Taking Beauty (Taking Beauty Trilogy Book 1)

by Wild, Nikki

  “You’re going to love it, Maisey! And at least it’ll get you out of the house again! You’re such a hermit!”

  “I know, I know…actually, that’s why I was calling, believe it or not. I was wondering if you could come over tomorrow night and watch Maddy. If you aren’t busy, I mean. I know it’s Saturday, but I thought I’d ask.”

  “I’m available tomorrow. Saturday’s MC is Poison Flowers - you remember her? We met her at the parade last year.”

  “Yes, of course, I do. So, great, you’re off, can you be here by seven?”

  “Wait a minute, Ms. Thing! Do you have a date?!” he cried.

  “No, Eddie, it’s not a date.” Second lie. Dammit. “Just having dinner with a friend.”

  “A friend, huh? Who? Since when do you have friends, besides me and Maddy?”

  “I have friends!” I protested, laughing. He was right, I didn’t have any friends outside of him.

  “Girl, you sound funny. I’ve never heard you laugh so much. What’s going on? Tell Uncle Eddie all about it. C’mon…”

  “There’s nothing to tell, really. I’m just having dinner with a friend. Be here at seven, okay?”

  “Okay, okay. Just tell me you’re not going on some internet date, though? I don’t want to have to raise Maddy all alone after you get chopped up in a million pieces by some stranger off craigslist.”

  “God! No! Jesus, Eddie, you’re so morbid!” I exclaimed.

  “I’m not morbid! I’m just being realistic. And safe. I’m a drag queen, darling, it’s my job to be safe. You have to think about these things, in this day and age….”

  “Alright, alright. I hear you,” I said, shaking my head. “It’s not an internet date. I promise. Just dinner with someone I know from work, that’s all.”

  “Okay, then, darling. See you and Maddy at seven tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Eddie.”

  I hung up with a smile.

  At least one person in the world was looking out for me. I don’t know what I’d do without Eddie. It was nice to have someone to call to look after Maddy that I trusted completely. It was hard raising her own my own, without a family, without a partner, and professional babysitters were expensive and few and far between. It was hard being alone.

  And I knew it was hard on Maddy, too.

  I made a vow to do what I could to increase our circle of friends, for her sake. She deserved more people in her life that loved her. That she could talk to or depend on. One of my deepest fears was something happening to me. I couldn’t imagine leaving Maddy all alone in the world. It’s a fear I’d wrestled with since she was born, but outside of Eddie, making friends wasn’t all that easy when you were a hermit, as Eddie so eloquently stated about me.

  I needed to get out. Meet more people.

  Maybe going to Jesse’s penthouse for dinner would do nothing towards accomplishing that fact, but it was a baby step in the right direction. A date.

  With a man.

  A real man.

  What a concept, huh?

  That night, after dinner, I looked through my closet, trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow. Scrubs weren’t going to cut it this time.

  But then I got lost in the vision of Jesse between my legs, slowly, teasingly pulling my drawstring loose and I got completely distracted, and before I knew it I was locking my bedroom door and sliding between my sheets and reliving it all over again.

  Jesse had a hold on me. His touch had engraved itself into my skin, and I had never known such intense yearning. Every time I thought about him, I could feel him on me all over again, touching me, kissing me, whispering to me. It was absolutely delectable and the sense of it being completely forbidden only seemed to increase the deliciousness of it all.

  I drifted off to sleep that night, my head clouded with everything Jesse. I let myself drown in it, indulge once more in the memories and fantasies. It was really all I had.

  Time flies. And before long, instead of saying ‘yes’ to Jesse, I’d be saying ‘goodbye’, and these memories would be all I had.

  I ran over everything in my mind, over and over, until every detail was etched into my brain forever.

  Tomorrow night, I’d go to him and allow myself one more magical night with no thought of the past or the future getting in the way.

  Adult conversation. Adult activities. No thoughts of secrets. No guilt.

  A perfectly natural evening between a man and a woman.

  Just pure pleasure between two consenting adults.

