by Mika Lane
She’d never pressed her phone’s delete button faster than at that moment.
Yeah, right. Asshole.
The next evening, Jewel ran to the door of Left Bank. She rushed in and headed straight for the crowded bar, where she located Gaia. Her friend held her arms open as soon as she spied Jewel.
“Okay, okay. Tell me what happened,” Gaia soothed.
“It’s so weird. I mean, I’ve only gotten together with the guy a couple times. But when I saw that hot girl leaving his house, I felt so hurt.” The lump in her throat she’d been working to suppress all day suddenly got too big to deny. Her voice wavered, and tears threatened to fall. “I just don’t need any bullshit.”
Gaia nodded. “Of course you were insulted. I mean, who cares what level the relationship was? He invited you over, and you saw him with some other chick. Who also happened to be hot. It’s not what you expected, and without any more information, it seems really rude.”
“What do you mean, seems rude? It was rude. What more information do I need?”
Gaia put her hand up in peace. “Okay. How do you know it wasn’t just his cleaning lady?”
“You’re kidding me, right?” Jewel asked.
“Okay. Maybe that’s a bad example. His dog walker?”
Jewel shook her head in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind?”
“Okay. I’ll say no more. I was just trying to help.” She waved over the bartender and ordered them a couple Stellas.
“Let’s change the subject,” Gaia said with a hopeful smile. “What’s up with the writing? Have you recovered from your rejection letter?”
Jewel smiled. “I am feeling much better about it and in fact am going to New York tomorrow.”
“For what? Does Devi know? What about your clients?”
“Of course she knows. I’d never leave her high and dry. She’s got all my shifts covered and I’ll be back in three days. I’m going to a writer’s conference that my friend Monika told me about. I hope to meet with a couple publishers.”
Gaia’s eyes widened. “Now that’s great news.”
“It is. And I’m really excited. I’m gonna make this happen.” Despite the setback with Gabe, the old confidence was working its way back.
“Oh, I’m so excited for you.” Gaia clinked her beer bottle against Jewel’s and ordered another round.
“New York, here I come.”
Chapter 10
Mr. D unburied his face from Shanna’s ass, his cock standing at attention, while she remained fast at work on Roselle. With gentle hands, he pried his students apart and began devouring Roselle’s mouth while directing Shanna to suck him. She hungrily fell to her knees, licking the shiny drop of precum hanging from his tip. She didn’t mind taking a break from Roselle, as long as it wasn’t for too long.
“Yeah, baby. Suck me like that.”
Shanna took Mr. D as deeply as she could. Her clit was heavy and achy. As she sucked his shaft, her free hand found her slick pussy lips and dove into its soft and swollen folds.
Mr. D pushed Roselle’s shoulder so she, too, could get in on the cock sucking. Roselle joined Shanna on her knees, and they went back and forth between kissing each other and engulfing their teacher’s rock-hard dick. His breaths came in tight gasps and his moans grew louder.
As Mr. D roared in orgasm, he held Shanna and Roselle by the shoulders so he could come on their faces at the same time. As soon as he’d finished pouring his cum on them, they licked it off each other. Mr. D stumbled back to his chair, eyes wide and mouth open. Had he ever done anything quite like that, before?
Shanna certainly hadn’t. And whether she earned herself an A in Mr. D’s poetry class or not didn’t matter. She couldn’t wait to do it again.
Jewel snapped her laptop shut as her flight neared JFK airport, just outside New York City. Her story was hot, and if that first publisher didn’t want it, then another would. Right?
Exiting the hectic airport, she hopped a cab with her carry-on wheelie to head straight to her conference in Midtown Manhattan. She arrived at her hotel, checked in, pinned her dorky name badge to her T-shirt, and headed to her first seminar on creating story plots.
Twenty pages of notes and ninety minutes later, she joined the stampede leaving the meeting room. She inhaled the fresh lobby air, flipping through her schedule to see where her next workshop was. She had to hustle to different meeting room on the other side of the hotel, but she made it in plenty of time, grabbing a seat close to the front. She’d come all this way, paid a lot of money, and was determined to soak in as much knowledge as her brain would allow.
Just was the seminar speaker got up to the microphone, she heard a familiar male voice.
“This seat taken?”
Without looking, she knew who it was. But she snapped her head up anyway.
Holy shit. What’s he doing here?
Gabe grinned at her in all his silver-haired glory, having helped himself to the seat next to hers.
“What are you doing here?” she hissed.
“I went by the spa, looking for you. They told me you’d gone to New York for a conference. There are only so many writers’ conferences, so I knew exactly where to find you.”
Two heads in front of them turned around with an angry, “Shhh!”
He leaned close to her ear. “We’ve got to talk. Can we take this outside?”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. I came all the way here. I’m remaining in this class,” she whispered.
“I’ll wait outside.”
“It’s ninety minutes long.”
“I said, I’ll wait outside.”
A lot of good it did for him to leave, because for the next hour and a half, she barely heard a word the workshop instructor said.
Dammit. I do not need this right now.
