by Harper Sloan
We softly explored one another’s mouths with our tongues. His hands settled on my upper thighs, rubbing circles with his thumbs while he kissed me. I threaded my fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp with my fingertips.
He broke our kiss when we came to a stop in front of my apartment. “Come inside with me?” I asked. I was feeling vulnerable and needed more of his touch to comfort me. He nodded and we headed upstairs.
Once in the apartment and I had dropped my stuff on the sofa, I took his hand, leading him into my room. After we made it to my room and shut the door, I unbuttoned my jacket and pulled it off. Jackson followed suit with his own. I peeled off my camisole, leaving myself in a sexy white lace bra, and kicked off my heels. He quickly undid the buttons on his dress shirt and threw it aside.
Walking up to me, he reached behind me and unclasped my bra. He slipped it off and his hands made their way to the zipper on my skirt, undoing it as well. The skirt fell to the floor, and I stood before him in my barely-there matching white lace panties and thigh-highs.
“You’re absolutely beautiful, Andi. Every time I see you, I can’t take my eyes off of you. I’m an asshole and don’t deserve someone like you. But I still want you. I still want you to want me,” he confessed. His face didn’t have his normal guard up and he seemed so fragile. What was behind the tough exterior? I needed to find out.
He unbuttoned his pants and slipped them off along with his boxers, socks, and shoes. Instead of letting me take off the stockings or panties, he led me to the bed.
Leaning over, he brought his lips to mine again. Melting in his sweet kisses, I wrapped my arms around him, squeezing his bare bottom. I could feel him harden between us, making me want him so badly. He lowered us onto the bed and our kisses intensified. I kept pulling him to me and grinding my hips up to him, letting him know what I wanted.
Taking the hint, he sat up and slipped my panties off. Lowering himself back over me, he positioned his cock at my entrance and pushed it in.
I moaned loudly because he always felt so good and we fit together perfectly. He started a rhythm that matched our kissing and I tensed up as an orgasm neared. One of his hands slid up and caressed my breast. My pants intensified and I cried out as electricity coursed through my body. I shuddered beneath him, and he followed quickly behind me, coming into me.
Collapsing on me so our chests pressed together, he peered down at me. “Making love,” he stated. Not a question but a statement. I smiled, nodding. Pecking me on the lips really quickly, he drew himself out and stretched beside me. I curled into him, tracing the ridges of his stomach muscles with my finger.
“So what happened last night?” I murmured, not looking up at him. He didn’t speak right away and a tear slipped out of the corner of my eye. I feared we were about to have a repeat from the night before.
His hand gently tugged my chin up to look at him. “Last night was a mistake,” he began. When my chin started to quiver, he continued quickly. “It was a mistake because I freaked out. You’re not her, so I need to trust you because you haven’t given me any reason not to.” I didn’t really understand who “she” was, but I had a feeling it was the Nadia Trish had spoken of.
“Jackson, you really hurt me. I felt so rejected when you didn’t come to bed last night and were gone this morning. I have no idea what we’re doing here. This all goes against everything I have trained myself to do in the past five months. But one thing’s for sure. I don’t want it to go away. Nothing feels right unless I am with you.”
I continued. “And then you avoided me all day, further hurting my feelings. You made me feel like I had done something wrong. After lunch with Bray, you basically called me a whore and that fucking hurt, Jackson. From the moment I heard your voice, you’re all I can think about. No one else.”
He crashed his lips to mine, nicking my lip with his teeth. The taste of blood seemed to jolt us alive, because the next moment he had me flipped over on my hands and knees. He lined himself behind me and slammed into my pussy that still dripped from his orgasm moments ago.
My fingers grasped the blankets as he pounded into me from behind. His fingers digging into my hips agitated my bruises from last night but I didn’t care. We were amazing together.
His hand latched on to my hair and yanked my head back. The other hand slipped over my clit and started rubbing it furiously. My climax tore through me, and when my head dropped down, he jerked my hair, pulling it back where he wanted it. The sting from my hair that was wrapped up in his fist only intensified the orgasm pulsing through me and I screamed his name in delight. He poured into once me more, pumping until he was empty and I was full.