  Nothing more and nothing less.

  JESSE

  I hobbled to the door, determined not to use the stupid fucking crutches tonight. They made me feel weak… Like I was less of a man. Tonight called for me to be completely, one hundred percent masculine. I wanted Maisey to see me for who I really was, not some half-assed guy wobbling around on a couple of sticks. I could take a little pain to prove myself. Hell, I was used to getting barreled down by men twice my size, I could handle it.

  I could handle anything.

  Or so I thought, until I opened that door and almost fell to my knees at the sight of Maisey. She was stunning. Gone were the scrubs, gone was the hesitant shyness, gone was the curls pulled tightly in a bun. She’d replaced all of that with a dose of pure sex.

  Her black curls were smoothed into soft tendrils that cascaded down to her bare shoulders. She’d poured herself into a tight red silk dress with thin spaghetti straps that hugged her curvy breasts and hips seductively. The front of the dress plunged to a v deep below her natural cleavage, showing a tiny bit of side boob that almost gutted me. She wore tall, black suede pumps that made her three inches taller than normal and there was a deep red lipstick smeared across those luscious lips that I was now dying to kiss.

  “You look - amazing!” I cried, pulling her into my arms and doing just that.

  “Stop!” she said, her eyes darting over to the ever present Grady by the elevators.

  “He doesn’t care,” I assured her, pulling her in and closing the door. “And besides, he’s sworn to secrecy.”

  “Of course he is,” she laughed, as I closed the door and limped over to her on the couch. I winced as I sat down next to her.

  “You should be using your crutches,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’m fine,” I said, with a dismissive wave. “And so are you!”

  “Thank you,” she smiled. “I thought about wearing my scrubs,” she said, shrugging.

  “I’m glad you didn’t,” I replied, resting my hand on her bare knee and leaning forward to kiss her again. Her lips were soft, so sweet.

  “You look nice, too,” she said. I’d put on a pair of black slacks and a black sweater, which was the first time I’d put on pants since the surgery and it wasn’t easy getting the pants over the bandages on my knee. I wanted to look nice for our dinner, and now that I saw how she was dressed, I was glad I’d done it.

  “What’s for dinner?” she asked.

  “Well, about that. I tried to cook for you, I really did. Unfortunately, that smell you just walked into is burnt steak and some kind of garlic sauce,” I replied, casting my eyes to the side.

  “I think it adds to the ambiance,” she said, laughing.

  We both took a second to smile, seconds ticking away until I was finally able to pull my eyes free from hers.

  “… Anyway, I ordered in from Mizuna.”

  “The expensive French place on Capital Hill?” she asked, her eyes widening.

  “That’s the place,” I said. “Hope you don’t mind?”

  “Are you kidding? Of course not. My friend Eddie raves about that place, but I’ve never been. I hear they’ve got a waiting list three weeks long and I’m pretty sure they don’t deliver…”

  “They deliver for me,” I replied, glancing back at her with a questioning look. “So who’s Eddie?” I asked.

  “Oh, just an old friend.”

  “An old boyfriend?” I asked, feeling a sudden twinge of jealousy.


  “No,” she laughed. “He’s gay. Calm down, stud,” she winked.

  “Alright, alright,” I said, laughing with her and shaking my head. “So, shall we go out to the balcony?”

  “Oh, sure,” she stood up and the dress clung to her curves temptingly. I watched her walk outside, her hips swaying, her heels clicking on the floor. My cock swelled in my pants, and I reached down to adjust it, limping outside after her.

  “Wow!” she exclaimed. Her eyes were lit up with excitement and my heart soared. I was pleased that she was pleased, as cheesy as that sounds. I wanted to see her smile. I wanted those beautiful green eyes to light up in glee.

  “So,” I said, gesturing to the food laid out on a candlelit table that Grady had helped me set. “Tonight, we’ll start with Oyster Rockefeller and Burgundian Escargot, followed by a fresh Arugula & Frisée salad.”

  “Oooh!” she said, smiling up at me from her seat.

