by Ali Vali
“Are you hungry right this minute?” Willow kicked her shoes off, wondering where the hell all her self-control had gone, but Tucker had definitely upped her desire for sex.
“I could eat,” Tucker said, coming closer.
She seemed mesmerized when Willow stood and unzipped the skirt she wore. Score. The only reason she’d worn another skirt was because Tucker seemed to like the one from the night before.
“What did you have in mind?”
Her underwear and blouse came next. “How about an appetizer?” The Persian silk rug felt good as she walked to Tucker and tapped the top of her boot with her toe. “You need to take these off so you can enjoy your meal better.”
“Being barefoot makes the food taste better, huh?”
The bootjack by the bed made her laugh, since the V to hold the heel was a woman with her legs spread. Tucker really was a bit of a cliché, but she also didn’t seem fake.
“It’s a scientifically proven fact.” She unbuckled Tucker’s belt next and unzipped her pants as Tucker unbuttoned her shirt. “And I can feel a part of you that is in total agreement with me.” She slid her hand into Tucker’s underwear. That sped Tucker through the process of getting naked before she picked her up and carried her to the bed. Tucker had Willow’s bra off before she could say anything else and sucked in her nipple. “Damn.”
“I can’t get enough of you.” Tucker impatiently removed Willow’s underwear. “I really did invite you for lunch, but…good Lord.”
“You talk way too much sometimes,” she said, reaching down and squeezing Tucker’s clit between her fingers. “There are better things you could be doing with your mouth.”
She sat up, pushed Tucker until she was flat on her back, and straddled Tucker’s face, almost cracking her skull on the headboard when Tucker didn’t waste time sucking her in. “Oh…fuck me.” The idea had been to make it last, but she came when Tucker reached up and pinched her nipple. She almost broke into tears because of the way Tucker not only touched her, but held her afterward.
“Are you okay?” Tucker asked as she lay like a rag doll over her.
“I will be, but my brain needs to kick-start itself.” She moved enough to be able to see Tucker’s face and smiled. “We might have to play hooky after that.”
“That’s an excellent idea.” Tucker moved her hands down, but Willow rolled off before they went anywhere near her ass.
“Not yet,” she said when Tucker pouted. “I already told you if you go anywhere near my ass, you’re going to have to touch me, and I don’t want to be greedy. You might stop treating me to vegetarian meals that have great meat sides.”
“But I really like touching you.” Tucker sat up a little and did just that. The first squeeze made her hiss and she pressed her hips into Tucker’s side, and Tucker didn’t let up as she continued the pressure as she kissed her. She gladly moved to her back and spread her legs so Tucker could touch her until she came. Those long fingers pumped in and out, and Tucker’s mouth on hers drove her crazy. She bucked her hips but Tucker kept pace.
“Yes, baby, yes. It’s so good.” With more self-discipline she could maybe make it last longer, but Tucker had completely stripped her of all her reason, and now she had to come or stop breathing. She came so hard that she wanted to cry and laugh at the same time. Tucker put her arms around her and held her until she could get herself together.
She was mortified to find Tucker sleeping when she opened her eyes forty minutes later. There was no way she was the asshole who fell asleep after sex, leaving her partner in a sorry state, but the clock didn’t lie. “I promise I’ll make it up to you, but we need water first.” She spoke softly and kissed Tucker’s cheek gently before carefully getting up to go in search of a drink.
The kitchen was the last room of the house she hadn’t seen, and she chuckled at the gleaming white space with a professional gas stove that she doubted Tucker knew how to turn on, much less use. “I’ll be shocked if you cook, but it might be fun teaching you a few things in here.”
She smiled as she ran her hand over the countertop and stopped at the refrigerator. This Tucker obviously used, given the scattering of papers, menus, and pictures held up by magnets on the front. The photos were mostly of Tucker holding large fish, but Willow had to lean against the counter when she saw who was standing next to Tucker in almost every single one.
“Shit, this was all some kind of fucking game to you.” She stared at Jim Bob’s smiling face and she wanted to scream. “I’m such an idiot.” Getting her into bed was probably some sick joke and she couldn’t have made it any easier. What could Tucker have possibly gotten from sleeping with her?
The urge to scream was overwhelming, but she needed to get out of there before she broke down. Tucker was still sleeping, so she gathered her clothes, dressed in the small powder room, and walked out. “Great, just great. I decide to finally take a chance, and I end up with that asshole’s relative.” The family resemblance was too great to ignore. If she was wrong and Tucker was in a sexual relationship with Jim Bob, she was going to throw up.
Her phone rang as she headed for her loft, but she didn’t want to speak to anyone. The dirty feeling probably wouldn’t wash away in a hot shower, but she had to try. She glanced at the phone and sighed. “Hello.” It was Monique and she wasn’t in the habit of ignoring her no matter how upset she was.
“Hey,” Monique said, sounding ecstatically happy.
“Hey, sorry I didn’t call you back last night. I had a work thing.”
“No problem. I figured you were either working or packing. Are you okay?”
“Did I forget a lunch meeting or something?” She tried her best not to sound pissed, but sometimes she just wanted to shake Monique and ask her to stop letting down every woman since suffrage.