The class wrapped up, and the attendees stormed the door to get to their next workshop. Knowing who was waiting for her in the lobby, Jewel took her time exiting and found herself just a couple steps ahead of the workshop’s instructors, also leaving the room. They all stepped out of the room together, and of course, Gabe was standing there in all his silver fox glory, with those delicious crinkles around his blue eyes.
“Gabe,” a voice from behind her called. “I didn’t know you’d be in town!” The course instructor made an end run around Jewel and threw her arms around Gabe.
He turned a few shades of pink and returned the hug with loose arms as if to get it over with. The instructor bounced up and down in front of him, possibly convinced they were better friends than they really were.
“Let’s go get a drink,” she shrieked hopefully.
He looked past her for Jewel. “Hey, April, have you met my friend, Jewel Naphine? I believe she was just in your workshop.”
April whipped around, apparently surprised that Gabe was acquainted with one of the attendees. She looked to the right and then the left before she finally realized the woman standing just before her was the one Gabe was referring to.
“Oh. Oh, hi. I hope you liked the workshop.” She looked Jewel up and down and then turned back to Gabe. “Didn’t know you were coming to New York for this.”
He ran his hand through his hair. “I didn’t know, either. I mean, I decided at the last minute.” He stepped around April to drape his arm over Jewel’s shoulders.
“Good seeing you, April.” He turned and led Jewel away.
April called after him, “Okay. Cool. Keep in touch, then.”
He sure is popular with the ladies.
Jewel looked up at Gabe. “How do you know her?”
“We’ve served on author panels together a couple times. She’s nice enough. Just a bit competitive. ”He steered her toward a couple of leather club chairs by a window overlooking Times Square. They sat. “So are you going to tell me why you didn’t show for dinner?”
“You came all the way to New York to ask me that? Wasn’t a phone call cheaper?”
“A phone call would have been cheaper,
yes. But you wouldn’t take my call. And I had to come to New York to meet with my publisher, anyway. Now, are you going to tell me?”
Jewel pursed her lips and looked at her watch. Her next workshop was starting in ten minutes. “I did come to your house.”
“What?” he asked.
“I did come to your house. Just as I was going up your front walk, I saw a woman leaving. A young woman with blonde hair. Very thin and very beautiful.”
He stopped walking and looked at her. “You’re shitting me.”
She shook her head. “Oh, are you gonna deny it now?”
He raised his hands as if in defeat. “I’m not denying anything. You saw me saying goodbye to my daughter.”
Jewel’s mouth dropped open. A wave of heat washed over her, and her stomach acid churned. Not a good feeling. “Uh. You have a daughter?”
“Yes, I have an adult daughter from my first marriage. She’s twenty-one. Just finishing college at Sonoma State. She was in the city to see some friends and stopped by to say hi. And get some money, of course.” He released a small laugh. “I had hoped you might meet her.”
This overreacting bullshit was getting to be a problem…
“That’s why you didn’t come in? You jumped to the conclusion that my daughter was some sort of love interest?” He furrowed his brow.
She bit her lip and stared at him. Embarrassed was not strong enough a word.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a quiet voice. “I shouldn’t have assumed anything.”
Hi sighed. “You know, Jewel, I like you. I want to help you with your writing. I’m sorry your mom drilled into your head that you couldn’t do it, but I think you can. You’ve got to have some faith in yourself.”
“I…well, I got a rejection letter…” Her voice cracked. All her doubt piled up at that moment, and a hot tear found its way down her cheek.
Gabe put his hands on the sides of her face. “You know how many rejection letters I’ve gotten? I could wallpaper this entire lobby. Twice. It’s part of the game. If one is going to set you back like this, I can tell you, you need a thicker skin.”
She blinked up at him and cleared her throat. “I know you’re right. I’m just so…so used to being told I can’t do things. The voice you hear, that tells you to keep going, gets lost for me. If it even exists. I can’t seem to get a break.”
“Jewel, you need to make your own breaks. I tell you what. Go to your next seminar, and I’ll meet you after. I need to speak with my publisher and editor, anyway.”
“Thank you, Gabe. I’m sorry I jumped to a conclusion. See you in ninety minutes.” She gave him a tentative kiss on the cheek and was relieved when he stroked her cheek. She took off, hoping there would be a seat left in the next workshop. This time she’d pay attention and take notes.
As the next workshop wrapped up, Jewel felt a bit more educated about a complicated component of story telling called character arc. While she waited for the hundred or so people to exit the large room, she checked her phone and saw a text from Gabe—meet me at the hotel bar.
Okay, then. She wandered through the labyrinthine hotel, finding him ten minutes later sitting at a bar crowded with other conference-goers. The ever-friendly workshop instructor, April, was glommed to his side.
Gabe reached past her to kiss Jewel on the cheek.
April muttered a defeated, “Oh, hi.”
“Hey, April,” Jewel said.
Gabe stood from his barstool. “April, it was great catching up. Jewel and I have some things to go over now, so if you’ll excuse us…”
April looked from one to the other before she realized she was being dismissed. “Right, well, see ya.”
“Bye, April. I enjoyed your workshop. It was really great.” It probably would have been great, if Jewel had caught a single word of it.
April looked across the bar, saw some other folks she knew, and her face brightened back up. She made a beeline for them.
