by A. Aubry
Taking a deep calming breath, I tried to keep the frustrated tears at bay. Finn came around the island and pulled me into a tight hug, “Maybe it is time to get some type of restraining order on him. He sounds kind of desperate and I’m worried he might try to hurt you one of these days.”
The fact that he told me he was worried about me made my heart flutter slightly. It was an amazing feeling.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to stop at the police station and ask some questions about it,” I said quietly.
Damn, Julianna…Angie has been telling you to do that for days and Finn says it once and you agree.
“I think that that’s the best option. Maybe you could stay here with me for a few days while its pending through the system. At least that way I would know you are safe from him.”
My cheeks burned red, “I don’t want to impose on you.”
He held onto me tighter, “You’re not imposing, baby.”
He stopped when he realized he called me a pet name that someone usually called a significant other.
“Finn, I need to ask you something. Normally I would say I have to get to work but I really need to know.” The question had been eating at me since I first asked myself it yesterday afternoon.
“You can ask me anything,” he smiled.
“Are we dating? Like boyfriend/girlfriend? I mean, I know it is kind of early to put a label on it, but I just want to know if that is what this is turning into.”
“I would like us to be boyfriend and girlfriend…if that is okay with you,” his voice trailed off.
I attempted to hold back my grin, but it was difficult, “I’d really like that.”
“Good, now…get to work, girlfriend,” he teased as he went to grab my coat for me.
I slipped on my heels and put on my coat. Finn gave me an extra set of keys to his apartment so that I could get in if he wasn’t home.
“See you later, boyfriend,” I smiled, giving him one last kiss before I was out the door.
On the way to work, I told Larry I had overslept but I was on my way in. Luckily by the time I left Finn’s apartment, rush hour traffic had died down and it only took twenty minutes to get to work. Angie and Tabby were the only ones who had noticed I wore exactly what I wore the previous day. They wouldn’t let me forget it all morning. Just as we were working out where to go for lunch, a delivery man showed up in our office. In his hands, a vase full of red roses.
“Is there a Julianna in here?” He called out over the open cubicles.
Everyone stared at me as I stood up and waved my hand. He walked towards me and had me sign for the flowers before he handed me the vase. He made a hasty exit, no doubt in a rush, and I set the vase on my desk. A small card was nestled within the flowers. I carefully plucked it out and opened it.
Julianna- Thank you for a wonderful evening. You made me a very happy man this morning when you agreed to be my girlfriend. xo Finn.
I pursed my lips as my eyes dragged over the card over and over. No guy had ever sent me flowers before, especially not roses. Damn, I picked a good one this time around.
“Those from your secret soccer lover?” Angie giggled as she peeked over the wall that divided our cubicles.
“They are from my soccer player boyfriend.” I stuck my tongue out at her.
“Official already? Damn girl, look at you go.”
I blushed and put on my coat, “Let’s go to lunch, I need to make one quick pit stop before we actually go out to eat.”
“Where at?” She asked as she came around her cubicle and we walked down the hallway.
“The police station. I’m going to get a restraining order over Michael. He showed up at my apartment last night and fell asleep in the hallway waiting for me until someone in my building called the cops. That was the last straw,” I explained to her as we got in the elevator, riding it down to the garage.
“You sure Finn didn’t ask you to go get one?” She said as she texted on her phone.
“He brought it up this morning after I found out about what Michael did last night. I’m tired of him harassing me, he’s only embarrassing himself. Until this all gets sorted out, Finn is letting me stay with him.”
“Oo, already moving in,” she nudged me with her elbow.
Angie knew from the fact that I wore the same exact outfit to work that Finn and I had had sex the night before. If she didn’t know it from my clothing repeat, it was probably from the smile I had plastered on my face every second of our day so far.
The police station didn’t take that long once I explained to the detective my situation. He had heard about them escorting Michael out over in my county from a buddy of his in that department. The paperwork was easy enough to fill out and the detective handed me my copy and said that the temporary order would be effective at midnight tonight until a judge could grant the official one in a few days. Michael was allowed to text me and call me until the judge would grant the official restraining order then all contact both in person and technological would be off the table. I texted Finn on my way to lunch with Angie.
Me: Thank you so much for the beautiful flowers. It really brightened my day. Also, I went to the police department and filed a restraining order. The temporary one starts at midnight tonight until a judge okays a full official one in a few days.
Finn: Happy I could make your day as much as you made mine. You’re still staying with me though, until the official one is granted.
Me: I wouldn’t dream of being anywhere else.
When he didn’t answer, I remembered he was at practice and I was probably interrupting. The rest of the day flew by and I just couldn’t wait to get home to Finn, my now official boyfriend. That sentence made me smile wider every time I told it to myself.
The next three days were a blur. Michael was served with the temporary restraining order on Wednesday morning at his office and had attempted to fight it. It was a good thing I never deleted any of his texts, the call log of his obsessive calling, and the message from my apartment which I all gave over as evidence.
While I was at work on Friday, the detective who was helping me out with the order called to tell me that the judge granted the restraining order for thirty days and that Michael was informed that he was no longer allowed to contact me in any way as well as not show up at my apartment or workplace. The idea of going back to my place made me sad, Finn had made his apartment feel like a home for me. Was that weird?
