by Kim Jones
I move to the massive fireplace in the lobby. My bones are frozen. I’m sure of it. And I’ve only been outside a couple minutes. I’ve never felt cold like this. It’s not right.
“This weather is something to get used to, isn’t it?” He pulls off his thick jacket, dusts the snow from it and places it around my shoulders. Such a gentleman. Man, I miss the south.
“I have n-no intentions of g-getting used to it.”
“So summers here and winters in Mississippi?”
“W-what?”
He pulls a chair closer to the fire and gestures for me to sit before getting a chair for himself. “You and Jake. Are the two of you going to spend winters in Mississippi? To avoid the cold?”
I manage a laugh. “Oh. I’m not sure what we’re going to do. Or what we even are.”
“Ah. I see.”
Anxious for a change in subject, I nod toward the leather briefcase in his hand. “I didn’t know you and Jake had a meeting this morning.”
“Technically, we don’t.” His small smile is a bit sheepish. “I hate to just show up like this, but I was hoping he and I could discuss a few things this morning. And this darn cell phone of mine only works half the time.” He pulls from the pocket of his shirt what has to be the original Nokia cell phone.
“Well, since Noah brought that thing over on the Ark, I have no doubt it doesn’t work when it should.” We share a laugh and now that my limbs have thawed and my shivering has stopped, I figure it’s a good idea for me to phone Jake and let him know we’re coming up.
“Give me just a second. I’m going to call Jake and let him know you’re here so he’ll be decent.” Fuck! “I mean dressed.” Shit. “I mean…yeah.” I scramble out of my seat and across the room but not before hearing Jim’s chuckle or seeing the glint of amusement in his eyes.
I grab Alfred’s desk phone and hit the button labeled with a big P. It rings eight times. I know because I counted the damn things and cursed Jake on every ring he didn’t answer.
“Penelope.” My knees shake at his deep tone laced with the promise of so many orgasms.
“Jake…” I breathe, gripping the phone so tight I’m surprised it doesn’t crack under my hold.
“Whose fucking jacket are you wearing?”
“What? How did you know—”
“I can see you. The surveillance cameras are linked to my phone. Now. Whose fucking jacket are you wearing?”
I look directly into the little black dome above my head and smile. “Are you jealous?”
“Yes. I won’t ask you again, gorgeous.”
Have mercy.
He’s jealous.
Of me.
Kryptonite.
“Jim Canton is here. Just thought I’d let you know before we came up and caught you…busy.”
“You didn’t answer my question, Penelope.”
I smile to myself and sway back and forth while I write Mrs. Swagger with my finger on the desk like a sixth grader. “It’s Jim’s. The Uber driver wouldn’t bring the stuff inside. I had to go out and get it. In the blizzard. About froze to death.” I poke my lip out and look up at the camera. “It was awful, Jake.”
“That son-of-a-bitch.”
I bat my lashes at him. “What are you going to do?”
There’s a beat of silence as the rustle of fabric brushes over the phone. He must be getting dressed. “I’ll tell you what I’m going to do,” he growls. My blood heats at the imminent promise of torture he’ll deliver to defend my honor. “I’m going to leave that motherfucker a bad review.”
Wait.
What?
“A bad review?”
“That’s right.”
“Okay, stop with the Batman voice. Now you just sound ridiculous. We’re coming up.” I hang up before my desire for him ebbs even more.
Jim, who has been listening to only one side of the conversation, fights his laughter as he joins me. “Sounds like the weather isn’t the only thing you’re not used to. City boys are a lot different.”
“I know, right? Whatever happened to the kind of good ol’ chivalry where a man beat the shit out of another man? Don’t they know it’s way hotter than fighting someone with lawyers or…bad reviews?” I have to choke the last word out.
His strong laughter fills the room. “I’ve no doubt Jake would handle business physically if it came down to that.” He brushes his shoulder against mine and winks. “Don’t be too hard on him. It isn’t his fault he’s a city slicker. I’m sure he more than makes up for it in other departments.”
