The ride over was short. It seemed like they’d made it to the daycare center in the no time at all. They had easy conversation. Vicky pointed the center out to Jason and he pulled into the parking lot. The daycare wasn’t in the best part of town but it wasn’t in the worst either. Vicky hated that the ride was over so quickly and wished she had a few more minutes with him. After he’d pulled up to the door Vicky started to get out of the car “Thank you so much for the ride. You don’t know how much I appreciate it. You’ll have to let me pay the favor back the next time you’re in town. Have a safe flight home”. Jason didn’t want her to leave but was so tongue tied he didn’t know what to say. Vicky gave him an amazing smile then got out of the car and ran towards the daycare center. Jason realized he didn’t even get her name. He finally got a coherent thought together, rolled his windows down, and yelled after her “Hey wait…what’s your name?”. Vicky turned around and yelled back “It’s Vicky. Vicky Martin” then ran inside the building.
Chapter 4
Jason sat there for a minute letting her name run off his tongue. Vicky Martin. It felt good. He wished he had more time to explore whatever this crazy connection was between them. He felt it and he was sure she felt it too. As the rain continued to thunder down onto the windshield it struck him that Vicky would need to take the bus home with a three year old. Wouldn’t it be ungentlemanly of him to let her take the bus in this rain? He just couldn’t let her do that. At least that is what he kept telling himself. His cell phone tinged to let him know he had a text message. The message read “American Airlines Flight 1202 delayed due to weather”. Jason felt like he’d just hit the jack-pot. It seemed like someone upstairs was looking out for him. This was working out perfectly and maybe he could steal just a little bit more time with her.
Ten minutes later Vicky emerged from the daycare center carrying her daughter. They were standing underneath the ledge so they were dry for now. Jason grabbed his umbrella from the back seat and got out of the car. Jason ran over to them. He had to yell above the wind and rain to get their attention. “My flight was delayed so can I give you and your daughter a ride home”. Vicky looked surprised to see him. She thought he had already left to catch his flight. It would be so nice to let him take them home. The car was warm and dry. Not to mention they would be home a whole hour and a half earlier than usual. “Jason, thank you for offering but the bus stop is just over there and it will be here in about 30 minutes”. Vicky might have been careless letting him drive her to the daycare center but she wouldn’t do it with Angel. Jason saw the look of uncertainty on her face and thought of an idea to reassure her “Look, I would feel awful knowing I let you and Angel out in this. I have an idea. Do you know Franklin Roth?”. Vicky nodded, “Of course, he’s the CFO of the company”. Jason didn’t understand how she was aware of Franklin’s identity but unaware of his? But, he was still grateful she didn’t. Before Vicky could ask Jason why he wanted to know he pulled out his cell phone and starting dialing Franklin’s number “He’ll vouch for me that I’m a decent and upstanding guy. Hey Franklin it’s….JK. I’m here with Vicky Martin. She works at CkR and is in need of a ride home. She’s a little nervous about allowing me to give her and her daughter a ride. Can you vouch for me?”. Jason nervously coughed and went on “Just vouch that she and her daughter would be safe with me, you know JK. Sorry, I mean give her my real name, Jay Kincaid”. Of course Franklin thought this was strange, “Jason what are you up to and nobody’s called you JK since college. What’s going on? Are you losing your mind?”. “I’m putting her on the phone now”. Jason handed the phone over to Vicky and she took it with a little hesitation “Hello, Mr. Roth..”. Franklin didn’t know what Jason was up to but decided to play along until Jason could get a chance to explain it to him. “Hello Ms. Martin. I’m vouching for uh Jay Kincaid’s character. It is unimpeachable. Both you and your daughter will be very safe in his care”. “Thank you Mr. Roth that is very nice to know” then Vicky handed the phone back to Jason. “Thanks Franklin I’ll call you later to talk about those sales numbers”. With a sigh, Franklin grunted “you better”. Jason waited for Vicky to give him the ok. She gave him the nod he’d hoped for and walked them to the car. He helped secure Angel into the back seat. He was so thankful it had a car seat. “Thank you so much for going out of your way to take us home. It’s great being able to shave an hour and a half off of our commute time”. The smile that Vicky gave Jason made him feel as though he’d just solved world hunger or something like it. “My flight was delayed so I would have been sitting around in an uncomfortable airport waiting. You guys are actually doing me the favor really.”. “Well, thank you all the same”. Jason was the first person in a long time that seemed to show real concern for her and Angel.
Vicky’s earlier hesitation about giving Jason her address wasn’t just because of their safety but also because she was attracted to him. She was slightly embarrassed about him seeing her neighborhood and her home. She lived on the other side of the town. The side from all appearances people like him most likely never travelled. Vicky may not know a lot about Jason but she knew he was wearing an expensive watch, shoes and raincoat. Not to mention his rental car was a Mercedes Benz and if he knew Mr. Roth, then he was obviously someone high up at CkR International. He may be even as high as Joshua Jones. She didn’t want him to look down on her. What was she thinking? First, she would probably never cross paths with him again and secondly, he most likely just felt sorry for her and genuinely wanted to give her a ride home. She didn’t stand a chance with someone like him being attracted to her any way. So, what would it matter if he saw her neighborhood or her home?
