by Cam Johns
"Girl...he was red as a tomato." We both laughed out loud.
"Well...when I told him where you were...it was like the life drained from him right in front of me. He looked like a ghost.”
"I kinda heard him yelling at Jonathan. He wasn't happy. He was scared I think."
"Ummm...I think it was more like terrified.” I take my phone out and show her the text from this morning and watch as she reads it.
"Oooh...he is mad at you. That kinda hurt my feelings." She says screw faced.
"Yeah...Jonathan says to give him his space and not to let him shut me out."
"Well it looks like he's tryna do that Kay."
"Yeah...I think so too." I can almost feel tears coming, but I fight them back.
"Oh Kay…don't cry." She says softly.
"I'm not...I just didn't realize ‘til last night how much I cared about him."
"Took you long enough...I knew a while ago."
"I know." I say, giggling as I’m remembering her pestering me.
"Change of subject...Jackson's birthday is Saturday."
"That it is Kay. He doesn't usually celebrate."
"Obviously...he didn't even tell me. I found out on the internet."
"You have something in mind?"
"A surprise party at our place."
"Sure I can tell Claire, Matthew, Jonathan, Jenn and Justin...you'll tell the others you want there. I'll even come over Saturday to help you set up."
"That'll be great. I just have to get him out of the house."
"And you have to get him to forgive you Kay."
"Yes...that would be the hard part." She smiles. "Would you give me Robert's address? I'll go there on the way home.” She nods and writes it down for me. I get up to give her a hug as we say our goodbyes and Michael comes to help clean up our mess.
The rest of the day drags on as I think about how I'm going to get Jackson to forgive me. I definitely have to nip this in the bud tonight. After my last appointment I gather my things as Richard walks in my office.
"You ready Karisma?"
"I am, Richard. I wanna go to Robert's house before we go home."
"Okay...let's go." On the way down, I decide to mention the party.
"Richard, I'm thinking of having a surprise party for Jackson Saturday." I inform him with a smile.
"Nice. How many guests?" He asks assertively.
"About 11."
"Okay...I'll let Logan know." Oh, I guess that's for security reasons. I hope it's okay to have a party at the house.
"So...you can’t tell him I'm going to Robert's house...it's for the surprise." He nods.
After twenty minutes we arrive at our destination as the navigation says. The house is small and modest…I like it...looks like home. As Richard and I walk to Robert's door it hits me that I'm showing up unannounced. Oh, I hope it’s okay. After knocking, it's not long before Robert opens the door.
"Karisma! It's good to see you." I guess me being here is okay then. He gives me a hug like we've been family forever.
"I'm sorry for showing up unannounced." I say softly.
"Nonsense. Come in." He moves to the side to let me in. "Richard, how are you?" He says shaking his hand. I guess they know each other. I walk into a hallway with stairs and to the left is the living room. It’s a decent size with old furniture and pictures everywhere. It feels so peaceful and serene being in the home Jackson grew up in. "Would you like anything?" Robert asks with glowing brown eyes. I don't want to be rude.
"Some water would be fine." He leaves to get it as I sit on the couch and Richard sits across from me. I don't know what it is about this house but as soon as I walked in I felt a sense of belonging. I notice a family photo album on the coffee table. I decide to wait for Robert to come back to see it.
"Here you go." He places a glass of ice on a coaster and pours water from a bottle. He sits next to me and smiles. "So, what brings you here?" I don't know why that question makes me suddenly sad. How could I even think of a party right now when Jackson is so angry with me? Tears fill my eyes. Oh no don't do this here. I can't help it. Before I know it, I'm sobbing into my hands. "Karisma...what's going on?” He asks with concern. He tells Richard, who is now standing, to go in the kitchen. Robert scoots over to me and holds me until I calm down. Once the tears finally subside, he leans me up, still holding my hands. "Now, tell me what that was about."
"Jackson...he's so angry. I don't know what to do." I say, wiping the tears from my eyes. He gets up to give me a box of tissues.