Is he talking about…
No.
He’s not.
There is nothing suggestive about what he says. He probably means he’s intelligent. Powerful. Rich…
“You’re right. I mean, he does have a Rolex.”
“One of those real fancy watches?”
“Yep. I think the cheapest ones are like twenty grand. So I’m sure his cost well over a hundred.”
“For a watch?”
“Mmhm.”
“Does he know that it just…tells time?”
I look up at him and smile. “Jim. I think we’re soul mates. Excuse me.”
He chuckles, but it dies when I face the corner and start humming. I can feel him looking. Like they all look. Not that I care.
“That was…strange,” he says, once we make it to Jake’s floor.
“I am a strange girl, Jim.”
I look up and Jake is standing in the doorway to greet us. Wearing a white Henley. And jeans. And he’s barefoot. And I just died and went to heaven.
His smile is wide. Eyes fixated on me. And I’m positive he’s about to say something sexy and sweet and swoony. Like maybe I’m his perfect kind of strange.
“Batshit crazy is more like it.”
Or not.
Chapter Eighteen
Jake and Jim have been in Jake’s office for forever.
I’ve eaten my pancake breakfast platter.
Took a shower.
Dug through Miss Sims’s wardrobe.
Found nothing as awesome as that Chanel pants suit.
Put the pants suit back on.
Straightened the guest bathroom.
Made Jake’s bed.
Run out of lives on Toy Blast.
Texted Emily to send me another life.
Stupidly sent her a selfie of me wearing Chanel.
Now I’m waiting for her response.
I get the middle finger emoji.
And no life for Toy Blast.
So, so jealous.
I glance at the clock and realize “forever” has only been a few hours. It feels like longer because, though he’s only feet from me, I can’t see Jake. And I miss him. I miss his face. Mouth. Lips. Humor. I even miss his anger. And when I think about him, I get the sensation that I’m high.
Not high on pot, though. The few times I’ve done that, I just thought about stupid things like how numbers tasted. And whether it was the s or the c that was silent in the word scent. By the way, I still haven’t figured that out.
Yeah. This definitely doesn’t feel like I’m high on pot. It’s more like I’m high on meth.
Not that I’ve done meth. But I hear it heightens your senses. Causes you to run really fast. Makes you never want to sleep again.
Maybe that’s vampire venom….
Whatever.
Bottom line?
I’m falling for Jake Swagger.
He dominates my mind, my body and my heart.
My blood tickles when I think about him.
My nipples harden with every sore step I take.
My pulse speeds at the smell of him that’s everywhere.
Last night, I was convinced I was falling in love. Today, I’ve decided to reevaluate the situation, considering I’m not under the influence of a post coital, mind numbing orgasm. And because I’m bored and have ten minutes until I generate a life on Toy Blast.
So, is it lust or is it love?
Lust is wh
ere it’s at. Lust intensifies the moment. Amplifies the experience. Creates a sexual attraction that leads to a sexual encounter that leaves you walking funny while simultaneously anticipating the next time he bottoms out inside you. But lust is also something you can walk away from. Something you can smile about if you want to remember. Or something you can choose to forget.
Love?
Give your heart to someone and you’ll regret it. Be it today, tomorrow or one hundred years from now, you will one day feel the downside. Nothing that great comes without repercussions. Which is exactly why love is so powerful.
If I had a choice, I’d choose lust. Problem is, it’s not that easy. This isn’t multiple choice. I don’t get to choose anything. My heart gets that honor. And that stupid bitch has done nothing but make bad decisions since she tried to burst out of my chest at the sight of Eddie Smith stripping down to a cape and a pair of Ninja Turtle underwear during my sixth birthday party.
If only my heart were as smart as my vagina.
To hell with my heart.
My mind is made up.
It is lust that I feel.
Lust doesn’t result in loss.
Only rewards.
There is no reward when it comes to love.
Love will cripple you.
