Enlightened (Red Flags)

by C. C. Brown

  "I'm glad you did it, but I'm still not happy about being left in the dark."

  "I know. And that’s why I'm making it up to you tonight. Come by the new house after work."

  "Work? What's left to do? I have no boss. I have no direction."

  Jason put his finger over my mouth to quiet me. "I dropped a folder with Amanda before coming in here. She can go over it with you."

  "And you're putting me in charge? I have all of a minute's experience."

  "No," he said, laughing as he did. "I'll be interviewing candidates with the Board for the position. They're all internal, so it's a matter of who fits best. You'll still keep your same role, but in the meantime, I need you to keep things in order." He leaned down and kissed me, then stood from the desk. "You're more than capable of running the show for a few days."

  I looked at him, gently shaking my head when he kissed me again. "I'll see you later."

  "Bye," I said, as I watched him walk out the door.

  Not long after Jason left, Amanda came stomping in, looking flushed as ever and breathing erratically. "Oh. My. God. I thought I was unemployed."

  I smiled at her. "Well, that makes two of us."

  "That hot piece of ass is your boyfriend? I thought you said you didn't have a boyfriend."

  I looked at Amanda and laughed. "I didn't. He was my ex at the time and he's been working tirelessly to get back in my good graces."

  "Like buying you a basketball team?" She playfully shook her head. "I love my husband, but I must be doing something wrong."

  "No. I think you are doing everything just right. I mean, even Sunny got the boot."

  "Yeah. So I heard. He must have been on a roll this morning. By the way, she did call up here screaming about something you said to her when you came in."

  "Well, I figured today would be my last day, so I just let her have it. I was sick of the snickers and sneers." I paused for a second before continuing. "Do you know she even had the nerve to accuse me of trying to sleep with both guys?"

  "No way."

  "Yes. And after everything I've been through with Damian and William, I just couldn't hold in my anger when I saw her this morning."

  "Good for you."

  We sat sifting through Jason's meticulously detailed notes. Except for a small break for lunch, Amanda and I were busy with phone calls, memos, and other important team information. Before I knew it, it was close to 5 p.m. and time to head home for the day. I packed up my work and strolled out to my car, thankful when I saw a perky blonde in the receptionist desk chair, smiling and bidding me a good evening. It was definitely a refreshing alternative to the black cloud that had previously occupied the seat.

  The drive from the heart of San Diego up to La Jolla on a Monday evening was excruciating. Normally, I would make the ten minute drive to my condo and be done with it, but my normal ten minute commute turned into almost an hour and a half. By the time I reached Jason's house, I was mentally, as well as, physically exhausted. I trudged up the driveway and rang the doorbell.

  Jason answered, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts and flip flops. My eyes sprang to life as they took in his bare, chiseled chest standing before me. "There'll be time for that later," he said, smirking at me. "I have dinner waiting for you."

  I stepped into the house, stopping to kiss him, then my eyes just about popped out of my head. The beautiful but empty house that I had seen only a day before was now fully furnished in ornate silvers and reds. I didn't recognize any of the furniture from the previous house, and I wondered how he had time to have this done. He had been out taking over basketball teams all day.

  "Do you like it?" Jason asked expectantly.

  "I love it." My smile wasn't enough to convince him. "I'm just wondering when you had time for this."

  He relaxed and ran his hands over his hair. "I had a company come in first thing this morning. I wanted it done for you by the time you got here. They just recently finished."

  "It looks amazing," I said, turning to take in all of the exquisitely rich furniture pieces that Jason had picked out.

  The aroma from the kitchen made my stomach grumble. "What's that smell?"

  "Oh, that's dinner. Go take a shower and I'll have everything all set up when you 're done."

  I stood staring at him for a second before finally saying, "I don't know where the shower is."

  Jason laughed. "Oh yeah. Upstairs, third room on the right is the master. Everything is all set up for you."

