That Graham was pretty sly, he considered. Take care of Jessi for me.
Take care of her. Judd increased his speed as he ran north towards the pier.
She needs a Dominant to take her in hand, at least until she finds someone.
Why did he have the feeling that Graham intended for Judd to be that someone?
That’s just crazy. No husband goes out and chooses his successor. No Dominant does that. It’s ludicrous.
Jessi was an attractive woman. His thoughts drifted to last week, the t-shirt that stuck to her like wallpaper. She was older than he was, but that didn’t bother him in the least. Age is just a number. He knew from Sparrow’s Master’s posts that Jessi was a passionate submissive.
Turning back towards home, he felt his cock weighing in on the matter. “This is stupid,” he said out loud. The woman just lost her husband. I promised Graham to help her out. I’ll honor that promise. End of story.
On Friday, Judd had to run an errand required by the second job on the Graham’s list. When he returned home late that afternoon, he had secured the necessary materials and supplies. He hoped that Jessi would be in a better frame of mind when he arrived at her house the following morning.
Chapter 6
It was 9:30 on Saturday morning when Judd pulled up in front of Jessi’s house in his beat-up F-150. His main focus today was to fix the driveway gate that opened onto the street. It had apparently been rusted open for the last few years.
That was his main focus. Then there was the other thing. He rolled his eyes and tried to mentally prepare himself for Jessi’s reaction. He breathed out sharply. “Here goes nothing,” he muttered.
It was about half an hour later that Jessi glanced out her front window and noticed Judd on a ladder at the end of her driveway.
“What the...?” She marched out the front door and down the driveway.
“Excuse me,” she said, feeling like she was stuck in a time warp to the previous week. At least she hadn’t awakened on the pool deck. And a quick glance down confirmed that she was indeed dressed.
“Good morning, Jessi,” Judd answered, swinging down off the ladder. He couldn’t help noticing that she looked much more put together today, dressed in a green sleeveless top and jeans that fit oh, so right, her auburn hair shining in the sun. “It’s a beautiful day. You look nice, all dressed and everything.” He grinned at her.
“Yes, well, be that as it may,” she said blushing. “Is this supposed to be an ‘every Saturday’ kind of thing?”
“No, not every Saturday.” He shook his head. “I’m working next Saturday so I’ll be here on Friday next week.”
Jessi crossed her arms in front of her. “Look. Judd. I don’t mean to seem ungrateful. But I’m just not comfortable with you being over here, working on my property like this.”
He squinted at her thoughtfully. “Not comfortable. Why not?”
His question surprised her. “Well...just...because,” she spluttered.
His grin was accompanied by a twinkle of amusement in his brown eyes. “No worries, Jessi. I’ll be finished with your gate soon.” As he turned to climb the ladder again, there was a small yipping sound from around the hedge.
Curious, Jessi moved closer. In a small grey plastic corral made of some kind of toddler barrier, a brown and white puppy with long floppy ears looked up at Jessi, tail wagging furiously.
“Well, hello there, cutie,” she said. Glancing up at Judd she said, “You brought your dog?”
Judd climbed back down again. “It’s kind of complicated,” he said. He reached in and lifted the puppy out of the corral, cradling him in his arms. “Look at this face,” he cooed to the puppy.
He turned to Jessi. “A friend of mine called me from the animal shelter, said they had a litter of beagle puppies that needed homes. When I got down there, this little guy was the only one left. If I didn’t take him, they were going to have to put him down.”
Jessi looked at him, aghast. “I know,” he agreed to her silent protest. “I had to take him. The only thing is,” he looked at her with soft brown eyes, “I work twenty-four hour shifts at the station, sometimes back to back. I can’t take care of a puppy.”
“At the station?”
“Fire station. I’m a paramedic.”
“Oh. I didn’t know that.”
“Anyway, I was sort of hoping...” He looked at her meaningfully.
Jessi raised a hand in front of her. “Oh, no, no way. I can’t have a puppy.”
Friendly smile in place, he handed off the puppy to her quickly and went back up the ladder. “Why not?”