"Yes, about last night right?" I look up at him surprised he knew. "Jackson called me today. He's very upset...so upset that it got me upset at you and his brother." He pauses and looks at me annoyed. Oh no not you too. "Why did you do it?" He asks hoping for a rational explanation.
"I did it for us. The sooner Kevin is out of our lives the sooner we can live normally...without me having to be followed and watched...and him being so uptight...there was no other choice." Robert thinks about it then shakes his head in agreement.
"Did you tell Jackson that?"
"Are you kidding? The minute he told me, he already decided I wasn't doing it. There's no explaining things to him. He’s always in protective mode." I say removing the running mascara from my face.
"Yes, Jackson can be-"
"An ass!" I interrupt.
He chuckles. "I was gonna say stubborn but an ass is good." We both laugh. "When he gets like this, you have to be firm with him. You can't let him just mellow in it or you'll lose him."
"I see." I say happy to take in the advice.
"Well...believe it or not, I didn't come here to cry on your shoulders." I giggle.
"I'm sure you didn't." He says chuckling.
"I'd like to give Jackson a surprise party for his birthday." I wait to feel his response.
"Jackson's never wanted to celebrate his birthday. It may be ‘cause his mother got the news about her cancer the day before his eleventh birthday party, then died soon after. He just associates his birthday with it now."
He grabs the photo album and skims through looking for a particular picture. I catch glimpses of dirty Jackson...laughing Jackson...wrestling Jackson...and football Jackson. Finally he pulls out this beautiful photo. I instantly know what to get Jackson for his birthday. "May I take this?" I ask cautiously. He looks at me reluctantly. "I promise I'll take care of it and you'll definitely have it back Saturday."
He hesitates briefly. "Okay." He gets up and grabs an envelope to put it in.
"Thank you." I say graciously. "One more thing…you think you can get Jackson out the house at one and be back at five?”
"I surely can." We stand and I call for Richard who appears quickly.
"Thank you, Robert." I say hugging him.
"No problem." As we walk out I can tell Richard is concerned by my little outburst.
"I'm okay, Richard. Sometimes you just need to cry." I say smiling.
"Yes...I understand."
“Can I ask you a question?” I ask waiting for his acceptance.
“Sure.”
“How do you know Robert?”
“He and my father used to be partners.”
“Partners?”
“Oh…I thought you knew. Robert is a retired FBI agent.” He says opening my car door before running to the Range Rover. Wow FBI? This family is interesting to say the least.
Okay, so now all I have to do is get Jackson to forgive me. That doesn't seem like something that will be easy, but I’ll keep in mind what Robert told me. We get home within forty-five minutes. Its eight thirty so I'll just eat, inform Mrs. Johnson of the surprise party Saturday, shower and wait for him to get home. Here we go.
Chapter Sixteen
Jackson
I return home that night and see my love asleep already. I walk over to her side, kneeling by the bed, drinking in her beauty. I’m in love with her, but I have no idea where she sees this going. I'm trying my damnedest to understand why she did it, and I do
n't like feeling that my position on a subject is meaningless. Makes me feel like she doesn't give a shit…taking me back to Kim. Oh, but I miss feeling Karisma’s gentle touch, the softness of her skin against mine. What am I going to do? I'm still upset right now, I just don't want to say something I'll regret later. We’ll talk soon…if she's willing to. Just not right now, I’m far too upset. I stand, kissing her on the cheek, careful not to disturb her and get in the shower.
Karisma
Water running disturbs my sleep, so I turn to face the bathroom door in our dark bedroom. He walks out in his towel and I see the water still dripping down his chiseled chest through the shine of the bathroom light. I want to jump on him right then, but I calm my twitching middle, holding strong. He goes in his closet to finish drying himself and puts on his pajama pants. He never even looks over at me. When he's done, he turns the light out and climbs in the bed, facing away from me. I try to muscle up the courage to be firm but my feet won't move. His Jackson smell caresses my nose and makes my clit pulsate. Yeah...no...I'm not going another day without getting any. Finally, I jump out of the bed marching over to his side, yanking the covers back.
"Get the hell up Turner!" I shout, switching on the nightstand lamp.