I parked my car in his apartment lot after work, knowing he would be back from practice already. Letting myself into the building and his apartment, I closed the door behind me and tossed my keys and purse onto the countertop.
“Finn? I’m back,” I called out but not too loud in case he was downstairs.
An older woman came around the corner from the living room and I stopped in my tracks. She looked oddly familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“You must be Julianna, I have heard so much about you,” she grinned as she walked up to me and hugged me tight.
“Oh?” Was all I could manage to say.
Finn came bounding down the stairs in the same jeans and University of Georgia t-shirt that I had seen him in before I left this morning. I was wearing a black flowing skirt with a navy blue dress shirt and my black flats. He smiled when he saw this strange woman hugging me.
“Don’t suffocate her, Mom,” he teased, easing her off of me.
That was the reason she looked so familiar, on Wednesday night Finn and I had spent the better part of the night showing each other pictures of our family and friends. She looked even better than her pictures.
“Oh, I’m sorry dear. I just got so excited when I heard her come in,” she chuckled.
“Julianna, this is my mother, Carol. Mom, as you already know, this is Julianna,” Finn introduced us before moving forward and giving me a swift kiss.
Did she know that him and his previous girlfriend had just broken up just over a week ago? She seemed really okay with her youngest
son kissing me in front of her.
I held out my hand once Finn stepped to my side, “It’s very nice to meet you, Carol. Finn has told me a great deal about you and his brothers.”
She shook my hand graciously, “You are so polite, that is refreshing.”
Finn rolled his eyes, annoyed at her response, “We’re gonna be leaving for a dinner soon, Mom. Why don’t you go freshen up before we head out?”
Carol nodded and headed up the stairs. When I heard a door close upstairs I turned to Finn.
“You didn’t tell me your mom was coming to visit today, I can go home if you need me to. The judge granted the full restraining order this afternoon, so we don’t have to worry about Michael for another thirty days.” I grabbed onto his shirt and pulled him closer to me.
“She surprised me by flying in last minute. But I want you here with me, so please don’t go home just yet,” he pouted as his arms wrapped around my waist.
I put my hands on his biceps, “Okay, I’ll stay. Just for you.”
He kissed my lips gently, “Good. We’re going to go to dinner, so I hope you are hungry.”
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Mom wants to go to Red Robin. The only ones near where she lives are almost an hour away and the one in Shoreview is only a few exits up I-694.”
I looked down at my outfit, “I’m a bit over dressed for Red Robin, I should go get changed.”
I could sense Finn’s reluctance to let me go, but he did. Four steps up the stairs I realized Finn wasn’t following me up the stairs like he normally did.
I turned to look at him as he watched me from where I had just stood, “You comin’ to help me?”
His eyes lit up as he nodded excitedly. He followed me closely up the stairs and to his bedroom. Knocking on his mother’s door, he let her know we would be meeting downstairs in about ten minutes to leave. Ten minutes was just enough time. I had been wanting Finn ever since I left bed this morning.
The second his door was closed; his lips were on mine as he helped me strip out of my clothes. His clothes soon joined mine on the floor as he lifted me up onto the bed. I laid down as he crawled up my body. My legs instinctively opened for Finn as he kneeled in between them, putting on the condom he had grabbed from his bedside table. I felt like time stood still as he sheathed his cock and pushed it into me. My hand covered my mouth as a moan escaped from deep in my throat. This was the one thing I had been waiting for.
Over the last several days, Finn and I had been way more intimate than Michael and I ever were in our three year relationship. Michael had us on some type of sexual calendar. We would have it once every two weeks like clockwork. Unless he wanted to deviate from that plan, but that was not very often. Sex was all about when he wanted it, hence why self-induced orgasms were an all too familiar occurrence.
But with Finn, we did it at least once a day over the last few days. Each time, Finn made sure I came, which was amazing. At one point during yesterday’s escapade, my body actually shook I had such an intense orgasm. I wasn’t talking about like a faint quiver that you lightly feel, it was full on…no control over the small spasms…shaking.
I removed my hand from my mouth and put it on Finn’s back, my nails gently dragging over his skin as he thrust into me over and over. My eyes closed as I relished in the feeling of his cock moving in and out at me at the pace Finn had set. His lips made contact with my neck as he grunted with each thrust.
“God, I’ve missed you, Julianna,” he groaned against my skin.
“You just saw me this morning,” I teased, a small moan coming out at the end of my sentence.
“Doesn’t mean that I didn’t miss you and your fucking sexy body all day,” Finn gently bit onto my neck.
“Oh, shit,” I gasped at the way my orgasm spiked as he did that.
If words could make a person orgasm, then I was pretty sure Finn would be like the king of giving women orgasms. He always said the hottest things to me. It shouldn’t have been such a turn on for him calling my body sexy, but after years of being put down rather than built up, hearing his words only made me want him more.
Finn thrusted into me harder and I was so unbelievably close. He buried his face in my neck as I panted, waiting for my orgasm to finally tip over.
