Insufferable Proximity

by Z. Stefani

  “Thank you!” Petal hugged her tightly then pulled back, remembering how much she used to hate to be hugged.

  “What’s going on here?” Alex said in a joking tone as he and Julian walked over, “looks like they started the party without us, King.”

  “No silly, Sevigne and I were just getting better acquainted.” Petal smiled.

  “Who?” Alex asked as Julian glared at Heaven.

  “What?” Petal asked in confusion, unaware of her blunder.

  “Who is Sevigne, dearest?” Alex chuckled, “Her name is Heaven.”

  “Oh yes,” Petal attempted to rectify her words, “she mentioned that some people call her by her middle name, Sevigne, I think it’s very pretty, not as pretty as the name Heaven mind you, but I like it.” she chattered in nervousness, hoping that would explain why she knew her middle name.

  “We’ll be back.” Julian said dryly as he grabbed Heaven’s arm.

  “Did you get your key?” Alex asked and Julian nodded as he led Heaven in the other direction. “I’ll be back sugar, I’m going to get us some fresh drinks.”

  “I’ll be right here, love.” Petal kissed Alex before he turned around and left.

  Gloria had stood back watching her friend Petal converse with Ms. Deville and wondered how well they knew each other. Sure Petal was easy to talk to and got along with everyone, but it was the casual way that the prickly Ms. Deville was acting that made Gloria wonder if they had known each other before. Although it seemed highly unlikely considering they had traveled in different circles, but then again nothing about Ms. Deville was as it seemed. She waited until she watched Ms. Deville walk away then headed over towards Petal.

  “Well if it isn’t the sexiest chick from the jungle.” Gloria smiled as she sashayed over to her friend. Gloria had worked at an infamous brothel off and on for about a year while she attended college and had met Petal there, they had been friends ever since. Gloria liked Petal’s free love mentality and the free spirited way she lived her life. She was a genuine friend who lacked jealousy in her heart, wanting only the best for her those around her.

  “Glo, baby!” Petal smiled. “Thank you for coming.”

  “Now you know I wouldn’t miss your wedding party for the entire world. Was that just Julian King?” Gloria asked, her eyes wide under her mask

  “You know darn well it was.” Petal grinned, “besides what do you care, you’re here with Malcolm, whom I am sure is looking for you as I speak.”

  “True, besides I’m not really interested in Julian right now, I’m more intrigued with his date.”

  “Who isn’t” Petal grinned to herself.

  “By any chance was her name Heaven Deville?” she asked bluntly.

  “I’m not sure what he said her name was. I thought we agreed you wouldn‘t mess this new relationship up with Malcolm, he does adore.” Petal changed the subject as she grabbed a flute of mimosa from the waiter passing by. “Here comes Malcolm now.”

  Petal’s careful avoidance of the topic let Gloria know that she did know something, but whether her loyalty was to King or Ms. Deville was the question. Suddenly Gloria’s bright idea to send Juliette that text didn’t seem so smart and she wished she hadn’t of been so eager to just blindly send it.

  Julian led Heaven across the bright green lawn, his pace fast and Heaven struggled to keep up.

  “Where the hell are we going and what key was Alex talking about?” Heaven asked, attempting to distract him enough to slow his pace down.

  “The key for our room.” his said curtly as he ushered her through the scattered crowd.

  “What room?” she asked and felt her frustration grow as he refused to answer her, “hey! Where are we going?” she barked the question and almost stumbled as he sped up, "slow down Julian!” she stopped dead in her tracks and attempted to yank her arm away from him. Julian finally slowed down, but only long enough to swoop her up in his arms then throw her over his shoulder, his large hand on her behind holding her in place. “Put me down! She tried to kick at his chest and beat her fists against his back, but one deft smack across her soft behind stilled all of her movements. She cried out in protest, but Julian only walked faster to the room reserved for them on the third floor, far away from the other party goers. When he jumped in the elevator, Heaven tried to grab the door frame, refusing to go in, but he slapped her behind hard and she let go. “Alright let me down now, you proved your point.” she tried to get his attention but he continued silently until he stopped in front of a room, which he promptly unlocked then relocked once they were inside. His tossed her down on the bed and her cape spread around her like a pool of blood.

  “You told her to call you Sevigne?” he asked and she looked at him for a moment before she stood on the bed, almost eye to eye with him. Taking the blame for the name mix-up was the lesser of the two evils. He would eventually get over her supposedly suggesting Petal call her Sevigne, but the knowledge of her mother would stick in his brain forever, even long after the contract when they went back to full-blooded enemies.

  “I did, so what?” she asked defensively.

  “I thought you finally understood the value of your name.”