On the ride over to Vicky’s Jason put on some music and turned to an old jazz station. That was a great distraction from all of the silly thoughts going on in her head. Nancy Wilson’s “Tell Me the Truth” was playing. Vicky loved jazz and she loved Nancy Wilson. “So you like Nancy Wilson huh?”. Vicky looked at him to answer his question and immediately felt that sizzle that she’d felt earlier when they were in the elevator. She couldn’t hold his gaze and she didn’t trust her voice so she just nodded. A moment or two later when she’d gathered her composure she whispered the chorus ‘Tell Me the Truth Do You Plan to Hurt Me Now’. “I really love this song”. Jason was so focused on Vicky that he was not paying close enough attention to the road and hit a huge pothole. It jarred the car enough for Vicky to have to hold onto the armrest. His first reaction was to look into his rearview mirror and make sure Angel was ok while at the same time reaching out a hand as if blocking Vicky from lurching forward “Sorry, are you ok?”. Feeling like a giddy teenager Vicky nodded yes. That simple gesture, that one simple act Vicky thought could make her fall in love with him.
It was a short drive over to Vicky’s apartment and by the time they arrived she’d made the decision to not let him come up to her apartment. Jason was dangerous. Although Vicky had just met him she was feeling emotions she’d never felt before. She needed to end this attraction or whatever this connection was with him once and for all before it got out of control. Men like him didn’t want women like her. Well, they did but usually for one thing only. Jason found a parking space in front of the address she’d given him. Vicky was all set to tell him thanks for the ride and have a safe flight back to wherever he was going. When Jason moved to get out of the car Vicky touched his arm “Thank you for bringing us home safely. You don’t need to come up. I can take it from here”. Jason tried to hide his disappointment and his uneasiness as he looked around the neighborhood. Anxiety was written all over his face. “Please let me walk you and Angel to the door and I’ll leave once I know the two of you are tucked in safely. Is that ok?”. Against her better judgment it was like Vicky couldn’t say no. Reluctantly, she nodded and went to pick up a sleeping Angel. The three of them made their way up the stairs to Vicky’s apartment. Vicky wouldn’t let Jason help her with any of the stuff she was carrying. By the time they made it to Vicky’s door she was struggli
ng trying to hold onto a sleeping Angel, Angel’s bag, and her bags while trying to locate her keys at the bottom of her purse. Jason offered to help. “Can I help you hold something? I can even hold Angel if you like. She’ll be alright with you standing right here next to me.”. While smiling devilishly he reached for Angel “Did I mention that Mr. Roth said I had unimpeachable character?”. Vicky hesitantly handed her over to him. Angel wrapped her little arms around Jason’s neck as if it was the most natural thing in the world. For a moment Vicky couldn’t breathe. She just took in the scene. Was this real or was she like a thirsty woman who had been in the desert way to long? Jason thought Angel smelled like a little girl should. She smelled like cinnamon and spice. Her skin on his neck was so soft and when she breathed it tickled his neck. Vicky quickly found her keys and opened the door before she fell apart right in front of him watching him hold her daughter like a real dad. He had no idea what that entire moment did to her. As they walked through the door and she went to flip on the light switch nothing happened. There was nothing but darkness. Vicky switched the light switch up and down again and again “No, no, no. This cannot be happening. I told them I’d make the payment this coming Monday”. The power had been turned off. The offices were closed so she couldn’t even go make the payment until Monday. No power for the entire weekend. Vicky had never been more embarrassed in her life. It wasn’t as if she’d never had the power turned off before but to have it done in front of JK was probably the most humiliating thing that could have happened. At that moment, she wished she could have fallen through any crack in the floor. Jason walked in behind her and closed the door behind them. Apart from the outside lights it was pretty dark in the apartment. With her back to him and slumped shoulders Vicky put all of her bags down and just looked defeated. That was the look he’d seen when they’d met in the elevator earlier. Jason could see the heavy burdens that Vicky carried. Her smile as fleeting as they were made him feel incredible and he wanted to make her smile again. So, when she finally turned around to take Angel from him he side stepped her “Please just tell me where and I’ll lay her wherever you want”. Vicky motioned for him to lay her on her shabby couch. Jason tenderly laid Angel down onto the couch while she blissfully continued to sleep. Jason’s desire to pull Vicky into his arms and tell her he’d take care of everything overwhelmed him. He had to force himself to keep his arms to himself. Jason knew this was embarrassing for her so he tried to make it seem as though this was no big deal. Vicky couldn’t even meet his eyes “Look Jason, thank you for giving Angel and me a ride home but as you can see tonight’s not a good night to entertain”. Jason took his finger and gently tipped her chin up to meet his eyes “Do you have candles? I’m starving. We could order pizza? Otherwise, you are sending me out into that weather to an airport on an empty stomach”. She could get lost in his eyes. They oozed warmth and safety. Before she couldn’t hold his gaze this time she couldn’t turn away “I….I usually keep candles for emergencies”. Jason used his other hand to push a stray piece of hair behind her ear, “Great. What’s the name of the best pizza place around here? You can set up the candles and I’ll order the pizza”. There were