  I stared at him curiously, but didn't argue. As I walked up the stairs, I found pictures of Jason and I, throughout our relationship, hung up on the walls. There were pictures from our night out at Wranglers, Easter at the Nakamura's, standing next to the water fountains at the Bellagio in Vegas, and even a couple from the dreaded night of the gala in Heath. My heart beat just a bit faster seeing them. He had obviously taken a great bit of care to get this house set up in a way that included me as well.

  I jumped in the shower with a smile plastered to my face. Food and Jason were tugging at my stomach and my heart. I wanted to soothe both, so after showering, I threw on what looked to be my favorite camisole top and mesh shorts, then ran downstairs to meet Jason, who was seated at the island awaiting me.

  When I walked in, he looked up and smiled. "You hungry?" he asked, moving from his seat over to the fridge.

  "I'm starving. Amanda and I only ate small sandwiches at lunch. You had us doing so much."

  Jason turned around with a bottle of wine in his hands and a devilish smile on his face. "So you two know what's expected. Sounds good."

  "Yeah but something has been nagging at me since you left the office today?" I took a glass of wine from Jason as he motioned for me to take a seat. "You yelled out that no fraternizing would be tolerated at SDSM, but you're dating one of your marketing managers."

  "I won't be there and in your way every day. Whoever we pick to take over William's position will be much more hands on than William was. I'll be around that office about as often as I am now." His toothy smile made me laugh. A few seconds later, the chime from the oven went off, drawing Jason over to it.

  "Dinner is served, Ms. Pinkston." Jason brought a hot pan of pasta over to the table, setting it down on pot holders. "Italiano's, since some epic douchebag kept me from taking you there."

  I smiled as he served me.

  "I'm still a little mad at you for knowingly allowing my nerves to shatter. I thought for sure that I would be unemployed by this point today and that I'd have to beg my parents for rent money."

  "Do you really think I would have let you go homeless?" Jason raised an eyebrow at me. "Besides, I'm trying to get you to give up the condo for this." He waved his arms around, alluding to the monstrous house we were sitting in.

  "It's too soon."

  "I know. I just hope you're thinking about it."

  "I am." I smiled, then dug into the sausage manicotti sitting in front of us. After nearly finishing my food, Jason poured another glass of wine. I drank it quickly, feeling much too good from the shower, a full belly, and now the relaxing sensations provided by the wine.

  "So what do you think of the place?"

  "I love it. I told you that."

  "Now that you've been upstairs and all, what do you think?"

  I sipped my freshly poured glass that Jason had just filled me with. "I love it. The pictures are the perfect touch."

  Jason let out his breath. "I was hoping you'd like them. I had Mila running around like a mad woman today." He stopped to sip his wine. "I had them custom framed so she had to get the pictures to the framer, get your bag of clothes, and get back to pick them up in time for the workers to get them hung up before you got here."

  "They're a great touch. I was a little shocked that you have the picture from the gala up. I thought you'd want to erase all memories of that night."

  That night had been one of the worst nights of my life. It started out promising but once The Devil--as Chelsea aptly named her--made her
entrance, it turned into a night that I wish could be erased from my memory. All of Jason's secrets had come out, and some, more than others--made me wish that my hearing could be turned off. I watched my world crumble around me, at the hands of two of the most deceitful, self-serving people that I have ever had the displeasure of meeting.

  "As awful as that night was, no, I don't want to erase those memories." I sat my wine glass down on the table and curiously looked into his eyes. "Cara, sometimes bad shit has to happen to make someone realize that they're on the wrong path. As much as I loved you, I was stuck in my old ways of being King Asshole, and even though we were in a good place, I needed to do some soul searching. As much as I hate Jacob for what he did, in a way, he helped me. That, I can be thankful to him for."

  Jason's explanation floored me. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought he would see it from that perspective, and I certainly didn't think he'd have anything nice to say about his brother, no matter how small the compliment was. "You really feel that way?"