The bartender came by, and Jewel ordered a vodka martini on the rocks with a twist. Gabe had his scotch topped off.
“So,” Gabe said, “I have a bit of a proposition for you.”
“Oh? Let’s hear it.” She took the smallest possible sip of her martini in order to keep her wits about her.
“I contacted the publisher who handles my erotica novels. She has agreed to take a look at your book. The one about the teacher. I told them how hot it was.”
She nearly dropped her martini.
“What?”
“I’ll introduce you via email, and you can respond by sending your manuscript.” He wore a hopeful smile.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah. Sure am.”
“Oh my god!” She jumped off her barstool and threw her arms about Gabe. Then she let go, just as quickly. “What if they hate it?”
“Fuck ’em if they hate it. We’ll move on to someone else. But I don’t think that will be an issue. I know what they like, and they’ll like this.”
“Oh, Gabe, thank you so much!”
“My pleasure. Now for the other part of my proposition.”
“You have something else up your sleeve?”
“What do you say we collect your things from your room, and you come stay with me at the Hotel Gansevoort?”
Her jaw dropped. “You’re staying at the Gansevoort? In the meatpacking district?”
Of course, he was staying in one of the coolest hotels in New York. One that was way out of her budget. And maybe even her coolness zone.
“C’mon. Let’s go.” He grabbed her hand and they ran from the bar.
Jewel barged into Gabe’s suite as he followed with her bag.
“Oh. My. God,” she said, running to the windows. The corner room afforded views of the Hudson River and lower Manhattan. Was that the Statue of Liberty in the distance?
“This is insane. What a view,” she gushed. She turned from the window to take in the rest of the gigantic suite, which was furnished in all white.
“I’m ordering room. What would you like?”
She took a quick look at the menu. They had a nice looking salad…
“I’ll have a burger, please. With bacon and bleu cheese. Rare.”
He laughed. “I love a woman who can eat.”
Ha!
He phoned room service, ordered himself the same thing she’d requested, along with a bottle of wine.
She plopped down into one of the suite’s cushy sofas. “Before the night is over, I will have sat on each piece of furniture in this suite. I’ll get you your money’s worth.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” He sat on the sofa opposite her.
She leaned forward, elbows on knees and cocked head. “Mr. Instructor, why are you so nice to me?”
He copied her posture. “Well, Miss Student, I admire how determined you are, I enjoy your writing, and you are drop-dead gorgeous. Your curves just kill me.”
Whoa.
“Uh…um…thank you.” She sat back on the sofa, tingles shooting outward in every direction from her fluttery core.
“You’re welcome, beautiful.”
There was a knock on the door. The bellman delivered the food and disappeared in less than thirty seconds.
“Let’s eat out on the terrace. It’s a beautiful night,” Gabe said.
They pushed their empty plates away and sat back, enjoying their wine and the view from the hotel’s top floor. “You know, Jewel, I think you are a very talented writer.”
“You do? Seriously?”
“I would never joke about that. I teach a lot of students, and most of them really struggle with getting a compelling story down on paper.”
Tears sprang to her eyes.
Is this really happening? Someone likes my writing and my chunky butt?
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. I’m just not used to this.”
“Well, I think you’d better get used to it.”
She looked around. They had near-complete privacy. Sh
e approached the lounge chair where Gabe sat, and straddled his lap. His hands flew to her breasts, and he brushed her nipples until they were hard. Her breath quickened.
“God, these tits.”
She leaned forward until their mouths met, her lips brushing his, teasing and tasting. His hands slid from her breasts and tangled in her hair, pulling her toward him. He deepened the kiss until she struggled to breathe. But she didn’t care. She ground her soaking pussy against his blue jeans-covered erection, growing harder by the second.
He released her and lifted his ass just enough to reach into his pocket. From it, he produced a condom.
“I was hoping tonight might be the night,” he said, waving it around.
She smiled slyly. “Oh, you were, were you?” She leaned down to kiss him again.
When she pulled back up, she reached to open his jeans, fishing his steely cock from a tangle of shirttails and boxers. She clasped his thickness and skimmed her hand over his velvety shaft. When she ran her thumb across his sensitive head, he squeezed his eyes closed with a slight grimace.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
His eyes popped open. “Yeah, baby. Trying not to come.”
“Well then, we should not delay.” She tore the condom wrapper open and unrolled the latex down his length. Pulling up her skirt, she moved aside the crotch of her panties. She slid the head of his cock up and down her wet slit, pausing to apply the perfect amount of pressure on her hard clit. With a little more gliding between her swollen pussy lips, she paused it at her opening, and let him enter an inch or so. He groaned and gripped her thighs until his knuckles turned white.
While she controlled his penetration to adjust to his size, her other hand moved to her clit to make small circles. She increased her pressure, gasping as she lowered herself, her pussy accepting his entire his cock.
“Oh fuck,” he murmured.
When she’d completely taken him, she rocked her hips back and forth as quivers shot from her pussy to every cell in her body. As the pressure inside her core grew, her head bucked back and forth. She grasped the back of the lounge chair behind Gabe’s head for maximum leverage and bounced on him until her inner thighs shook.