Before I had time to even think, he slipped himself out of me and chuckled. “Now that was fucking,” he smirked as he headed for the shower. Indeed it was, Mr. Compton. Indeed it was.
The not-so-dark days…
Craig has me bent over his kitchen table, fucking me like a madman. This is day three of our little escapade. He’s a great lay but rules are rules. Soon after he comes into me, he slips himself out and yanks off the condom, tossing it into the trash. I pull up my panties and readjust my dress. The tattoos across his sculpted chest are hot as hell and I’ll miss them.
Walking to the front door, I say, “I had fun, Craig. Thanks for a good time.”
Before I can make it out, he grabs hold of my hand. “Wait, Andi. I think things are going pretty well. Let’s go out tomorrow. When I agreed to a weekend of fun, I didn’t think you meant it. What chick would ever actually be serious about something like that?”
Here it is—the part that I hate. It seems like this happens every weekend, if they even make it three days. “Craig, I’m all for fun, but the rules are three days. You agreed to it and now it’s over,” I remind him, jerking my hand away from his grasp.
“You’re a fucking bitch!” he yells at me, kicking the door behind me. I jump, startled at his reaction. Pepper always warns me that I’m going to get myself in over my head one day. Shit, I hope today’s not that day.
Glaring back at him, I sling my purse over my shoulder and stalk out of his apartment before he has time to kick anything else. Asshole. He knew the rules going into it.
After we rinsed off quickly in the shower and dressed, we went to the living room to decide where we should go.
Olive was perched on the edge of the couch filing her nails. “Hey, guys,” she looked up and smiled at me. I hadn’t really seen either her or Pepper very much lately.
“Olive, you should come with us. We’ll go have dinner, the three of us. Please,” I begged her.
Normally, she might have said no, but I think she missed me, and I was taking advantage of that fact. Indecision crossed her features but she finally agreed. “Okay, let me put on some shoes.” She skipped off to her room.
“What’s on the menu for tonight?” I asked Jackson.
“Well, I’d say you except you invited your friend to dinner, so I guess we’ll just have to settle for sushi,” he teased. I kissed him a little too long on the lips because Olive cleared her throat when she walked into the room.
I laughed and pushed away from him grabbing Olive’s hand. Together, the three of us left for dinner.
The entire drive to the restaurant, Olive twisted her hands nervously. Jackson probably couldn’t tell that she was anxious about going out, but I knew she was. Poor girl never went anywhere hardly. Drake had really messed her up. Maybe I should drag her to Dr. Sweeney’s with me one day.
We were seated right away by a picture window overlooking the busy street. I sat beside Jackson in the booth and his hand settled on my thigh. There’d be no action at this booth since I’d changed into jeans earlier. Bummer.
After we ordered, Olive told us about a gig she had coming up. “Saturday I’m going to be doing a photo shoot for Express. I’m really nervous because it’s going to get a lot of exposure. Something like this could thrust me into a whole new realm, one I may not be ready for,” she admi
tted worriedly, chewing on her bottom lip.
“Olive, you’ll do fine. You are stunning, and by not letting the world see you, you’re doing them all a disservice,” I praised, earning a smile from her.
“Who’s your agent?” Jackson asked, sipping his drink.
“Vance Fleck. He wants me to do more than just a random photo shoot here and there. Vance says that I’ve got the exotic look that so many companies are after. I just don’t know. It kind of freaks me out. Drake is so involved with photographing live events that I’m afraid my chances of running into him will be much greater. I can’t run into him. Ever,” she confided cryptically as she shivered.
“What did he do to you?” Jackson questioned, concern written all over his face.
“He was abusive in more ways than you can count. I’m thankful every day I got away when I did. Running into him would mean fearing for my life again,” she frowned. Again. Fearing for her life—again. I hope she never ran into him either.