Then again, fucking Jake Swagger will also cripple you.
So really…what the hell do I know?
Chapter Nineteen
It’s one o’clock in the afternoon before Jake and Jim finally emerge from the office.
They’re laughing.
I’m hungry again.
I’m also entranced by the deep rumble of Jake’s magnificent laugh. And the ripple of muscles beneath his shirt as he shakes Jim’s hand. And the way his jeans hug him in all the right places. And how I want to lick all those right places.
Someone whistles. Snaps. “Hello…Penelope….” I jerk my eyes up to Jake’s. Funny how my brain just stops functioning when I look at his crotch.
“Hello, Jake.” I look for Jim but he’s not here. And the idea that we’re alone—again—excites the hell out of me.
“Where’s your head at, gorgeous?”
I can’t believe he just called me gorgeous. Sober. With his cock still in his pants.
I’m getting to him.
“My head is…everywhere. Are y’all finished? Did you do it? Are the Canton’s rich as fuck? Are you the proud owner of some special contraption that waters crops?”
Jake’s arms flail in the air. He kicks a leg out. Makes a strange face. Cuts his eyes from me, to his right, then back to me. It’s quite entertaining and really confusing. Then he whisper-shouts at me and I get it. “Shut the fuck up! He’s still here.”
“Hell, I didn’t know!” I whisper-shout back.
A door opens behind me and Jake shoots me a quick glare of warning before he plasters on his signature, Swagger smile. I roll my eyes, but soon my smile matches Jake’s as Jim walks up.
While they discuss a few details about some shit I’m not interested in, I take Jake’s cell out of his hand to order some more Uber Eats. This app is awesome. And they’ll go anywhere. Even halfway across town to get some of that pizza I had the first night I was here.
I’ve just placed the order when Jake tosses an arm casually over my shoulders to get my attention. I slip his phone in his back pocket and my arm around his waist as I pretend to care about what he says rather than obsess over the pizza that will be here in thirty minutes. “The AFA has lifted the flight ban, so Jim will be returning home this afternoon.”
Though I do not care, I respond with the appropriate frown to express my disappointment. “Well, it was great meeting you, Jim.”
“The pleasure was all mine, Penelope.” Jim takes my hand and kisses it almost reverently. “Until next time.”
Jake walks him to the door and I can’t stop my eyes from drifting to Jake’s perfect ass as he walks away. But it has nothing on the smile he wears when he returns.
“Someone is happy. I assume the meeting went well?”
He nods, his eyes raking over me. “Very, very well.”
“Mmm….”
His hands snake around my waist and he pulls me to him. “You’re coming with me to Kansas.”
I attempt a laugh, but it’s more of a breath as I study his lips. Full. Smooth. Kissable. “So demanding, Mr. Swagger.”
“That I am, Miss Hart. We leave the day after tomorrow.”
He’s so close. Smells so good. The struggle to find my breath is real. When I finally do, I can’t help but tease him. “What makes you so sure I’ll go? Maybe I have plans.”
“You don’t have plans,” he says, his lips skimming my jaw.
I arch my neck to give him better access. “I might.”
“Is that so?” He works his way to my earlobe and drags it between his teeth. “Like what?”
My thighs clench. The soreness there causes a shiver to run up my spine at the reminder of last night. “Maybe I have a date.”
He stills. “A date?”
Hmm…this could be fun.
“Yeah. A date. You know…dinner. Wine. Candles…sex….”
“Penelope,” he growls, the sound coming from deep in his chest.
“Does the idea of me having sex with another man bother you, Mr. Swagger?”
“Yes.”
I grin against his jaw before placing my lips there. “I’ve been thinking of starting an escort service back home. Kind of like the one you use. I think I’d make a good Miss Sims. Don’t you?”
I think he tries to say my name again, but it just comes out as a deep rumble. And I’m beginning to think Jake doesn’t like me throwing the Miss Sims thing in his face. I want to apologize. Tell him I was only kidding. But before I can, everything just becomes…chaos.
