by Jessa York
“I don’t sit down all day. I’m always busy picking up after you little rats and fixing stuff you’ve broken and feeding your sorry selves. You have a maid at home? Yes, and it’s me.” She gestured to herself. He dug in closer to Harper for protection from his mother’s verbal assault.
“Isn’t there school today?” I asked, suddenly remembering it was definitely a school day.
“Is there ever school anymore? Those teachers get so much time off, it’s incredible. What are my tax dollars going to, anyway?” Ah, her built-in daily babysitter got cut off and she was fit to be tied. Poor Audrey, but I bet the teachers were glad for the break. “It’s a ‘professional day.’” She made quotation marks in the air. “Whatever the heck that is. Don’t they need to be professional every day? I don’t get it. But what it means for me is an entire day home with these terrors when I had an appointment this morning that I booked especially because I thought they’d be at school where they belonged.”
Audrey was frustrated, all right. “I’ll take them for a couple of hours while you go. No client meetings today, so they can have the run of the place.” Harper smiled down at her willing captive, kissing him on the cheek. God, his little cheeks were so cute and chubby, I wanted to reach out and pinch them.
“Yeah, let us stay with Auntie Harper.”
“We want to stay here. You go.”
It was unanimous. “Are you sure it’s okay? Dean won’t get mad?” Dean would never get mad having kids around. He loved kids, even challenging ones like Audrey’s. There was no way he’d say a thing about it.
“Dean will be fine. You go so you’re not late,” Harper said, nodding toward the door with her head.
Audrey stood up. “You don’t have to tell me twice. If something happens—when something happens—give me a call and I’ll come back early if I have to.”
Harper laughed. “We’ll be fine. You go.” Without further encouragement, Audrey picked up her purse, warned the boys with the loss of treats if they were any trouble for Harper, and then practically ran out of the office like it was on fire.
A few moments later, Dean sauntered through the doors saying his greetings to everyone. He gave the boys each a dollar telling them to be good for Harper or he’d take it back. They just looked up at him and nodded like he was some kind of superhero.
That money was pretty safe because under no circumstances would Harper ever tattle on them anyway.
“Vivienne, I need to go over a few things. Do you have time?” he asked me. I followed him down to his office.
We walked in. He threw his briefcase on the floor by his desk, not particularly caring where it landed. “So? How are things going with your young man?” he asked as we sat down. He’d been away on business for over a week, so our only communication had been through email and texts. Dean was my friend, but he was also a guy. The last thing he’d ask me was relationship questions over text messages.
I looked down at the floor, unable to control my excitement. “Good. Really good.” He smiled wide at me, all of his perfect white teeth shining in a perfect row.
“That’s great, Vivienne. I’m so happy for you.” Then he stood up, pulling me into him for a great big hug. Dean gave good hugs. He wrapped you up all secure, holding you tight. Then he’d rock back and forth like he really meant it. “But if he dicks you around again, I’ll hunt that bastard down.” There it was—the protective nature coming out.
I giggled at his shocking statement. “Dean, he didn’t dick me around. I was the one who screwed up.”
“And that idiot could have answered his fucking phone instead of acting like a little ten year old girl so you could have explained shit to him.” True enough.
“We worked it out,” was all I said, hoping he’d drop it. Kissing the top of my head, he let me go.
“You deserve nothing but the best. Don’t ever forget that.” He offered up his wisdom. I really hoped that someday, some deserving woman would catch that man’s attention because he had so much to offer. “Now, let’s discuss where you’re going this morning. The Hermans, right? I have a few things to tell you about them that may help.”
As quickly as that, he switched right to business, and much to my relief, didn’t ask me about Jason again.
Later in the day, I got another text from Jason.
Jason: Can you tell me why my fixed car just got delivered home to me?
Panic filled my body. Shit.
Me: A miracle?
Jason: You driving?
Me: Not right now.
Right on cue, my phone rang, causing me to nearly drop the thing. It was like an alarm, reminding me of what I’d done.
“Hi,” I said, hoping he’d be happy his car was working.
“What the fuck did you do?”
Okay, not so happy, I guess. “You need your car. How are you going to work?” I attempted to reason with him as my insides twisted and turned.
“Do you think maybe that was for me to figure out, not you? How much did it cost?” he asked. Man, I wanted to fudge the truth.
“Two grand,” I said as softly as I possibly could, crossing my fingers it sounded better that way.
“Motherfucker,” he said into the phone so loud I had to move my cell away from my head. “I can’t afford that. Why the fuck did you give them the okay to fix it?”
“I paid for it. Don’t worry about it.”
“You don’t pay for me. That’s not why I’m hanging around.”
I dropped my head to the steering wheel. “Don’t you think I know that? I have money. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“I’ll pay you back.”
“You don’t need to pay me back.”
“I’ll pay you back,” he repeated himself into the phone before disconnecting.
Shit.
26
Vivienne
“Now’s not the best time.”
“Now is exactly the best time,” I told him. For the last hour, I’d been doing my level best to convince Jason to come along on my all expense paid trip with me.
“In case you didn’t notice, I live paycheck-to-paycheck. If I don’t work, I don’t get paid. Now’s not the time for me to take days off.”
“It’s all expenses paid. Please? You know I’ll pay for any lost wages. Just think of it—you, me on the beach for five days. No work, no broken cars, no grouchy customers clamoring for our attention. Come on, I haven’t gone away in forever.”
It was true, too. I’d been offered these trips before from a client of ours. Going to an exclusive resort on the coast for almost a week on my own didn’t seem to have much appeal. Picturing Jason on the beach, tanning his six-pack sounded like great idea.