  “And then, my lady, you may choose from Seared King Salmon, Beef Wellington au Poivre, or a lovely Dry Aged Magret Duck Breast.”

  “I have no idea what half of that is, but it still sounds amazing. Do I really have to choose?” she asked.

  “Nope, we can eat it all! Mizuna does small plates, so feel free to treat yourself…”

  “Thank you for this,” she said, her voice soft and quiet, “it’s very nice.” She seemed shy all of a sudden, and it was completely endearing. I closed the distance between us and kissed her gently again before taking my seat next to her.

  “It’s my pleasure, trust me, Maisey. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “Me, too, Jesse. Me, too,” her eyes peered into mine deeply. I wanted to take her again, right there, right then, but I was determined to do this right. I’d already ripped her clothes off and taken her on my floor like she was just any other girl. Tonight, I wanted to show her that wasn’t really what I thought of her, that I thought more of her than that, that I thought the world of her - she deserved so much more from me.

  “Wine?” I asked, willing my cock to settle down. My body wasn’t making my job here any easier, but Maisey just had that effect on me, I guess. What was that? Chemistry? Pure sexual attraction? Whatever it was, it had a firm grip on my cock, but to tell you the truth, I didn’t mind it one bit. The air was so sexually charged, it was invigorating.

  “Yes, please,” she replied, holding her glass up to me while I poured.

  “This is a bordeaux from Armand Rousseau. Apparently, Charmes-Chambertin is one of the most famous Grand Cru vineyards in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy.”

  “Wow, sounds fancy. You’re into wine?” she asked.

  “No… I just ordered the most expensive bottle they had and wrote down everything they told me. I’m more of a beer and whiskey guy to tell you the truth. In fact, I’m usually more of a pizza guy as well.”

  Her laughter trickled into the air and I laughed with her, reaching out and pushing a lock of hair behind her ear. She stopped laughing and looked over at me with such sweetness on her face.

  “Thank you, Jesse,” she said, “but I want you to know I would have been completely happy with pizza and beer.”

  “I know you would have,” I said. “But you deserve nice things, too, Maise.”

  She smiled slowly, pensively, and I wished so badly that I could hear her thoughts. It was obvious to me that Maisey had a lot to think about, and probably a lot of pressure on her, as well. I wanted to take her away from all that. I wanted to give her just a little bit of an escape from normal, every day life. Even if it was just for one night.

  “Thank you, Jesse,” she whispered, reaching out and putting her hand on mine.

  “Shall we toast?” I said, raising my glass to hers.

  “Sure,” she nodded.

  “To tonight,” I said, clinking her glass to mine, “and good friends.”

  “Tonight,” she nodded. “Yes, and good friends.” She sipped her wine, staring at me over the edge of her glass for a long moment. I leaned forward, kissing her wine stained lips quickly and sitting back.

  “Let’s eat!” I said. “I’m starved!”

  We dug into the dinner like starving animals. Maisey ate with gusto, devouring the oysters and escargot like a champ. Before long, we were feeling the effects of the wine and laughing uncontrollably together. A pink sunset poured a soft pink glow onto her face, the light softly fading into night, until we were sitting under a sky studded with sparkling stars.

  “This was amazing… Thank you,” she said. She’d relaxed, she was happy, and she was smiling.

  Mission accomplished.

  Well, almost.

  “I have one more surprise for you,” I said, pulling her to her feet.

  “Dessert?” she asked.

  “Well, yes, there’s a chocolate mousse in the fridge, but we’ll get to that later.”

  “What then?” she asked.

  “We have to go downstairs first,” I said.

  “Why?”

  “Do you always ask so many questions?” I teased. “Come on.” I grabbed the small box that I’d left on the kitchen counter earlier and then led her out my front door and down the hall to the elevator.

  “Evening, Jesse,” Grady nodded, holding the elevator for us.

  “Grady, we’ll be back in a few minutes. Stay here.”

  “Yes, Sir,” he nodded, as the elevator doors closed between us. I pushed the button that led to the parking garage and pulled Maisey close for the ride down the twenty-five floors below us.

