have a review tod—“
“That’s nasty! Don’t even say it!” Pretend gagging, I moved to the bathroom to get ready for work. I wanted to call in sick, but I obviously had to be there for my own review. So I did the responsible thing and got ready, taking a little too long in the shower and after a lot of rushing around, got us to work in time.
Despite my best efforts to remain cool, calm and collected, I found myself thinking about our date for that evening. It would be the first time we’d be getting together for the express purpose of dating, like in a real relationship. I googled the restaurant he’d picked out and immediately called Kari over to my desk to ask her what I should wear. I wasn’t sure if my normal rockabilly outfits would be classy or fancy enough for the place he’d chosen. I was actually a little nervous. It was almost as if Tristan had immersed himself in my world and my standard of life and now I was about to see his. He’d talked about how he and his friend Mike just hit up the pubs at night, but regardless of what Tristan wanted to be, he still came from money and I knew absolutely nothing about that lifestyle.
“So I need to look really fancy, right? Not just my usual going out outfits but something like…like…”
“Like… here comes the money,” Kari interjected. “Man, Tristan is definitely pulling out all of the stops for you, girl. Better bag ‘em and tag ‘em before he gets away.”
I chuckled at Kari’s comment even while thinking the same thing myself. “Yeah, he’s a real catch. But… would I be able to catch him permanently and would we be able to make it work long term? Could I even handle a long distance relationship? What about my job?”
“Seriously Gin, you are thinking way too much.” Kari interrupted, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder. “The guy likes you, you like the guy. Go out, have fun and try to take things one step at a time. There’s no need to try to define anything right now.”
“I know, I just…” I sighed, unable to voice what I really wanted to say. Like, how I was worried that this was all just an elaborate fling and scared that I was throwing myself into something, only to be hurt again. Then again, I remembered how Tristan touched me, the passion and desire written so clearly all over his face. “You’re right, smart ass. You’re absolutely right; I am thinking way too hard about this.”
“Exactly, I know I’m right. I know everything, remember?” Her sassy answer made me laugh, her confidence renewed my spirit.
The rest of the day was so completely uneventful; I could’ve called in sick. The boss had an emergency meeting in our northern office, so we rescheduled my review until the following week. I was bummed; I really wanted the promotion. Now. More money, more prestige and I’d be able to tease Kari about being her superior. That was the best part. Rubbing it in. But… I’d waited this long, so what was another week?
I rushed home to get ready as quickly as possible. I wasn’t sure of everything Tristan had in mind, but I took special care in the shower, shaving everything and making sure I was as hairless as a baby’s ass. I used the expensive soap my mom had sent me last Christmas, I loved the way it lathered and the way it smelled. The smile and thumbs up from Kari as I exited the bathroom put even more pep in my step and we went through my wardrobe with two pairs of overly critical eyes. I tried to summon some of Kari’s devil-may-care attitude regarding the final wardrobe choice; a form-fitting deep blue dress with a corset waist and a plunging neckline.
Kari refused to let me look in the mirror as she did my make-up and brushed my hair into a perfect Victory
roll. I was nervous and excited to see the final transformation, but I trusted her to make me look every inch the glamorous girl she wanted me to feel. I was a little worried about how my stomach would look in such a figure-hugging dress, but all my worries were for nothing. When I finally turned to see myself in the mirror, the effect was no less than stunning, diva-style. “Wow, you work miracles, girl.”
She let out a little chuckle, “I had a great canvas to start with. You look amazing if I do say so myself.”
“Yeah, I do… Thanks.” The dress made my curves look soft and touchable with my hair curled up in a perfect roll. The make-up Kari decided upon was simple, yet gave the illusion of dewy skin with emphasis on my cheeks and from the moment I opened the door and Tristan saw me standing there, all of my worries faded away. His blue eyes were piercing and filled with so much desire, I swore my body started to melt.
He reached out his hand to take mine, “You look amazing, Ginny.”
I flushed with embarrassment and I knew I had to be beet red. “Thank you, you look pretty amazing yourself.”