  “No, I humored you to shut you up,” she said honestly, “I still hate the name Heaven and that will never change.” if she expected a rage filled argument from him, she couldn’t have been farther from the truth. Julian almost looked sad as he pulled the full length mirror out into the middle of the room and turned on all the lights. He then returned to her and took her hand as he led her over to the oversized oval mirror.

  “Now what are you doing?” she asked with distrust.

  “What I told you I was going to do next time you dishonored you name“.

  “I am not doing this.” she refused, remembering his threat of making her strip before a mirror.

  “You don’t have a choice.”

  “I am not some side-show freak on display!” she shot at him.

  “Come here.”

  “No. I know what I look like, I‘ve seen it” she stomped her foot and he reached over then grabbed her arm, pulling her over to the mirror.

  Heaven stood before the mirror scowling hard as he removed her cape, letting it drop to the floor.

  “This is so stupid, I know what I look like better then you do!”

  “I need you to see what I see, I want you to know your worth.” he stood tall behind her, refusing to let her turn away, he forced her to see her reflection as well as his hands in the mirror. “You hide your beauty away like it’s a deformity.” he explained as he unzipped the back of her corseted dress, letting it slide down to her feet.

  “It’s not a deformity, it’s a curse.” she said looking into the reflection of his eyes.

  “How can you say that?” he spoke as if she had just insulted the most precious gift he’d ever seen.

  “I’m a lawyer, I work with men, I compete with men, and I have to look the part.”

  “But you demand respect Heaven, you have since the first day I met you, I imagine you have since birth.” he grinned. “A beautiful body is not going to change that.”

  She wasn’t looking at her body, she was looking at him. He was in awe of her, there was no denying that, it was like an invisible power, reaching through her and holding him captive. She almost felt the side of her lip twitch into a knowing grin.

  Could she? Was it possible? Even if it was, could she do it?

  Could she let go of her powerful modesty, her deep beliefs about sex and use her body to master him instead of him mastering her? By the look in his eye, she felt it might work with him, but could she actually do it? She was by no means a sexual person, how the hell would she be able to entice let alone master him? She didn’t even know what she was doing yet, she had so much to learn as far as sex went and he truly was an earth bound god in that area.

  ***

  Julian was asleep when someone knocked on the door, he looked up to watch Heaven as she opened the door to see Peta
l. Heaven wanted to smile, but was instantly worried.

  “Have you had breakfast yet?” she asked

  “No.” Heaven shook her head.

  “I had the cook whip up something special for us.” she winked. “King, I am taking your girlfriend with me for breakfast.” she sang.

  “Not like that,” he said leaning up on one arm, “put some clothes on, Heaven.” he demanded and Petal grinned in shock at the possessive streak no one had been aware that Julian even had.

  “I have to grab something real quick so I’ll meet you back here in fifteen minutes.” Petal winked.

  “I’ll be ready.” Heaven said before she shut the door, and then grabbed the tank top and shorts.

  “Not those shorts.” he said as he threw his legs over the side of the bed.

  “Then what?” she asked as she looked through the suitcases filled with her clothing.

  “I don’t care, I just don’t want any body parts exposed.” he said stretching “and at least take off the robe while you’re looking.” he finished and she rolled her eyes before standing up and tossing off the robe. She was wearing a pair of scandalous boy shorts and nothing else.

  “Better?”

  “Much better.” he said standing up and walking towards her, “Why are you wearing these?” he asked tugging on the boy shorts.

  “I just threw them on when I heard the knock at the door.”

  “Well just take them off.” he said sliding his hand into the panties, his fingers spreading over her sensitive sex. She pulled them down over her hips and wiggled out of them. “You better stop wiggling like that right now or you’re not going to make it to breakfast.” he growled as he bent his head to kiss her breast.

  “So what do you want me to wear to breakfast?” she asked, trying to get back on task before Petal got back.

  “There’s sweat pants in the bag.” he said as he pulled back, his hand still between her legs for a moment before he reached in and grabbed the sweat pants out of the suitcase. He also grabbed a large tank top and handed them to her, “wait, I want you to wear a bra.” he grabbed the only bra he had packed and handed it to her.

  She quickly slid on the clothes and he frowned as she covered her breasts from his view. She checked herself out in the mirror then turned to him.

  “Covered enough?”

  “No, put those little shorts back on underneath the pants.” he said as he reached out to trace her sex, the material of the pants were clingy and thin, exposing the outline of her sex.

  “You sure have changed.” She mumbled as she quickly pulled the pants off, slid on the shorts, and slid the pants back on all the while being felt up.

  “Perfect timing.” she said as she heard the knock on the door.

  “I’ll find you soon and remember that no one touches you but me, I mean it.”

  “Like I would ever let anyone other than you touch me.” she said as if she was speaking to a daft child.