Jackson looked angry at the thought of anyone wanting to hurt sweet Olive. I couldn’t agree more. The server placed our plates in front of us and I smiled happily, even clapping my hands together. Jackson and Olive chuckled at my excitement over food.
“You’re obsessed with food. How come you’re so skinny?” he teased.
Ignoring his question, I popped a spicy tuna roll into my mouth. “This is so good. I could eat here every night,” I told them after I swallowed it.
“You practically do, Andi. Who are you trying to kid?” Olive inquired, busting me.
I rolled my eyes at her. “Not every night. More like every other night,” I sassed.
After we finished our meal, Jackson spoke as he handed his card over to the server. “You ladies want to go visit Ian over at the bar and have a couple of drinks? It isn’t very busy on Wednesday nights,” he asked, looking at Olive. She squirmed a little at his request but almost imperceptibly nodded her head yes.
I grinned at her and squeezed Jackson’s thigh letting him know this was a big deal for her. His hand found mine and squeezed it back. After he got his card back, we all made our way back to the car, where George waited for us.
The ride to the bar was quick and gave Olive little time to back out. Once we arrived, I held on to her hand, attempting to give her the support she needed for this outing.
The bar was slow just like Jackson promised and we found the booth we sat in yesterday.
Ian came over and slid into the booth next to Olive, making her light brown cheeks turn red. “Yo, Tina! I’m taking a break to visit with some friends. Take over for me. Can you send out some shots too? Surprise us,” he hollered to the dark-haired waitress. She gave him the thumbs up and set off to make the drinks. “Hello, Miss Olive, it’s so nice to see you again,” he grinned at her.
“Hi, Ian,” she spoke shyly.
Turning to Jackson, he said, “Hey, man. How’s it going?” They launched into a conversation about what bands would be at the bar over the weekend and how the bar was doing financially.
I mouthed to Olive, “Are you okay?” She nodded and formed a small smile on her face.
When the shots arrived, we all downed them quickly. Tina brought us a few more after that. Olive and I were getting pretty giggly. I was having fun teasing Jackson about his serious nature. When he’d scowl at me, I’d tickle him and he’d laugh like a little boy. It was hysterical, and Olive agreed, which only egged me on more. Ian was watching her like she was on the menu, which was the least bit unnerving.
When he slung his arm around her and whispered into her ear, she shot me a look of panic. Before I could even tell him to back off, Jackson had already shot out of the booth and was dragging Ian along with him.
“What the fuck, man?” he spat as Jackson hauled him away from the table. Olive and I didn’t stick around for the argument, and we hurried out to the car hand in hand. Once we hopped into the car, I drew her in for a hug.
“Are you okay?” I asked her.
“Yeah, I totally freaked. I’m sorry,” she sniffled. “That was probably normal but I don’t do well with that sort of thing.”
“What did he say?” I questioned, wanting to know what gave her that look of terror.
“All he said was,”—she paused for a moment—“you’re going to be effing screaming my name later, baby.”
I tried to hide my smile when she said “effing.” She didn’t cuss like a sailor like Pepper and I did.
“Honey, he was flirting, but I can see how that would freak you out a little.”
She nodded and looked sad. “I want to like him, but I think I’m ruined. There just wasn’t a spark. He’s really good-looking but there isn’t anything there.”
“Olive, it’s okay. You had fun tonight. I’m proud of you for being brave and going with us. Pepper is going to shit a brick when she finds out she missed it!”
Olive and I giggled as Jackson slipped into the car. “Olive, I want to apologize on behalf of my friend. He just says whatever he wants whenever he wants. Blame it on his Irish blood. He’s a major player so you’d be wise just staying friends with him.”
She smiled at him. “Don’t worry, Jackson. I’ll stick with being his friend. Thanks for looking out for me. You’re a good guy.” She patted his knee. His features darkened when she called him a “good guy,” and I absolutely noticed it when it happened. Would I ever peel back his layers?
Leaning over, he whispered into my ear, “Want to come home with me?” I nodded and he kissed my temple.