He leaned in, kissed my cheek, and my body clenched as if stroked on the inside by his heat. Looking back to say goodbye to Kari, I recognized the knowing look in her eye and winked at her just before she yelled “Have fun!” before closing the door behind us.
Tristan helped me into the car and then slid in next to me. ”Mmm, you smell good.” The dark gray suit he wore must have cost a fortune. It fit him perfectly in all the right places and I hoped he was as impressed with me as I was with him.
I didn’t know if I should be scared or proud to have this gorgeous man sitting next to me. Proud, because I knew he was the hottest man alive or scared, because I knew he was the hottest man alive. Sitting together in the comfort of the limo, I could feel the tension in the air as heavy as a physical ache. I was beside him; my hand rested lightly on his knee and was giddy when he curled his arm around me. “Understated, but sexy. You would definitely break a few hearts in London looking as fine as you do.”
“Well I guess you’d better hold on to me real tight then, huh?” I teased back. I was delighted when he squeezed my waist pulling me even more firmly into his side.
“I guess I’d better. Or I could just spread you out on a table and fuck you in front of all of them,” he replied, lips flicking against the sensitive shell of my ear. “Eat you until you cry out my name, so they know without a doubt, that they’ve got nothing on me.”
I smacked his arm “Tristan! You will not do me on the table in public!” I tried to sound agitated, but I knew he was joking and couldn’t muster up real irritation, so I faked it.
I swallowed hard; my mouth had gone dry with want. “Tristan…” I trailed off, unsure of what to say. I really just wanted to say screw tonight, and go back to his hotel room. I had to know what it felt like to have him moving deep inside of me. Just the thought made my insides quiver.
“Mmm, I know what you want…” his thumb stroked my hip, his other fingers gripping tight enough that I knew there would be bruises to remind me of tonight. “But first, we have dinner reservations and I’m not going to skip my chance to show you off and spoil you like the angel you are.” He said that word again. Angel.
He removed his arm as the limousine came to a stop. I was a bit disappointed by the abrupt end to what was a promising introduction to a little nookie, but I’d already made up my mind to enjoy everything he had planned for the evening. It wasn’t as if we had a lot of time to spend together with him leaving in a few days. And if I didn’t want this to be all about sex, then I was going to have to be content with activities outside of the bedroom.
Dinner was amazing. I ordered lobster while Tristan ate cod and the conversation flowed as we fed each other in the dark, formal dining room. The food was incredible and I found myself trying to identify the different flavors as they burst onto my tongue, much to Tristan’s amusement. My entire focus was on him, and I was a bit alarmed when I came up for air and realized we were the only customers left in the restaurant.
I looked around at all the empty tables, and asked, “Oh no, what time is it? Is the restaurant closing?” None of the waiters had seemed anxious to close up or to bring the check. Tristan just chuckled good-naturedly as he took another sip of wine.
“It’s not a problem,” he replied. “They’ll keep the place open for as long as we’re here.”
The answer made me pause. “Wait, what? They will. How’d you manage that?”
“They’ll stay open, don’t worry your pretty little head.”
“How…why? What did you tell them? I’ve never heard of a fancy restaurant staying open for people.”
“They do under the right circumstances and the right amount of … incentive. Don’t worry about a thing. Just enjoy your dinner.”
I leaned into him and whispered, not too quietly, “You paid them to stay open?” I felt a little odd about the entire thing, but I tried not to let it bother me. We only had a short time together, so of course Tristan would want to do something special. It was no different from say…a guy renting out a space or calling ahead for a proposal…oh my God! Was he proposing? Surely not. I mean, despite the hot Skype sex we’d had and talking practically every day, we still didn’t know that much about one another and we hadn’t even officially decided we were a couple.
“I have something for you.” His voice startled me and my voice went up an octave.
“What?” I hoped he couldn’t see my heart thumping so hard in my chest. I wasn’t ready for marriage, was I? I mean we were still dating, kind of.