“Baby, oh fuck,” Finn grunted.
That was when his words were my undoing. His head quickly lifted from my neck, and my hands covered his cheeks as I brought his lips down to mine. I moaned into our kiss as my orgasm washed over my body so intensely that I could feel my body clamp down on his cock that thrusted into me a couple more times until Finn met his release. His forehead rested against mine as we tried to catch our breath, my body quivering underneath his. When he rolled off to the side, I could still barely breathe.
“Holy hell,” I panted, looking over at him.
“Took the words right out of my mouth,” he smirked, his breathing finally returning to normal.
I sat up and did something that even surprised me, I took off the condom he was wearing for him. As my fingers gently skimmed up the skin of his cock as I removed it, Finn whistled through his teeth. I tied it off at the top and gave him a quick kiss before I went into the bathroom.
Five minutes later, I was cleaned up and Finn and I were back to being clothed. We made our way down the stairs together, his mother waiting by the door for us. Finn raised his eyebrows at me as he handed his mother her coat before he gave me a quick wink. I giggled, getting my own jacket out of the coat closet.
On the drive to the restaurant, I insisted that Carol sit up front with Finn so that they could talk. When we got to Red Robin, the wait wasn’t long, and we were quickly shown a table. His mother was eyeing a girl that we had passed on our way to our seat as if she knew her. I had never seen her before so heck if I knew who she was. After we ordered our drinks and were waiting for our food to be delivered, the girl that I didn’t know approached our table.
“Carol, it’s so great to see you up here in the cities! How’s Georgia?” This girl cooed to Finn’s mother as if she had known her for years.
Finn visibly stiffened next to me. What was going on?
“Natalie, what a surprise that you are here today as well! Isn’t that a surprise, Finn? Georgia is fantastic. How is nursing going for you, sweet girl?” Carol hugged the girl as she answered her question.
Natalie…that name sounded familiar. Who the hell was Natalie again?
Carol released the girl as she responded about a new nursing position she started at United Hospital in Saint Paul. She then turned her attention to Finn, completely ignoring me.
“Finn, it’s been a bit since we’ve last seen each other,” she said softly, her hand covering his as it sat on the table.
Uh, hello? Was I invisible over here? Finn stared at their hands before he looked back up at this Natalie character. That’s when I noticed him swallow hard as he watched her. The name finally hit me. Natalie was his ex-girlfriend. That ‘bit’ since they had last seen each other was over two weeks ago, when he broke up with her for cheating on him.
His cheeks flushed as she talked softly to him in the noisy restaurant. Carol watched them with a smile on her face. Natalie and Finn and been together for almost two years before they broke up, so it was understandable that they had some type of chemistry. But the fact that Finn was blatantly ignoring me for this girl, was really pissing me off.
Our food being delivered to our table triggered Natalie to excuse herself back to her table. The second she left, Finn and Carol acted as though nothing happened. Finn even put his hand on my leg like he didn’t just fucking ignore me for his ex-girlfriend. Yes, I wasn’t dumb enough to think he didn’t still have some type of feelings towards her.
A very small part of me still had feelings for Michael as well, but if he strode up to us in a restaurant and pulled that shit, Finn wouldn’t let me get by with ignoring him. My burger sat in front of me untouched as Finn and his mother chatted about things going o
n in Georgia. I wasn’t really hungry anymore, especially not when his ex-girlfriend watched him longingly.
The girl was everything I wasn’t. She was tall, skinny, long red hair and freckles. Her clothes hugged her form to show that she knew she was tiny and wanted to flaunt it. Girls like her made me sick. Taking my purse with me, I excused myself to the bathroom. From within the stall, I texted Angie that I needed a 911 pickup which meant to come get me and fast. We had developed that code when I was dating Michael and his emotional abuse was getting too much.
I texted her where I was quickly, I knew she was at a happy hour with Tabby and some of our other friends. I blew it off to be with Finn, now I was regretting it. Where they went for drinks was only ten minutes down the road. Tears streaked my face as I took toilet paper and wiped them away.
If Finn still felt so strongly about his ex-girlfriend then he should not have jumped into a relationship with me so quickly. Fuck, when he told me he wanted me on Monday night, I should have told him we needed to slow down. Yeah right, McCall. You wanted it as much as him. My phone buzzed shortly after and Angie told me she was outside. Luckily our table was nowhere near the bathroom or the front door of the restaurant, so it was easy for me to just walk out without Finn or his mother seeing me.
I climbed into Angie’s silver Ford Escape and buckled myself in, only texting Finn once we were a safe distance away that I had Angie come get me because I wasn’t feeling well. I directed her to his apartment so that I could get my car and go home.
“You gonna tell me what happened that you used the 911 distress signal?” She asked, turning down her radio as she drove.
“Well, apparently Finn’s ex-girlfriend was at the restaurant tonight,” I sighed, looking out the window.
“And?” She encouraged me.
“After we ordered, she came over to the table and started talking to Finn’s mom…”
She cut me off, “Wait, you met Finn’s mom?”
I forgot to add that in sooner, “Yeah, she flew in today to surprise him. Which also in turn surprised me.”