moments of silence but it wasn’t awkward as they got things ready. It was an easy silence of two people working together for a common goal. Vicky went through the tiny apartment lighting candles and making a faux picnic in the center of the living room floor while Jason ordered the pizza. Forty-five minutes later Vicky and Jason were sitting on her living room floor next to the couch that Angel was sleeping on eating pizza to candlelight. For what started out as the most humiliating moment of her life was quickly turning into the best night of her life. Once they were settled Jason spoke first “Angel is a mini-version of you. She’s quite beautiful”. Vicky stopped mid bite and suddenly felt both proud and shy. She wasn’t used to compliments “Thank you”. Guys hit on her all the time but usually it was in some vulgar way. Jason tried to be casual about asking Vicky about her dating status. He said the first thing that popped into his head “Where’s her father?”. He bungled it. He could tell by the way she blanched at the question. It wasn’t like he was twenty one year’s old. Yet, tonight he felt like it. He’d never been more tongue tied around a woman in his life. He seemed to be saying all the wrong things. “You don’t have to answer that question. I was just clumsily trying to ask if you’re still seeing her father”. Vicky was so nervous she couldn’t take another bite. Was he really interested in her? On top of that she hadn’t talked about Angel’s father in almost four years. However, Jason didn’t feel like a stranger. She felt like she could talk to him. “No. I am not still seeing her father. As a matter of fact, Angel has never even met him. When I told him I was pregnant he wanted me to have an abortion. I couldn’t do that. My mother died when I was twelve. I had an aunt that I lived with for a couple of years until her boyfriends started looking at me like a woman instead of a child. That’s when she sent me to foster care. I went to about 4 families until I aged out of the system. Angel was my first real connection to family since my mother died. There was no way I could abort her. I’d hoped that he would change his mind once she was born but that didn’t happen. He broke up with me and I didn’t find out the real reason until I went into labor. I’d called to let him know that I was having the baby and his wife answered his cell phone. Come to find out he had been married for eight years. I was just one of his many girls on the side”. Vicky whispered the last part, “I haven’t really dated anyone since”. Jason scooted over and put his arm around her shoulders wanting to just give her comfort. “I’ve known you for just a few hours and I can already see that you are an incredible mother, and that you’re warm and giving. Angel’s father took advantage of your feelings for him and he sounds like a first class ass. He’s the one missing out on watching his beautiful daughter grow up and having you in his life”. Jason hesitated for a minute before asking “Do you still love him?”. He just couldn’t help but ask the last question. He needed to know. It wasn’t until Vicky said “No” Jason could breathe again. “No. I don’t think I ever did love him. He offered me comfort and safety things I’d never really had. I mistook those emotions for love. I’m older and hopefully a lot wiser so I hope I don’t make those same mistakes again.” When Jason looked into those beautiful brown eyes she was staring back at him with such honesty and vulnerability that Jason had to kiss her. His heart was beating so fast. He slowly leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips. He hadn’t planned on kissing her but it felt so….right. Her lips were soft and sweet. Jason felt suspended in air. The kiss felt so good. He could kiss her forever. Time stood still for both of them. She leaned into him as he pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. It was like they didn’t have any control over what was happening between them. She wrapped her arms around his neck. Once she did that he pulled her so that she sat on top of his lap. Then she wrapped her legs around his waist. They were chest to chest. He could feel her nipples harden under the thin shirt she wore. His hands moved down her arms and brushed against the sides of her breasts. Vicky moaned. Her moan caused Jason to become so hard he thought he’d burst out of his slacks. No woman had ever made him want to come from just a kiss. Vicky felt his manhood jerk underneath her. If they were naked he would have easily been able to just slide right up inside of her. She did her best not to rock against him but he felt so good. Jason started kissing the sides of her face until he reached the sweet spot on her neck. She adjusted to give him better access. Vicky suddenly felt coolness on her breasts. Somehow Jason had managed to undo her blouse and unhook her bra. Thank goodness it hooked from the front. Then, Jason’s lips travelled down her chest until he reached her breasts. He rained kisses down on one of her nipples before he licked the soft tight bud while gently messaging her other one. Vicky was purring like a kitten. She was so hot she wanted to rip off their clothes and feel their bodies skin to skin. She had to settle for holding onto his shoulders. It had been so long since she allowed someone to touch her in this way. When Jason
engulfed her entire nipple into his mouth her inner walls clenched and pulsed. She couldn’t help but rock against him. He sucked her nipple as if he was dying of thirst and it was his only source of water. Then he did the same to the other one. If he touched her in that secret place he would know exactly how dripping wet she was for him. His hands appeared to be headed in that direction. Vicky felt a tug on her jeans. They’d lost all sense of time and space. “Mommy” they both jumped as if touching something scorching hot when they heard that a little voice call out to Vicky. Angel was waking up.
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