Tristan chuckled before reaching into the pocket of his blazer and pulling out a small velvet box. Oh, fuck! This couldn’t be real.
“That’s for…me?” I whispered.
“Of course. Just something small to show how much I…well, I suppose how much I care about you.” He slid the box across the table and into my sweaty hands. I didn’t know what to do. I just stared at it, perplexed and a little scared. A part of me wanted to run the hell away, but another, saner part was so unbelievably amazed as I felt the weight of the little box in my hands.
Taking a deep breath, I braced myself and pried it open. “Tristan, they’re beautiful!”
Chapter 7 — Tristan
It was nerve-wracking trying to get everything in place for my date with Ginny this evening. At work, I couldn’t seem to focus, plans and ideas flashing through my mind every few seconds without a moment’s reprieve.
“You’ve got to get it together, mate. You’ve been sounding a bit barmy lately. The boys are gossiping that the big boss has lost his mind, mooning over some Yank and I’m starting to get worried.”
I’d called Mike after another attempt at tying up some loose ends on a huge contract that needed attention in Europe. I had a lot on my plate here in the U.S. and Mike was perfectly capable of lightening my load by taking care of this for me. The essentials were already handled and truthfully, everything could have been 100% completed by now if I’d been working on it from my hotel, instead of my nightly entertainment with an American beauty.
It was a little embarrassing how hung up I was over this girl. The last woman I’d felt this way for, ripped my heart out without a second thought and left me angry and confused. If Ginny did that to me as well, I don’t think I’d recover for a long time… maybe not ever. Was I ready to jump back into this, feet first? Even with the distance that would be separating us in a few short days?
“I know mate, believe me I know. But you don’t know her Mike. She’s just so…so bloody friggin’ perfect for me! I swear I can’t tell my arse from my elbow at this point. Everything she does just gets better and better. And the food she cooked the other night,” I trailed off thinking back to the spread Ginny created just for our movie night. “I’m telling ya mate, even my own mum hasn’t done anything like that for me in years.”
Mike laughed and I could hear some of the other blokes roaring in the background. “So if she’s so blood
y perfect, why haven’t you banged her yet? Or have you?”
“Well,” I paused. For the first time in my life, I felt the need to keep what happened in the bedroom between another woman and me a secret, even from my best mate. “We’ve done a few things and she’s just as amazing in bed as she is out of it.”
Mike was silent for a moment and I looked at the phone screen just to make sure we hadn’t been disconnected. “So who will be moving where then?” And just like that, Mike had hit the root of the problem... the future.
I said goodbye and hung up the phone a few minutes later without answering his question. I tried not to let the uncertainty of Ginny and our future affect my decisions for the evening as I made calls to reserve the restaurant. I left work early so I could cruise the famous Rodeo Drive, most of it seemed to be overly pretentious for my taste. It wasn’t until I walked by a small boutique that I found something that caught my eye. Antique earrings. The perfect gift for Ginny.
Pulling up to Ginny’s house, surprisingly, I wasn’t nervous at all. I was excited for what the evening might hold for us and the small velvet box in my pocket was practically vibrating with energy. I knew Ginny was more into the rockabilly style and I liked it. It went very well with my penchant for tattoos, but I hoped she’d like the gift. It wasn’t elaborate or expensive, but it felt special and significant. I think the last time I was this nervous about giving a woman a gift was when I made my mum a picture made out of macaroni in the second or third year at school.
When she opened the door, I swear the breath rushed out of my body so fast, I almost fainted. The deep blue dress she had on fitted her perfectly, displaying her beautifully curvy hips and ample cleavage. I almost said to hell with going out to drag her back inside and discover what other wonders awaited me underneath her dress. It took the will of a thousand men to guide her to the limo and then again, to keep things a rather heated PG-13 in the back of the limo. My reward was an excellent dinner complete with never-ending conversation and exquisite food. We talked and laughed for hours about our childhood, our upbringing, favorite foods, music and everything in between. Her favorite color was pink; she loved country music and Mexican food. Sounded like my kind of gal even more than before. Well maybe not the pink.
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