  “Such a mystery,” she said.

  “You don’t like surprises?” I asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess it depends on what the surprise is.”

  “You’ll see soon enough, impatient one.”

  “Okay, okay,” she said, leaning into my shoulder. The elevator doors opened up directly into the garage and we stepped out. I stood behind her and then put my hands over her eyes.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “Just walk. Don’t peek,” I said, pushing her forward gently. “We’re going around the corner here to the left.” We rounded the corner and I smiled, staring at the surprise in front of us. She was going to be so excited and I couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

  “Alright, are you ready?” I asked. She laughed and nodded.

  “I think so,” she said.

  “Okay, here we go!” I pulled my hands away from her eyes. Parked in front of us was a brand new black Volvo station wagon with a huge red bow on the roof. I reached into my pocket and handed Maisey a small box.

  “What…is…this?” she asked, her eyes wide.

  “Open the box,” I said.

  “Jesse, what have you done?” she asked, opening the box and pulling out the key inside.

  “It’s yours.”

  “Oh, my god! Jesse, you’re crazy! I can’t accept this,” she protested, shaking her head vigorously.

  “Of course you can, Maise. You said your car broke down. I wanted to do something special for you.”

  “That’s really sweet, Jesse,” she said, still shaking her head, “but I can’t. It’s too much.”

  “I knew you’d say that,” I said. “But it’s already in your name.”

  “Jesse, no. Just the insurance alone…” her voice trailed off, her eyes sliding over and eyeing the car.

  “Oh, right. The insurance. I paid for a three year policy. Everything’s in your name, Maisey. Take it. You need it.”

  She sighed, looking back at me wistfully, shaking her head slowly.

  “You’re crazy,” she said.

  “I’m insanely overpaid is what I am. Let me help. It’s no big deal. Besides, I can’t have you riding cabs around the city all day. I need you here helping me… I want you here…”

  She stretched up on her toes and kissed my lips gently. Wrapping my arms around her, I pulled her close, so happy she’d not protested too much about the car.

  “Thank you,” she whispered, her pretty green eyes shining
into mine.

  “Trust me, Maise, the pleasure is all mine. Let’s take her for a spin!”

  She laughed, shaking her head and looking up at me hesitantly. She bit her bottom lip, a gesture so sexy, so reminiscent of the Maisey I used to know, that it made me instantly hard.

  If she hadn’t pulled away from me and run gleefully to the car, I would have taken her right there on the hood. But she was so happy, so fucking cute as she slid behind the wheel that I restrained myself again.

  There was plenty of time to make love to her later.

  I limped over to the passenger’s side of the car and slid in next to her.

  I hadn’t been this fucking happy in a long time, and it felt really unfamiliar and wonderful at the same time. Maisey made me want to be around her all the time, no matter what we were doing. And that was the strangest feeling to me.

  I’d blown my two time rule completely out of the water at this point.

  And I didn’t give one fuck about that.

  I smiled over at Maisey as she fiddled with the dashboard, and felt my heart swell, right along with my ever hardening dick.

  It was good she was around, I thought.

  It was good she was happy.

  “It’s beautiful, Jesse,” she said, her eyes beaming with happiness.

  “You’re beautiful,” I said, a seriousness washing over me. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen, Maisey.”

  MAISEY

  “Yes, yes, right there,” I shuddered, my fingers sinking into Jesse’s hair. His mouth moved against my sex - so warm, so soft, so perfectly skilled - that I was beginning to think he’d sold his soul to the devil for that mouth.

  My head fell back on his pillow, my entire body pulsing with pleasure. I melted into his sheets, into his mouth, the slow, sweet caress of his tongue achingly tender, so smooth and velvety as it slid against my skin, sending ripples of blissful pleasure washing over me. His hands gripped my hips, his fingers digging into my soft flesh, holding me firmly in place as my body writhed beneath his delicious assault.

  I was transported. Rocketed into a place so far away, a heaven that only Jesse and I existed in. Everything else disappeared.