She hugged the dog to her chest and swayed as if he were an infant. “Well, just...I can’t, that’s all.”
“Why not? You work regular hours, right? You have enough room for him.” Judd glanced down at her. “If you can’t, I’ll have to take him back to the shelter and they’ll put him down.”
Jessi looked back down at the puppy and he licked her chin. “Well, nobody’s going to put you down. He can stay.” She looked back up at Judd. “For now. But remember, he’s yours. What’s his name, anyway?”
Judd grinned. “Buddy. His name is Buddy.”
“Well come on, Buddy. Let’s see if we can find you something to eat,” Jessi cooed as she made her way back into the house.
“I’ve got some puppy kibble in my truck. I’ll bring it to your door when I finish with the gate.” Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her walk away making baby talk to the puppy.
He laughed to himself. That was not as hard as I thought it would be.
In the kitchen, Jessi dug into the fridge looking for something that would be appropriate for a puppy. She settled on a ham bone that had been meant for soup, resolving to hit the grocery store for something better.
She looked out the window at Judd still up on the ladder. What had possessed Graham to ask a perfect stranger to do odd jobs for her? What had possessed Graham to talk to Judd like he thought he was going to die?
Judd dropped a tool and she heard him mutter something as he climbed down the ladder to retrieve it. He seemed nice enough. Very nice, actually. But he made her uncomfortable. With his soft, kind eyes, and his ready smile, and his strong shoulders.
“Yeah, Jessi, clearly he’s a serial killer,” she said to herself.
She knew why he made her uncomfortable. She was attracted to him.
Which is ridiculous, seriously, because he’s probably ten years younger than you, plus, oh yeah, you just buried your husband.
Not just, it had been close to three weeks.
Still, when you’ve been married for twenty-five years, you don’t just pick up where you left off in the dating pool. Get it together, Jessi.
A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. “Hi, Jessi. All finished with the gate,” Judd said. “Want to come check it out?”
She followed him down the driveway, Buddy romping along behind them. Judd showed her how the panels could now swing toward each other and fasten together using a pin lowered into a hole in the asphalt.
“This is nice, Judd, really. It hasn’t worked properly in about ten years.” Not knowing what else to do with them, she put her hands on her hips. “I appreciate it. But again, it really isn’t necessary.”
“I’m happy to do it,” he returned as he picked up his toolbox. “I like to work with my hands, fix things like this. I rent my townhouse, so I don’t end up doing much handyman stuff.”
“You’re handy, all right,” Jessi murmured softly as he placed the toolbox in his truck.
“Here’s the puppy food I picked up,” he was saying. “I can carry it in for you.”
“That’s okay, you’ve been here for so long. I’m sure you’re ready to get on with your day,” Jessi said as she watched Judd heft a seventy-five-pound bag of puppy chow onto his shoulder. “Oh my word, how much food can one tiny puppy possibly eat?”
Judd grinned and shrugged. “I didn’t want you to run out.”
Jes
si led the way as they walked in the front door and through the living room and den to the kitchen. Jessi got a small ceramic bowl from a cabinet and Judd helped pour a small amount of food into it. When Jessi placed the bowl on the floor, Buddy attacked it with gusto.
Judd glanced around. It looked much the same as it had the day of the funeral minus the mourners. He imagined it must be quiet when she was alone. His place was quiet, but he was used to it. Compared to the hectic atmosphere at the station, it was a welcome haven.
“You have a beautiful home,” he commented.
Jessi glanced around, seeing the place as it must look through Judd’s eyes. She and Graham had purchased the 1920s Spanish style home shortly after they’d finished at UF, she with her undergrad degree, he with his doctorate. She’d been barely twenty, and, intimidated by her husband’s sophisticated sense of style, she had deferred to his opinion on most matters.
Not that she didn’t love the house. She did, even after the kids had gone away to school, and Graham had had a decorator come in and update their style from ‘growing family’ to ‘affluent empty-nesters.’