“No, but I wanted to see you this afternoon.” Monique sounded as if she was about to break into song, and it only added to her anger for some reason.
They had lunch whenever they could, but she also went to Monique’s house every week and had dinner with her and Grady. Her sister had made a terrible choice in Jim Bob, but Monique was still her sister, and she loved her, bad mistakes and all. But now when she saw the bastard, she’d always be reminded of Tucker, and that was just…shit.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, but I wanted to share some good news with you.” Monique sounded downright giddy.
“Do you want to tell me now?”
“Nope, I want you standing with me when I share this with you.”
“How about I pick you up for dinner and come over with more of my stuff? The movers are scheduled for next week, but I don’t need to be there for that since it’s all going into storage until the house is ready.” She moved and caught the scent of Tucker’s cologne on her clothes, and the anger returned. “If I finish getting all my clothes, I’ll be officially moved in, and we’ll have plenty of time whenever you like.”
“I can’t wait,” Monique said, and from the ringing phones in the background, it sounded as if she was at work. “Are you sure you’re okay? You sound a little off.”
“We’ll talk about it tonight over Chinese, but I’m fine. I had a problem and now I don’t.”
* * *
Tucker woke up and took a deep breath. The short nap had done hardly anything to alleviate the state Willow had left her in, and hopefully Willow still had some time before they both went back to work. “Willow?” she called out, only lifting her head, hoping she didn’t have to get up.
She’d been asleep for about half an hour, but Willow obviously wandered off somewhere since the spot next to her was cold. “Where’d you go?” she said, putting on her robe. A stroll around the house and a glance outside was answer enough. Willow had left with no explanation or note.
She wandered into the kitchen. The picture in a magnet frame of her and Jim Bob taken on the Pole Dancer Addict with two large red snappers was on the counter next to the lunch she’d gotten to share
with Willow. She tried Willow’s cell phone, but there was no answer. She tried the office instead.
“Ms. Vernon’s office, can you hold please?” the woman said when Tucker was finally transferred to her.
“Sure.” She put the photo back where it belonged as music played in her ear.
“Ms. Vernon is at a lunch meeting. Can I take a message?”
“Yes, please.” She left her name and contact information. “I just wanted to make sure she’s okay, so please have her call me.”
“Will do.” The woman was nice enough, but there was no way she’d embarrass Willow by telling her assistant why she wanted to talk to her boss.
She left her phone on the bed and headed for a cold shower. Willow’s sudden exit had her more worried than horny, but there was nothing she could do about it now. “Time to go back to work.”
She put on a fresh shirt and headed back to the kitchen in her bare feet to at least have lunch while she was home. The Thai place down the street had put together a variety of things, and she’d be working late so she might as well fill up now.
Jim Bob was standing at the microwave when she turned the corner, and there were bags by the door. Her new roommate had obviously arrived.
“Had an urge to shower, or are you just getting up?” He took out another plate for her and placed it on the counter.
“I came home for lunch and had a sudden urge for a shower.” She filled her plate, throwing the vegetarian dish in the trash. “Unlike you, I got to the office at six, Captain Hook,” she said, pointing at the patch on his eye.
“Don’t bitch, squirt, I had a hell of a night.” The bandage showed traces of blood and Jim Bob appeared tired.
“I should bitch since it was Mom who came by and told me.” She hugged him, and he exhaled like a man with a lot of problems. “The other master suite is ready for you, and I’m here for you no matter what. Mi casa es su casa.”
“Thank you for saying that,” he said, tightening his hold. “I can’t take it anymore, Tuck. What happened last night was a slap in the face that nothing is ever going to change, and I can’t take it anymore.” He clung to her and started crying. It wasn’t something he did often, and it broke her heart.
The one truth about her brother was that he loved his family and he’d stayed with Ivy through all her problems and treatment because he’d made a commitment and that meant something to him. Most men would’ve checked out after the first month, but Jim Bob had stayed and thrown everything at the situation. Nothing worked, though.
“Listen to me, okay?” she said, holding him. “Above all else in your life, you deserve to be happy. You aren’t, and it kills me that I lose a little of that guy I grew up with every day. You’ve given enough, and now I think it’s time for you to find something or someone to be happy about. No one is ever going to accuse you of giving up.”
“What the hell happened to me?”
“The thing that happens to good people butting their heads against bad situations. It wears on you and eventually you have to accept that letting go is the only answer.” She kissed his cheek, glad Willow was gone. Jim Bob needed her way more than she needed to get laid.
“You don’t think I’m a failure?” He finally let her go, and she got him a paper towel for his runny nose. “I sometimes feel like one—I’ve made so many mistakes.”
“You’re my big brother, and nothing you can do will make me think that. Buddy, everyone in our family and all of our friends know what you’ve been through, but no one really understands until you’ve lived it. When it comes down to it, it shouldn’t matter what people think or say. It’s only what you think. If anyone gives you any shit, you have my permission to tell them to fuck off.” She handed him a glass of water and a wet towel for his face. “I want you to stay here until you figure it all out.”
“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, sitting when she got his plate for him. “You came late, Tuck, but I thank God and our parents for you every day.”