Jake’s mouth devours mine as he slips both his hands inside my pants and pushes them over my hips. I fist the hair at the nape of his neck. He grabs my waist and lifts me in the air. Our kiss never breaks as I kick my feet free of my pants then wrap my legs around his hips.
He carries me the short distance to his office. My back is against the wall. Chest arching into his. Needing to feel more of him, I let go of his hair long enough to unzip my top. Then I’m pressing against him again. My nipples hard beneath my bra. Breast achy. Desperate for his touch.
He pulls away to unbutton his jeans and I have to lock my arms and legs to keep from falling. My mouth trails along his jaw. Neck. Shoulder. He releases my waist and pulls a condom from his pocket. His words and the gravel in his voice making me whimper and moan when he speaks in short sentences.
“…Driving me goddamn crazy…a fucking date…trying to make me jealous…fucking succeeding…fucking hell, these panties are soaked.”
His knuckle skims over the wet material. The touch ignites me. I throw my head back. Eyes closed. Lips parted. Nails digging. Hip lifting and thrusting against his hand.
“This sweet wet pussy is wet for me, Penelope.”
I mewl an unintelligible response.
He pushes my panties to the side and drags a finger across my slit. “These pretty pink swollen lips are swollen from me.”
I arch my back into his touch and he sinks one long digit all the way inside me. He fucks me hard with his finger. His knuckles slapping against my wet heat with every thrust.
“You’re sore because of me. Because when I fuck you, I can’t get enough.”
Have mercy.
“Do you want me to fuck you with my cock the way I’m fucking you with my finger?”
I nod and whimper and beg and may die if he doesn’t deliver.
“I’m going to sink this big motherfucker inside your tender little cunt and pound into you until you beg me to stop.”
Shit. Okay. Now I’m afraid I’ll die if he does deliver.
My body tenses and I open my eyes—blinking a few times to focus my vision. He looks so hungry. So feral. So raw and untamed. “Jake…I….”
“You what?” He
pumps his finger harder inside me. “You don’t want me to fuck you?”
What kind of question is that?
“I do, I just….”
My voice trails off when he pushes that finger he was just fucking me with inside his mouth. His eyes flutter shut and he releases a low hum as he slowly drags the digit from between his lips.
Holy hell that’s hot.
He kisses me again. I’m sure to distract me from the head of that big motherfucker pressing against my opening. Thankfully, it works and I relax around him. He swallows my moans. Thumbs my clit when I whimper. Backs out when I tense. Pushes in when I arch against him.
His hips lift in a slow, rhythmic motion until he’s stretched me enough I’m past any discomfort, tingling with need for more and drenching him with my arousal. “I’m going to fuck you hard now, Penelope.” His promise is said with conviction so serious, I’m forced to meet his gaze. There’s a depth there unlike any I’ve ever seen. “I want to keep you sore. So you don’t forget whose pussy this is.”
“YesJakeplease.” Is now a word. And it’s all I can say as he powers into me. Fucking me without restraint. Drilling me as he sucks my nipples through my bra. Slides his hands up my sides and curls them around the back of my shoulders. Pulls me down as he thrusts up.
His cock slides over the satiny spot that is the window to all my pleasure. His moves are so quick. So deep. So savage that I have no reprieve from the constant pleasure each stroke brings. And there’s no mistaking that this pussy is, indeed, his pussy.
Within moments, a warmth spreads down my spine. Settles in my hips a moment before shooting straight to my core. I shatter around him in a release that takes my breath, stops my heart and washes away any doubt I felt earlier about letting him take me this hard, and all fear of what physical state it might leave me in.
Because the way Jake Swagger makes me come, is totally fucking worth it.
Chapter Twenty
I’ve never had an angry fuck before now.
But I like it.
I’m still against the wall. He’s still inside me. I’m sure that big rocket of his found its release, but I can’t for the life of me remember when it happened or what happened. I was too busy trying to stay away from the light during my own orgasm.