Luckily, I don’t have to do that. It’s not so hard to hail a cab to take me to the forwarding address. I’m armed with Alexa’s mail, but as nosy as I might be right now, I’m not about to rummage through her correspondence.
Not that it looks like anything serious, anyway.
The driver taps on his meter when we reach the place. It’s a definite step down from the building on Sixth Avenue. The cab stops me in front of a tall, narrow, nondescript apartment complex. The street feels narrow and cars are double-parked on both sides.
I pay the guy and get out of the cab. A glance to the handwritten address I have tells me the apartment number I need to go to. There’s an elevator, and no doorman, so I just walk right through.
When I reach the twelfth floor, I scan for apartment number five, and find it at the far end of the hallway.
There’s a buzzer, and I smooth my clothes down, ready to see Alexa. I’m assuming she’s home. I can hear some music coming from inside.
“Yes?” the door swings open just slightly. It’s not Alexa. It’s someone I don’t quite recognize, but she’s also familiar. A quick check to her dress tells me that at least she’s not wearing Alexa’s clothes.
“Oh, sorry,” I say. “Does Alexa live here?”
“Not live,” the woman says. “Well, she’s staying for a few days. Until she finds her own place. You’re… Jagger, aren’t you?”
Her knowing my name instantly makes me realize who she is. This is Alexa’s friend. The one who went to the party with her. I don’t think I know her name. “Jagger, that’s right.”
“I’m Sonya. I’m surprised to see you here. How the hell did you get my address?”
“Long story,” I answer.
“Okay,” she says, warily. “Alexa’s not here. She’s out, actually.”
There’s an awkward moment here. Sonya clearly is protective of her friend, and it’s not like I can buy information from her with a tip.
I’m at a loss for words, and I can feel Sonya’s starting to get impatient. “Can you give this to Alexa? It’s my hotel key. The room number’s on the keycard.”
Sonya looks a little hesitant. Has something happened with Alexa? “I’m a little uncomfortable about all this. I mean, she’s crazy for you, but is this really the best way for you to do things?”
“Hey, I care about her. And I’m concerned. It’s not like her to not pick my calls up. Multiple calls,” I note.
“She’s been busy today. It’s all safe and legit, nothing shady about it, promise,” Sonya says. “Alright. I’ll help you. I’ll give her your hotel key. But that’s no guarantee she’s going to return your calls. I’m sure that if she’s not talking to you, she has her reasons.”
“Yeah,” I shrug. “All I really care about is seeing her again. When we last spoke, she said we were going to. So I’m just making sure she’s safe.”
“That’s a lot of effort for a girl you know nothing about,” Sonya points out.
“A girl I want to get to know in every way,” I correct.
There’s another pause. Then Sonya finally says, “I want to make something clear here. Alexa’s my best friend. She’s super important to me, and I want her to be happy. She likes you, a lot.” She steps closer and her voice lowers.
“Don’t you dare hurt her, okay? She deserves some happiness.”
I listen and I nod.
“I don’t ever plan on doing that. Just give her the key, and tell her I came looking for her, okay? That’s all I’m asking.”
NINETEEN
GNORE A GUY’S calls long enough, and he stops calling. Seems pretty simple. By the time I’m done with my final interview, it’s already getting pretty late.
It really doesn’t help that the final interview actually was a thinly camouflaged maneuver by this one sleazy middle manager to get me to agree to what he called ‘dinner.’
The free meal (“I’ve got a big expense account — pick anything you want. But choose an appetizer or a dessert, okay? Not both”) was the only highlight of that whole experience.
He actually leered at me, trying what he must have thought was a sexy, confident look.
Would-be alpha males should definitely learn from Jagger.
Sonya’s waiting for me back at her apartment. She’s watching me carefully, and although I find that a little weird, I tell her all about my day.
She lets me vent for a little while. “On the plus side, I think interview number four is the best bet. I don’t know anything about the company, but they seem really interested. That’s got to be good, right?”
“That’s fantastic, Alexa,” she says. Sonya looks distracted.
“Everything all good on your end? No cruel fashion editors making you do humiliating things so you can write a story?”
Sonya smiles. “Not like that at all. Hey, you were venting. You know our rules. Today’s your day to vent. It’s been a long one.”
“It has to be, if I’m staying with a journalist, and you’re the one who somehow gets home before I do,” I say, giving her an matching smile. “Worse, I probably messed things up a lot, job or no job. Jagger kept calling, but I didn’t want to take his calls.”