"What the fuck, Karisma!" He shouts sitting up.
"We're not doing this shit another day!" He puts his head in his hands as he swings his legs off the bed to sit up.
"Karisma...I'm not doing this right now." He says calmly into his hands.
"Oh the hell you’re not asshole!" He looks at me with icy blue eyes. Oops...too far maybe. I take a step back.
"How am I the asshole?" He asks screw faced.
"What! What the hell does that mean...I'm the asshole?"
"I didn't say that." He says softly. He's too calm. I need him to get this out or he'll never get over it. I have to say something that will really piss him off.
"Okay...you don't wanna talk. Call me when you’re ready. I'm outta here!" I start to walk out. He jumps off the bed and grabs my arm, pulling me back to face him. Oh shit! He's tomato red. Jackpot!
"Where the fuck are you going!" He shouts backing me into the wall.
"You won't talk...you've been cold to me...why should I stay?"
"So you threaten to leave me?" He shouts, staring down at me with sad, angry eyes.
"I wasn't leaving you, I was gonna give you space until you tell me how you feel." I say cautiously.
"How I feel? How I feel!" Oh shit! I can tell his anger is building. He walks away from me and comes right back. "I'm AN-GRR-Y!" He shouts so loud I feel the vibration of his deep voice shoot right through me. I quiver a little because I've never seen this Jackson. He goes and sits on the bed with his head back in his hands. I walk over to him timidly and try to grab his hands but he snatches them away from me. I try again and he pushes me away. Wow...that kind of hurt my feelings. But he must really be hurt for him not to want me to touch him.
"Jackson...it's me." I say calmly. He looks up at me with somber wet eyes. I fight my way between his legs and kiss his forehead. "I know you think I chose Kevin over you again for some reason but I did it for us." He looks back up at me, confused, but seemingly willing to hear what I have to say. "I knew we had to get those cameras out so they can get him arrested. I need for us to move on and be happy together…Kevin is a distraction. I just want him out of our lives." I kiss him once again on the forehead and wait for his reaction.
"Karisma...when Alyssa told me where you were I got so…scared. Then you wouldn't answer, and neither would Jonathan or Sanchez. I thought something bad had happened baby." He looks up at me with those sorrowful beautiful eyes and I hug him tightly. I feel his shoulders relax as he wraps his arms around my waist. "When I got to Kevin's house...I saw your car in the driveway...I was peeved. I've never seen Jonathan move so fast." He chuckles. Oh, I think he's calming down now. I breathe for the first time in over twenty-four hours. "I forgave Jonathan because he's my brother and nothing happened to you...” I back up as he gets quiet again and lift his chin with my finger.
"Why not me?" He stares briefly with fear in his eyes.
"Karisma you have all of me. I've never let anyone in like this...since…for a long time. I just didn’t want to feel that loss again. It's hard knowing you can destroy me...I knew I had to open up to get you…and keep you." He pauses and closes his eyes. "But when you went to Kevin again and ignored how I felt about it, much less not at least talk to me I just felt...alone. All of you were against me." That explains a lot. I'm very happy he finally opened up to me slightly. When his desperate eyes look back up to me, I realize I have to tell him how I feel and not be scared.
"Jackson...I've never told you this but I had my eye on you since day one also…granted, I just wanted to get in your pants." He laughs holding me tight. "I couldn't let my feelings get the better of me because...well I didn't wanna cheat." I pause and close my eyes, hesitating to tell him.
"There's more...tell me." He says softly. I open my eyes to his gorgeous intrigued blues that are now back to normal and patiently waiting.
"Three things...One when we kissed the first time in the elevator I knew there was something there...that's why I flew out of there so fast."
He chuckles. "Yeah, you ran fast…and in heels too."
"Two...the first time we had sex I knew that I was falling for you." His eyes widen and a huge overpowering smile appears on his face.
"Three...how I felt last night and today, especially after that frigid text, I thought I lost you. My heart hurt so badly." I pause as I feel the tears fill my eyes again. I close them just as one rolls down my face.