“I need to grab some more clothes first. You can help me pack,” I told him, winking.
Once at the apartment, the three of us made our way upstairs. When I unlocked the door and flung it open, my mouth dropped as I saw Pepper fly off the couch with a guilty-as-hell look on her face. None other than Jordan Compton sat on the couch, legs kicked up on the coffee table, with a laptop sitting on his thighs.
Clearly they were working, but Pepper looked extremely guilty, which meant we had almost interrupted something. Damn!
“Hey, guys. Uh, Jordan, er, Mr. Compton and I are going over the sponsorship for the museum,” she stuttered unconvincingly.
Jackson boomed with laughter at Jordan when he looked at Pepper with a raised eyebrow like even he was having a hard time believing what she was saying. She looked completely flustered, which caused me and Olive to giggle at her.
“Ugh! We were just working!” she cried, scowling at all of us, especially Jordan. “You people suck.”
Jackson of course would choose this moment to make her even more uncomfortable. “Our mother is having dinner at her house Saturday, Pepper. Would you care to join us? I’d ask Olive too but she has a modeling job.”
Pepper glanced over at Jordan, who winked at her. She blushed momentarily but regained her composure quickly. “I’m busy,” she blurted.
At the same time, Olive and I shouted at her, “Liar!”
She glared at both of us but it only made us laugh harder at her. Apparently we were all enjoying this. Well, except Pepper of course.
“Fine, but I’ll find my own ride there and I am not going as your date, Jordan,” she huffed to him.
“Come here. I want to show you something,” he told her, eyes full of mischief. She hesitantly went over to him and sat down.
He pointed to the screen, and when she leaned over to look at it, he slipped an arm around her and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek. She shrieked and tried to get away but he just laughed and held her there.
Jackson reached over and grabbed the laptop before it hit the floor. When Jordan stuck his tongue in her ear, she threw out a string of cusswords, but he still wouldn’t let her go. At this point, everyone was laughing hysterically except for Pepper.
She was trying to stay pissed, but with Jordan, who was always smiling, it was hard even for her, the Ice Queen. He leaned over and whispered something into her ear that made her jaw drop before he finally released her.
Whatever it was must have
infuriated her because she hauled off and punched him in the stomach, effectively knocking the breath out of him.
Jackson grabbed my hand and dragged me into my room much to my dismay. I was enjoying the show, but it was clear he wanted to make a show of our own. Kicking the door closed behind us, he tossed me on my bed and we did exactly that.
The not-so-dark days…
“You’re going to get crabs or Chlamydia or Gonorrhea or—” Pepper drones on but I slap a hand over her mouth.
“Pep, I use condoms. Chill. You need to get out more. When was the last time you got laid anyway?” I really want to know the answer.
“Ugh, don’t change the subject. I’m serious, I worry about you. Does Dr. Sweeney know that your idea of ‘dating’ really means fucking anything with a penis?” She pops her gum at me.
“No, Pepper. Dr. Sweeney and I don’t get into the specifics. He says he’s proud of me for dating,” I sass back at her.
“Does he know your vag gets more business than a Seven Eleven with buy-one-get-one-free slushies?” She cocks an eyebrow at me.
“That’s just gross. You can’t compare my vag to a convenience store!”
“But it’s so convenient,” she laughs.
I stick my tongue out at her. Pepper the bitch. Pepper, my best friend.
We walked in the next morning holding hands. People weren’t going to know what to think about us. Bray was asking Margie something when he saw us. He took one look at our hands, shook his head, and stormed into his office. Whatever, Bray.
Jackson glared after him. “Asshole,” he muttered under his breath.
“Jackson! That’s enough. You guys need to get along,” I chided him. He mumbled something and walked into his office. Before I could power on the computer, Bray was standing over my desk.
“You ready to go the meeting?” he questioned, no hint of a smile on his face.
“Uh, sure. Let me tell Jackson really quick.”
I stepped into Jackson’s office, and he motioned for me to close the door.