“Starting to lose interest?” Sonya asks.
“Nope, nothing like that,” I answer. “Just that I didn’t want to mix work and play. Talking to him is always really great, but the last thing I want is to not be in the zone. Especially when interviews mean having to smile your hardest.”
“You picked a pretty cute outfit, it looks great on you. And the blazer is very business-appropriate,” Sonya says, pinching at my sleeve. “So you’re interested in Jagger, but you just didn’t feel like getting in touch with him?”
“Something stopped me from doing that, yes,” I nod. “Hey, maybe that’s just how it is, you know? I do something dumb like that, he takes it to mean I’m flaking on him… and then I’ll be back to square one. Alone. I guess I’m really not ready for another relationship after all.”
“Fuck Stefan for getting in your head and making you think things like that,” Sonya scolds. “Are you really sure you’re messing things up with Jagger?”
“Positive,” I say, frowning.
Sonya reaches for something on the coffee table. They’re keys. “Jagger came over, all worried about you. Found you somehow. What did he say now?”
Oh, she’s teasing and I can’t stand it. I must be gaping like Tobias the freshwater fish. Sonya makes me wait, but only for a second. A huge grin pulls across her face. “Oh, yes, he said, that all he cares about is seeing you again. So tell me, are you really sure that Jagger’s not interested?”
She tosses the hotel key and keycard into my hands. The name of the hotel and the number of the room’s etched into the keycard. “Oh,” is all I can muster.
“He’s right for you, Alexa. Stop letting yourself not see that.”
The ding of the hotel elevator shakes me. I walk up to Jagger’s hotel room, so nervous that I can’t even breathe. It was sweet of Sonya to say how nice I looked in the blazer and skirt but, really, in this upscale hotel, I feel like the help. I could have called him in advance, but somehow that feels like cheating. If it’s meant to be, then I have to meet him now — unprompted, unforced. There is a sense of growing destiny that guides me actions now. I feel like this is something special.
Being with Jagger feels special.
I flash the keycard against the panel above the doorknob, and it blinks green, releasing the door. I push against it and I enter a suite that’s dimly lit.
There are rose petals on the ground. This is unbelievable.
“Oh my God,” I murmur, as I glance around. I walk in, placing the key down on a counter. There are small candles revealing a tiny bit of light and exuding a wonderful, deep fragrance. “I can’t believe this.”
Jagger has let his inner romantic go all out. He’s standing in the corner, waiting for me with a smile. He steps forward, and I remove my blazer. He gestures to me, so I hand it over to
Jagger. Every move he makes is exquisite, with perfect poise in his actions.
I’m being swept away by a man who wants to romance the living crap out of me.
He returns to me, his hands touching my shoulders. He begins to massage me, rubbing at the knots of my tense muscles.
“Once upon a time,” His voice is like dark honey, “There was a prince who had everything he could ever want — or so he thought,” he whispers in my ear, the feeling of his breath landing against me giving me jolts of excitement.
I have to cross my legs, because I’m already starting to be very, very aroused. I urgently want to tell him, to explain, but I can tell he isn’t going to listen.
Jagger kisses the back of my neck. His hands travel across me even as he leads us both to the suite’s bedroom. A large four-poster bed rests against a wall, as open windows filtering in moonlight flank it.
“He could indulge in whatever he wanted. A harem of beautiful women desired him. Other men respected him and they tried to earn his friendship and influence by doing whatever he asked. He had reams of silks, and furs, gold and silver.”
The pilot’s strong hands begin to undress me. I close my eyes and allow myself to surrender to the pleasure of it all.
Pulling my top off, he begins to grind against me. My skirt is even easier to remove. I inhale and stop breathing, letting him have me as he wants.
And the whole time, he continues to tell me the story.
“He had a castle, built atop a hill. There was a tower at the high point of his castle, and from the top of that tower, he could see for hundreds of miles. The topography of the known world unfolded before him. He could see hills, and valleys, forests and deserts, long stretches of road plied by merchants. All that was for him to see, and all that was for him to visit. He could go anywhere he wanted, because he owned a magic carpet. The prince could fly wherever he wished.”
I turn around and face him, naked now. Jagger slips the robe off him, and we are now only bodies, honest and meeting each other. I lean forward to kiss him, and he holds the back of my neck as he returns each kiss with an even more passionate one.
“Still,” he whispers, pulling away from that last kiss, “the prince was discontented and he could not rest. He was lonely, and something was missing from his life. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew that he had to devote himself to finding the answer. He spent long hours in meditation and contemplation. He fasted and took days in silent retreat. Still nothing came to mind.”