The Turkish rugs and vintage artwork reminded her of the lavish style of Whitehall, the Palm Beach mansion home of early 20th century railroad tycoon Henry Flagler. That family home was now a museum. Which was how she sometimes thought of her house, feeling as though she were a poor relation merely to be tolerated, rather than the lady of the house.
Realizing that she’d left Judd hanging while she chased her thoughts, she smiled. “Thank you so much.”
“What do you do, Jessi?” he asked.
She looked at him curiously. “Event planning. My partner and I run our own company, Sea Star Celebrations.”
“That must keep you busy. Especially when you own the company.” He noticed her curious look. “I didn’t mean to pry, I just wondered.” He cleared his throat. “This is a beautiful home,” he repeated.
“Thank you.” She wrung her hands together uncomfortably.
“Well, I’ll be on my way. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be back Friday. I plan to work on the pool deck.”
“If you’re sure,” Jessi said, following him to the front door. “Like I said—“
“I know, I don’t have to do this.” He smiled sadly. “I want to, though. It’s important to me.”
Jessi looked down. “I understand. And thank you.” She met his eyes. “For the gate, I mean.”
“You’re welcome.” He looked down to see that Buddy had followed them to the door. “See ya later, killer,” he laughed. “Be a good boy.” Judd stopped and turned halfway down the sidewalk. “Bye, Jessi.”
From the porch, she smiled back at him. “Bye, Judd.”
Chapter 7
All the following week Jessi thought about Judd. How could she not? Buddy followed her everywhere she went. She’d ordered him a bed from L.L. Bean and paid extra for expedited shipping. When it arrived, she placed it beside her bed, replacing the blanket she’d put there.
She’d managed to get a reasonable amount of dog food into a one-gallon airtight container. At a pet store, she bought a large container the size of a kitchen trash can, planning to ask Judd to help her put the rest of the kibble into it when he came by on Friday.
Work was work, but thankfully they were busy with five events that week. She was glad that Judd was coming on Friday rather than Saturday. There was a huge quinceanera on Saturday night, and she and Sarah would both be busy all day.
From time to time Sarah asked how she was doing. Jessi always gave the same answer. “I’m fine, just fine.”
She and Sarah were close friends but even so, Jessi couldn’t exactly say, “Oh, you know, I’m dealing with the loss of my husband, my other half, the Dominant to my submissive. I really miss that time on my knees at his feet. Just can’t seem to still my mind like he could. A good spank would do wonders for my peace of mind.”
She also didn’t tell her about Judd. What could she say? “A hot firefighter is coming over to do odd jobs at my house every week. Yeah, I’m thinking all kinds of things that are massively inappropriate for a new widow.”
When Friday finally rolled around, Jessi had to take care of some last-minute details for Saturday’s party, and she spent the morning at work. Around noon she popped into Sarah’s office. “I’m taking off now. I’ll plan on getting to the venue around this time tomorrow.”
“Okay, toots.” Sarah smiled warmly. “You seem to be hanging in there.”
“Yeah, well, I still have my moments,” Jessi said rolling her eyes. “I suppose it gets a little better every day.” It didn’t, actually, but that’s what people seemed to want to hear.
Turning down her street, she wasn’t surprised to see Judd’s truck in front of the house. She pulled her silver Volvo into the drive and parked. Rather than going into the house, she walked down the side of the house to the pool deck. Pavers were piled in stacks, and there was a wheelbarrow full of sand with a shovel leaning against it.
“Hi, Jessi.” Judd was sitting at the patio table under the lanai, a small cooler beside him. “You just caught me on my lunch break. Want half a turkey sandwich?”
She smiled. “No, thanks. Can I get you a cool drink or something?”
“I think I’m set for now. Maybe a glass of water later on?”
“Of course. I need to let Buddy out,” she said, unlocking the back door. The puppy, who’d had his nose pressed to the glass since Judd arrived, tripped happily toward the man, tail wagging furiously.
“Hey there, killer,” Judd laughed. “How’s my puppy doing?”