  "Absolutely," he said, nodding his head, "I think I would have eventually filled you in on most of that shit, but I would have been the same old Jason--hot tempered and cocky as hell. I needed to really step back and look at my life. Jacob forced me to do that, and in the process, I got rid of some of the shit surrounding me."

  "Your dad?" I asked tentatively.

  "Yes. I know it's hard for you to understand since you have such a close relationship with your dad, but besides money, mine didn't give a shit about me. He still doesn't."

  "I don't think that's true, Jason. I think he just doesn’t know how to show his love for you after all the years of turmoil."

  He gulped down the remaining wine in his glass. "Well, it doesn't matter now. I was serious about not wanting anything to do with him. Whenever my mom calls, I'll speak to her, but when she tries to get me to speak to him, I hang up. She needs to understand that the years of his shit can't be erased with a quick little apology"

  A pensive smile graced my face as I sat wondering what to say to him. I was at a loss for words. He was adamant about not wanting anything to do with his dad, and after everything that I'd had the displeasure of seeing and hearing, I really couldn't blame him. I wanted nothing more than for Jason to have a solid relationship with his dad, but I wasn't holding out for it to happen any time soon.

  "Anyway. Enough of that shit. It's turning the air stale and I just want to indulge in you tonight."

  "In me, huh?" I winked across the table over to him, making him stand.

  "In you," he whispered, then walked over to me and grabbed me from the chair. I squealed the entire way up the stairs as Jason used his fingers to tickle me.

  When we entered the bedroom, Jason gently lay me down on the pillow top blanket. I found myself sinking into the luxury of the blanket choice that he had picked out for the bed. I stared up at his glistening, overgrown brown hair, and let out a slight laugh when he blew the excessively long front pieces of hair from his face.

  "You really should get a haircut you know," I said, slightly frowning at his hair.

  "I'll think about that after my fill of you. Hell, I might even let you cut it, that's how badly I need to fuck you right now."

  I shook my head at him as he lowered his body down towards me. My hands instantly found his pectorals and squeezed hard. I wanted my fill of him, but his chest and his abs did things to me that I wasn't sure could be done without him penetrating me. Whenever I saw him shirtless, my mind defied me and the same sensation that I often longed for returned.

  Jason took my cheek in his hand and turned it towards him. The passionate kiss that he planted on me sent rockets shooting through my body. It was like the day's frustrations were packed into that kiss, as I felt every inch of raw energy that he seemed to be harboring. His hands ravished my hair and his tongue made a swift entrance, delicately touching every surface of my mouth that it could find. My hands scoured his back as he continued his exploration of my mouth. I felt his back muscles tighten the more engaging our kiss became.

  I pulled away and eagerly removed my shorts, prompting Jason to do the same. Surprisingly, he had gone commando, which made it that much easier to get to what I really wanted. As he approached me again, I sat up and motioned for him to lie back on the bed. "You deserve a reward for your big purchase today," I said.

  Jason lay down with a crooked grin on his face. I climbed up to straddle him, and he sent his hands up my camisole top, briskly removing it.

  He pulled me down to him and took my one of my breasts in his mouth, while gently fondling the other. My eyes closed and rolled to the back of my head as he lightly sucked me into a trance. His mouth did things to me that I was sure no one else would ever be capable of doing, and I savored every second that he had it on me. As he sucked, I reached down for his cock and found it rock hard and standing at attention. I positioned myself over it and lowered my body down, taking Jason and all his girth in one fell swoop. He groaned but didn't remove my breast. He only sucked more aggressively. I clenched as his cock filled me, but gently began to circulate my hips to alleviate the pressure that had built up inside of me. I let out a deep breath and began to pick up the pace when Jason dropped my breast from his hand and mouth, and threw his head back, groaning as his eyes clenched tightly together.

  Seeing his pleasure turned me on even more than I already was. I moved to an up and down movement that had his ab muscles to take the impact that I was crashing down on him with. He moved his hands to my waist and gripped the sides tightly, making me move with more expediency.