“You’ve been my best friend all my life, and it’ll be nice sharing a house for once. You were off to college by the time I realized who you were, old man.” She heated some stuff for herself and sat with him.
“Believe me, in hindsight I should’ve stayed home and gone to Tulane.”
“Hindsight makes everyone a genius, so stop beating yourself up about all this because all of it is fixable.” She patted his back and he nodded finally.
“Not to change the subject, but I’m all cried out. Did you talk to Mann about the changes we wanted?”
“He signed off this morning, and everything is all locked up on that. We should be able to start construction next month. You want to handle that, or you want me to run with it?”
“You’re doing good, and I’m sure I’ll be busy with this guy Jefferson set me up with. It should be cut-and-dried because of the prenup, but Ivy’s got a doctorate in stirring shit.”
“You need to learn to start taking deep breaths and let the attorneys handle Ivy as well as Tara and Bubba. If you engage in every meltdown, this is going to take forever.”
“I hear ya.”
They finished lunch and she helped him move his stuff into the bedroom on the other side of the house. She didn’t often have guests, but the house had two master suites, another guest room, and an office. No matter how long Jim Bob stayed, they’d be comfortable. They made plans for dinner and parted as she headed back to the office, and Jim Bob headed to his attorney’s office.
She smiled when Jonathan Mann wasted no time in making an appointment to sign their contract, and she agreed, even though it was Friday afternoon. With any luck she’d run into Willow and they could make some weekend plans. Unfortunately, though, the only people in attendance were Jon and some of his management team. Her stop on Willow’s floor didn’t get her anywhere either, so she worried even more about what might have happened.
“Hey,” Jim Bob said when she answered her phone as she started her walk back to the office. “Can you stop by Jefferson’s real quick? I need you to sign some stuff.”
“Sure.” What he was doing at Jefferson’s again was a mystery, but they did have bids out for more leases, and they might have come through sooner than she expected. “I’m a five minute walk away.” She spent the short walk thinking over her time with Willow and trying to figure out if something had gone wrong. Maybe she’d been right. Maybe Willow was one of the crazy ones after all. But somehow, that didn’t feel right.
“Don’t say no,” Jim Bob said when she arrived and joined him in an empty conference room.
“Great way to start a conversation.” She glanced from his face to the stacks of paper piled on the table. “What’s all this?”
“I’m serious about leaving Ivy, and the divorce attorney made some valid points today on more than a few topics.”
“Okay, but what does that have to with Jefferson?”
“Jefferson was nice enough to have what I wanted ready, but I need your signature to finish all this up.”
“Ivy hasn’t contested the prenup already, has she?”
“No, but I’m through putting off all this shit. I’m done waiting, but I also don’t want to leave you with all my problems either.” He moved something in front of her and tapped his finger over it. “I made some amendments to my new will, as well as a few other things, but I need your signature to ratify them.”
“What else did you need? We just finished updating these a year ago.” Jim Bob seemed to have gone from leaving Ivy to morbid.
“I’ll let Jefferson explain.”
It took Jefferson an hour to go through all the documents, and all Tucker could do was nod in disbelief. Her brother had thought of everything. “Are you sure? I’m happy with the way things are. We don’t have to talk about the shit storm this will put me in the middle of if it ever comes to pass.”
“I know—that’s why I’m doing it.” Jim Bob took her hand and placed his pen in it. “Sign it, and I’ll have one less thing I ha
ve to worry about. This time I’m doing everything right.”
“I will, but it’s okay to change your mind.” Thinking about the very fragile mortality of the people you loved was never an easy thing, but maybe this would be the talisman that would grant her the years she wanted to share with Jimbo. The alternative would break something in her that she feared could never be repaired.
* * *
“Can you believe it?” Monique held up her hand and showed off her ring. “I told you he loved me and wanted a life with me.”
“It only took him two and a half years to commit,” Willow said, still angry from lunch.
Monique lost her smile and dropped her hand as if Willow had ruined her moment. “I know you don’t like him, but you’re going to have to accept that I love him. Can you try?”
Willow pulled the cork out of the wine and held up a glass. “Want some?”
Monique shook her head and held up a bottle to Grady’s mouth. “Come on, little man. You’re not waking up at two because you’re hungry.”
Willow exhaled in disgust, but at herself. It wasn’t fair to take her bad mood out on Monique, and she had major damage control to do. “Are you really happy?” She sat next to Monique and held Grady’s foot.
“Willow, for so long it was just you and me, but once you went off to school and I was alone again, Jim Bob filled that void. He was the lifeline that helped me out when I didn’t have a clue how I was going to handle different situations. Jim Bob did that because he wanted to, and not because I asked it of him. You have no idea how much he’s done for me, on top of giving me Grady.”
“Are you sure he’s not bullshitting you about this to keep you quiet for a few more years?” She did have to accept this, but it wasn’t going to be easy.
“I helped Jefferson put some of the paperwork together. He’s not bluffing, and he wants to be here before Grady gets too much older.” The baby stopped and made happy noises when Monique lifted him to burp him. “If you gave him a chance, you’d see he’s a good man.”