Jessi watched them for a moment before heading into the house. She returned ten minutes later, having changed into an old pair of jeans and a faded Rolling Stones t-shirt. In her hands was a pair of work gloves. “I thought I’d help with the deck,” she announced.
Judd looked at her thoughtfully and nodded. “I could use an extra pair of hands. Nice shirt, by the way.”
She looked down. “Who doesn’t love the Stones?”
Judd cleared away his lunch and headed back to where he’d left off. “If you clear out the pavers in this section,” he indicated a three by three-foot area, “I’ll level off the spot I cleared then we can start putting them back. And we’ll do the same with your area.”
“Okay,” Jessi agreed, kneeling down to start removing pavers. Behind her, Judd began using a heavy metal rake to level off the sand, humming Jumpin’ Jack Flash as he did. Jessi snickered to herself.
Two hours later the deck was leveled, and the pavers were back in place. Jessi stood with her hands on her hips. “It looks great,” she said surveying the deck then looking to Judd.
He gave a satisfied nod. “Not too shabby, I think.” He took a step backwards, while at the same moment, Buddy decided to chase a lizard across the pool deck. He ran directly behind Judd, who lost his balance and fell backwards into the pool.
Jessi watched the entire incident as if it were happening in slow motion. She started to shout to Judd, and then to reach out to stop his fall, but the next thing she knew, he was in the pool. She hurried to the edge and dropped to her knees. “Are you alright?”
When he surfaced, he brushed the water off his face with his hands. “Motherfucker,” he muttered as he swam to the side of the pool, holding onto the coping with one hand.
Jessi roared with laughter before she caught herself, clapping a hand over her mouth. Her eyes widened impossibly before they filled with tears.
Judd looked up at her and swiped his hand over his face again. “It’s okay, Jessi. You’re allowed to laugh.”
She sobbed into her hand as he climbed out and sat on the edge. “I’m not...I mean, I haven’t...” she cried, trying to pull herself together, “I haven’t laughed since... It just seems so wrong.”
He smiled kindly. “It’s not wrong. It’s every kind of right.” Buddy came romping back and plopped down next to Judd, having lost interest in the lizard. “And you are a troublemaker,” he sa
id, scratching the puppy behind his ears.
“I’m sorry,” Jessi sniffed. “That happens sometimes, out of nowhere.” She cleared her throat. “I’ll wash and dry your clothes for you. You obviously can’t go home like that. Let’s go inside.”
Judd followed her in, waiting in the laundry room while she fetched some shorts and a shirt from Graham’s closet. “Here you are,” she said as she handed the clothes to him. “I hope they’re not too big.”
Minutes later he stepped out of the laundry room. The red polo shirt was a little big, but he had to keep a grip on the waist of the shorts to keep them from falling down. Jessi put the wet things in the washer, and came out of the laundry room to find that Judd had returned outside to put away the tools. As he moved around, he had to keep pulling up the shorts, and Jessi giggled quietly. Graham had been a bit shorter and a few sizes heavier.
When he finished, he came back into the kitchen. Jessi handed him a glass of ice water. “I wondered if you’d like to have dinner,” she said not making eye contact. “I still have a freezer full of casseroles. I’ll never be able to eat them all.”
Judd smiled easily. “That sounds good. Would you mind if I grabbed a quick shower?”
“Of course. Your clothes are in the dryer and should be ready in about half an hour.” She showed him upstairs to the guest bath and made sure he had towels. “Just come on down when you’re finished. You should be able to trade those for your actual clothes.”
“Thanks, Jessi,” he grinned. She fluttered her fingers at him, and returned to the kitchen where she began to take several foil-covered casseroles from the freezer and set them on the granite counter of the island.
Stay for dinner... What the hell was I thinking? She felt her face flush with embarrassment. You were thinking that he’s been so helpful, it’s the least you could do. Besides, who’s going to eat all this?
Panic began to set in, however, as she started peeking under the foil. “Oh, shit!” she murmured to herself. “Some of these are desserts.”
For Sparrow (The Dream Dominant Collection Book 3) Page 3