  Watching Jason curl and twinge underneath me was new. I normally wasn't on top and in control, so I relished the opportunity and took great pleasure in what my body was capable of doing to him.

  I felt Jason's fingers begin to dig into my flesh, signaling that he was getting close to coming. His breathing had picked up and after placing my hands on his chest, I could feel the speed of his heartbeat. I slowed my movements on him, hoping to make him hold off a little longer. I went to slow, melodic, back and forth movements that caused even more torture than the fast, rhythmic movements that I'd used before. He groaned my name a few times, but I kept the same agonizing pace, filling his face with pleasure and pain.

  Just as Jason moved his hands from my waist and up to my breasts, I intertwined our fingers and forced his hands down by the sides of his head. I forcefully slammed them down, surprising him. He slightly opened his eyes and looked at me as a sensual grin spread across his lips. I picked up the pace ever so slightly, sending his eyes rolling to the back of his head. My eyes opened and shut as I drew in deep breaths. At one point, I watched as Jason used his tongue and teeth to lick and suck his bottom lip. The movement was seductive enough to send a lightning bolt ricocheting from wall to wall inside my clit.

  I leaned down and flattened my breasts against Jason's chest. He swiveled his hips and thrust himself further into me as our breathing picked up, sending both of us into erratic convulsions. His moans became growls as mine turned to shrieks. I felt my body lose control as Jason worked beneath me, taking the strength that I thought I'd had. My dominance over him succumbed to his overzealous movements underneath me.

  He fucked me until there was no feeling left in my limbs, and my grip on his hands loosened, giving him the opportunity to wrap me in his arms and violently push me over the edge. Just as I felt the numbing tingles begin to infiltrate my clit, Jason groaned a harsh, "Give it to me, baby."

  His words sent me pummeling down onto him and crying out as the orgasm he had just induced ravished my body. Jason wound my hair in his hand and bit on his bottom lip as he shattered me on the inside with a highly combustible orgasm of his own. My body was sent to trembles as it worked to come down from the high that Jason and his cock had put me into.

  I lay haphazardly on him, trying to slow my erratic breathing. Jason blew out a couple of deep breaths and took my face in his hands, lightly placing kisses from my cheeks down to my li
ps. He gently rolled me off of him and onto the bed, but still kept me tucked in his arms.

  "You damn near owned me, Gorgeous," he said through deep breaths.

  "Damn near? I did."

  "Uh, no. You almost did, but I had to show you who runs shit in the bedroom." In a strange way, his dominant attitude was a turn-on for me, and through all of the changes he had been making, I was glad to see that that side of him wasn't going anywhere.

  I lay wrapped in Jason's arm with my face to his chest and my hand in his hair. "You really do need to cut this, it’s so long."

  "You really don't like it?" he asked, looking intently at me.

  "I just think it's too long."

  "Fine. I'll cut it when you move in with me."

  I laughed and ran my finger over the scruff that was starting to fill his face.

  "Your hair is going to be as long as mine."

  "Damn. That long. huh?"

  I shrugged my shoulders and smiled at him. A large part of me didn't want to spend another second denying my heart what it was longing for, but I also didn't want to ignore my brain and jump in head first, setting myself up for failure. Apprehension still held a small place in my relationship with Jason, and as much as I wanted it to go away, it loomed at every turn. We had definitely made great strides, but I was a lot more guarded this time around. As badly as I wanted to move in and share everything with him, it wasn't something that I felt should happen right away.

  "Good things are worth waiting for, right?" I asked smugly.

  He turned his head and kissed me. "Damn straight."

  We lay in peaceful silence until the lull of each other's breaths calmly put us both to sleep.

  Chapter 21

  Over the course of the next couple of weeks, my life felt like it had gone from zero to sixty in a nanosecond. Work had gone back to being a place of enjoyment for me. Not having to look at Sunny's sour face first thing in the morning, or deal with Damian or William, brought noticeable peace over me. The anxiety that had so often balled itself into tight wads in the depths of my stomach was markedly absent.