  “Good girl.” he said smacking her on the butt before she went to the door.

  Petal led her through dozens of naked bodies lying around the house, and then guided her further out to the back of the house.

  “It’s private out here.” Petal said as she led her to the large secluded table on the back porch. The table was spread with every breakfast food imaginable, but it was the two crystal bowls full of strawberry shortcake that made Heaven smile. “Our favorite of course,” Petal smiled as she sat down in the chair across the table from Heaven “it’s nowhere near as delicious as your mothers, but it works in a pinch.” she smiled brilliantly. “How is your mother? I miss her so.”

  “She’s doing well, she’s on a little vacation right now, but she’ll be back soon. You should go visit her, I know she would be so happy to see you.”

  “Were you? Happy to see me that is?’ she asked with hope in her eyes.

  “Happy, but nervous.” she admitted honestly.

  “I understand.”

  “But now I’m just happy.” she smiled and Petal’s brilliant smile returned.

  “I really missed you, I was just so afraid to contact you, I figured you wouldn’t want to see me, especially with the way my life is going. You and your mother were my only family” she said as the tears misted her eyes.

  “Once family always family.” Heaven said and Petal’s smile returned.

  “You’re so different now.” Petal said, “I can’t believe the change in you, your mother is going to die!” she chuckled, realizing she had just told Julian he was different and now she was being told the same thing.

  “I am not looking forward to those dramatics.” Heaven shook her head.

  “Oh, I would love to be there when she first see’s the new you.” she smiled, “It’s so crazy, the two people in the world I would least expect to ever change, happened to walk in together and both of them have become the polar opposite of what they once were.”

  “Who me and Julian?” she raised her brows, “no, Julian’s still the same pervo he always was.” she grinned.

  “No, he was never like this. I’ve known him for years and I’ve seen him with countless women and he has never shown an ounce of concern for any of them. I’ve literally seen women on their knees before him, begging him to care, begging him to love them or to just be with them, but he never has. He’s never even had a serious relationship, let alone a girlfriend.”

  “You’re wrong, he doesn’t care about me.”

  “He does, I know.”

  “It’s just an act.” Heaven said.

  “I don’t think so, Sevigne.”

  “He’s possessive with everything, it’s not just me.”

  “No, actually he’s never been possessive with any woman. Seriously, no one has ever seen him like this.” she said and although Heaven realized that Petal really believed what she was saying, Heaven knew it was just an act. Acting like he cared was the best way to explain a situation that he didn’t want to explain.

  It was just easier for him to call her his girlfriend, since she was under contract. Sure Julian was a pig and if she was down for it, he would probably share her with his friends like he did with all the other women in his life. However, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she would never allow that, so he was showing her that respect at least.

  “He’s tricky, you never really can tell what he’s up to.” Heaven shrugged.

  “True, but it’s obvious to see when someone has feelings.”

  “Enough, I have to stop you.” Heaven chuckled, “I know how you are with those fairy tale romances, and I see you haven’t changed, Cupid.” she called her the nickname she used to call her before.

  “Oh god, I haven’t heard that in so long!” Petal laughed, “I really missed you.”

  “Remember when you tried to set Sybille up with that doctor.” Heaven laughed.

  “Oh yes, he tried to get kinky with that stethoscope. She was mad at me for a full twenty-four hours over that.”

  “Then she made you strawberry shortcake.”

  “And thanked me for trying. I’m going to go see her when she gets back.” Petal lowered her head.

  “You really should, she hasn’t seen you in almost three years. She was really worried when you first disappeared. Then she finally tracked you down and found out you were safe.”

  “She tracked me down?” she asked feeling her heat swell, knowing her own mother wouldn’t have cared enough to do that.

  “Yes, she said she saw you as well and that you looked healthy, a little thin, but healthy. She wouldn’t tell anyone where you were, she refused to invade your privacy.”

  “I wish she had of.” Petals words were thick with sincerity.

  ***

  “I thought for sure that your girl was Petal’s next conquest, but I was quite shocked to find she merely wants a friend.” Alex shrugged, “I told her not to overstep her boundaries King, but you know how the little nuisance is and she has her mind set on befriending her.”

  “Tell he not to ge
t her hopes up, Heaven can be a bit of a,” he drew a blank thinking of a word to describe her so he just said what came to mind first, “bitch.”

  “Ah there they are.” Alex grinned upon seeing both of them in the kitchen. Petal made it a point to dine in their swanky dining room, so this was a bit of a shock to Alex. “My darling dearest, I’ve been looking all over for you.” Alex came and sat in the chair next to her, planting a kiss on her cheek.

  “Oh forgive me, sugar-pop.” she whispered in her dramatic way before kissing his lips. Julian sat down next to Heaven, a plate of food in his hand.