"Karisma...baby...I'm sorry...I'm an ass." He says softly wiping my face and holding me tight.
"I knew-I..." I take a breath and back up from his embrace to look at him as the tears fall. "I love you Jackson." He stares briefly and then smiles.
"You love me?" He repeats as if he didn't hear me correctly through my sobs. He wipes the tears from my face.
"Yes...I love you."
"Oh my god...I love you too." He kisses me softly. I feel the sparks flow through us as our lips separate and reconnect. He pulls me up on his lap, straddling him as he slowly sticks his tongue in my mouth. He grabs and squeezes my butt pushing me against his now solid erection.
"Oh...I've missed this." I whimper as he nibbles on my neck. "Don't ever take this away again...please." I beg as his hardness beats against my clit.
"Never again." he whispers in my ear. "I love you so much."
"I love you too...now give me what's mine." He growls and throws me on the bed dropping his pants as I snatch off my underwear. He stops and stares down at me. "I can't believe you’re mine."
"Well, believe it." I snatch his arm, pulling him down to me and he falls on top of me, chuckling. I kiss him hard as he slides his dick up and down my clit.
"Oh baby...don't tease." I beg, frustrated, lifting my pelvis to him. He rams it in hard and fast.
"Agh!" we shout together. He pounds into me as I lift my pelvis to receive him. I've missed him inside me, stretching me to fit him. He kisses me hard as he hammers into me then rolls on his back.
"Cum." I sit up and start to bounce and grind into him. He watches me intensely as he holds and squeezes my breasts. I move faster and grind harder as I feel myself about to release. "Yes baby...cum all on your dick." Yes…this is mine. I'll never have to worry about him giving it to someone else. I feel myself trembling.
"It's coming!" He grabs my hips and lifts his pelvis and starts to pound into me hard. I feel him tense up before jabbing me once more.
"Agh! Fuck!" He shouts. He drops down and pulls me down to him, kissing me hard. We lay holding each other as we catch our breath.
"How long were you gonna not talk to me?" He doesn't respond. Oh, that's not good. I sit up on my hands and look down at him. "Tell me." I say staring down to his sad blues.
"Baby...I was so upset...I couldn't get past it. I knew I didn't want y
ou to go so I would've figured it out...I just don't know how long." I kiss him softly and he holds me.
"Next time, at least hear me out before you say no."
He chuckles. "I promise." He spins us lying on top of me. "Tell me again." He says rubbing my hair smiling like a kid in a candy store.
"I love you." I say giggling.
"I can't believe I get to have someone like you love me." He says kissing me quickly.
"What do you mean someone like me?"
"Beautiful, smart, challenging, fun, silly at times, very understanding and easy to talk to. I'll never let you get away." Tears fill my eyes as my heart melts for him. He really loves me.
"Well, you're the same as me baby. We deserve to be happy with each other." He kisses me softly.
"I miss cuddling with you."
"Me too." He gets up and points for me to go up to the pillows. He fixes the cover, turns out the light and crawls over to me.
"Come here baby." I lie on his chest, he pulls my leg over and wraps his arms around my back. "I got no sleep last night. I need to hold you like this."
"I love you." I say one more time.
"Oh...I love you so much Karisma." He sighs. "Sleep." Before I know it I'm doing just that; asleep in his arms where I belong, in a bed that doesn't seem so big anymore.
The next morning, I wake up to the rain still tired, but its Friday and I only have today to get ready for Jackson's party. I hope my gift can be done in a few hours. Jackson is still sleeping under me. I see it's eight. "Oh shit!" I shout jumping out the bed.
"What! What is it?" He sits up startled from his sleep.
"It's eight babe."
"Oh shit!" He jumps from the bed and grabs me before I run to my closet. "Good morning."
"Good morning." He kisses me softly.
"Go." He commands hitting my butt as I run out. I decide to shower in the extra room because we don't need any distractions. I rush out the shower and get dressed in a black pencil skirt, pink blouse and a black blazer. I throw my hair in a ponytail again because it's fast and grab my purse, phone and head down.
"Good morning, Mrs. Johnson."