I climb up to Jagger as he walks us to the bed, and this time, instead of pinning me down, he begins to lie back, resting his head on a pillow. I kiss his mouth, his neck, his broad chest. I sit across his hips. His cock pulses, hard and ready and it teases at my inner thighs.
“Oh my God,” I whisper. “I want this, so much.”
Jagger’s hands guide me by my waist, and he begins to move his legs, repositioning so his cock locks and teases right at my entrance.
“One day, the prince was out hunting in a jungle of dangerous beasts. He was confident, and strong. No man had his might. But early on in the hunt, he spied a creature, an ethereal, beautiful beast— something he had never seen before.
“It was graceful and gave off a bright, white light that mesmerized him. He commanded his bodyguards to leave him, and he chased after the creature. As he stalked he drew closer. When he could see it, he caught glimpses, enough for him to realize that what he was pursuing was a beautiful, silvery fawn. But the unbelievable creature was always faster than him, so no matter how fast he urged his horse on, she was always ahead of him.
“She led him out of the jungle. He followed her over hills and across rivers. He lost all track of time and when he realized that the light had changed, he saw that he was now far, far away from his own land. The prince began to to doubt himself, but he followed his instinct as he followed the elusive creature. He drove his faithful horse on further, sure that he needed to touch and see this beautiful animal. A born hunter, this was one prey he knew he meant no harm to. It was only that his fascination he needed at any cost to satisfy.”
I close my eyes and rest my head into Jagger’s chest, as he grinds his cock upwards. His cock tearing me apart, thrusting into me is a familiar, wonderful feeling — one I’ve missed so much. My walls hug, wet and needy on the heft of his huge shaft. He teases me with every inch of his size, making me lose myself in the raw bursts of pleasure.
My head lifts so I can kiss him, pausing his story until his lips are free again.
“The prince followed to fawn for a day and a night and a day. Stooping to drink at lakes and pools where she drank, resting his horse when she rested. All the while inching closer and letting the fawn see him, more and more. Hoping that she would see he didn’t mean her harm.
When finally he came close enough to have her in his grasp, he swore that he would never let her go. But the chase had been so long, and the prince pushed himself and his horse too hard and too far, so as he gazed into the eyes of the beautiful fawn, his heart swelled with so much joy that he felt it turn to a most exquisite pain. He was dizzy, and weak, and he closed his eyes to rest.
“His last vision was of the sight of the beautiful fawn, now shimmering as she transformed into a beautiful woman.”
Jagger holds me close to him as he makes love inside me, our bodies wrapped and tangled, intertwined. When he’s not telling his story, the only thing I can hear is the sound of my breath overlaying against his. My moans clashing against his. My skin rubbing against his.
He starts to quicken his pace into me, making my body ripple in exploding pleasure so powerful I my fingers gripped and clawed to hold on to him. My breasts squeeze against his body, I drag my fingers through his hair.
“The beautiful creature had seen the love in the prince’s eyes and knew that it was for her. She wept for the dying prince and her tears fell because she knew that no one would ever follow her with such dedication, learn and know her with such a selfless purpose. And no-one would ever love her with the intensity he had felt.
“Even as he weakened, he held on to her, and his hands were tender on her.”
Now his words are interrupted by moans. Jagger’s dominance means he masters telling me this story and fucking me at the same time. In his position, I would never be able to do that. I would want to throw myself into the pleasure of being with him.
Making love with him.
Already I can sense that I’m close — not just me. He is, too.
We tease the edge by rocking our bodies close. Our breaths are close. And our eyes and tongues. He fills me and I ride him, ride his massive cock, dance to make it slide in and out of me, gripping him with my inner lips. I descend so low on him I can feel the base of his cock press against my zinging button at the top of my lips.
“If only,” Jagger whispers, trying to keep himself from coming now. “If only she had let him catch her.”
He grabs me and kisses me hard, and in that moment we both reach our climax.
There are fireworks in my eyes.
Few feelings are as pure and nice as being able to rest your head against someone’s chest, after an orgasm so strong you know you don’t have the energy left to do anything more.
Jagger’s stroking my sweat-coated body, murmuring praise for me.
I gulp and turn my gaze to him. Jagger opens his eyes, too. We are bathed in the afterglow.
“Did you mean it? The story?”
Captain Charming (Tales of 1001 Flights) Page 15