“Maybe next time,” he said into my neck as he kissed that spot I liked so much. His mouth made me shiver. He kept kissing down my chest until I stopped him.
“One sec, hold on,” I said before rushing out of the living room, up the stairs. It seemed Jason needed a bit more convincing.
“Fuck me,” Jason said with a look of lust in his eyes I’d not seen before. I’d taken a few minutes to change into my favorite bikini, darken my makeup a bit, and put my hair up into a messy bun.
“That could be arranged,” I said in the sexiest voice I could conjure up.
“Come here. Are you going swimming?” he asked, wiggling his fingers.
“I could be going swimming for five days straight.” I raised my eyebrows.
“Mmmhmm, I see your game,” he said, grabbing my hand as soon as I was close enough. His body slid a bit more down the couch while he maneuvered my scantily clad body to straddle him.
“We could play games for five days straight.” I arched my back, sticking my cleavage even closer to his face.
“Fuck,” he muttered, still staring at my chest.
“We could do that, too.” My fingers caressed his shoulders while my lower region tried to find a comfortable spot on his lap.
“If you keep rubbing yourself on me, you’
re going to start something.”
I kept rubbing. He burst out laughing. “This resort have surfing?”
“Do you surf?”
“Of course, I do.”
Oh boy, the thought of Jason on his board, all wet…
“You’ll come?”
“I’m guessing I’ll come a few times, yeah.” He snickered, rubbing his hands over my back. “How many of these bikinis do you have?”
“A lot. I have to get them specially made because of the girls,” I said, squeezing my breasts together with my arms for effect.
“Really?”
“Mmmhmm, this sucker alone could hold up the Eiffel Tower.” I reached around my neck, jiggling the straps, which in turn also jiggled my boobs. Jason couldn’t take his eyes off them. He looked ravenously at me, like he couldn’t decide where exactly to start.
“Is there anything you don’t get?” he asked, still transfixed.
“Not much,” I replied with a sneaky smirk. “So, you’ll come on vacation with me?” I asked, bouncing hopefully on his lap.
“Not much choice,” he murmured. “These ties are quite well placed if you think about it,” he said, pulling the strings on each hip, causing the bottoms to unravel.
“I see what you mean,” I said, my breath quickening.
“You wet for me already?” he asked in a low, husky voice.
I nodded, unable to speak because I was drenched now.
“Thank fuck. I’m going to blow my load and I don’t even have your top off yet.”
That dirty talk made my pussy contract, getting even wetter in the process. Moving my hands behind me, I undid my bikini, sliding it slowly down my chest. In the meantime, Jason was busy unzipping his jeans, not taking his stare off me.
His hands ripped my bikini off the rest of the way, throwing it to the floor. He attacked my chest, forcefully pulling a nipple into his mouth. The sensation traveled all the way to my lower belly, creating a delicious ache.
“Oh,” I said as he moved to the other breast, licking and kissing his way over. His tongue swept over my nipple, making me shiver. Not forgetting him, I reached down, pulling his angry cock out. It throbbed in my hand. I stroked him a few times as he thrust into my hand.
My thumb swirled along the tip, wetness already seeping out. With the pad of my finger, I spread it around the entire head as he groaned into my breast. “Up,” he ordered, forcefully lifting my hips up to position his cock underneath me.
I tilted my pelvis as I stretched around him, sinking down, down, down. “Fuck, you are such a cock tease, baby. I love it,” he said. My eyes rolled back at his dirty words. His fingers pinched and rolled my nipples while I whimpered out of control. “Fuck my cock, Vivienne. Yeah, just like that.” His hands held onto my hips, forcing me to go faster than before. It was all too much. “Kiss me.”
My hands dove into his hair as my mouth crashed down onto his. His demanding tongue invaded my mouth, intoxicating me further, as we kissed each other in between panicked breaths. The minty taste of him spurred me on to explore his mouth.
“I love you,” he said, taking a quick breather, staring into my eyes. His hands held back my hair from my sweaty face. “You know that, right?”
Breathless, I replied, “I love you, too.” He surged up farther into me, making me gasp at the surprise. My skin flushed even darker. His eyes held my stare, unwilling to let me go.
“I’ve never felt this way before. You drive me crazy.” Then he resumed moving me up and down on his hot, thick length, his familiar grunts signaling he was close.
He dragged me closer, our bodies working together toward one goal. The shirt he wore created a delicious, rough friction on my bare flesh. His chin rested on my shoulder, and his hot breath blew across my sensitive skin with each frenzied thrust.
It took hold of me first. Unable to keep my fingernails from digging into his back, I let out a raw, savage groan as my walls pulsed around his still hungry cock.
A minute later, his breathing stopped, then became choppy as he emptied himself inside me.
“Why don’t you bring your bike over here before we leave? Keep it in the garage,” I mentioned to him at supper a few days later. It would be a smarter idea to keep it locked up here for safekeeping anyway.
“Nah, it’s good,” he replied, shoving in another bite of creamy pasta. “This sauce is delicious.”
“Thanks, but I’d feel better if you brought it over. I’ll drive you back home when we’re done eating.”
“Can’t do that,” he said, not looking up from his plate.
“Why? It won’t take long.”
“I sold the bike. That’s why.”
My eyes widened at his statement. “What the hell did you do that for?” I asked, throwing my fork down.
He sighed as he stood up, striding to the foyer. Going through his jacket, he found what he was looking for and then pivoted around, walking back to me.
“Here,” he said, chucking an envelope onto the table.
Curious, I picked it up. Money. Goddamn him, the stubborn ass. “No, no, no, no, no…” I repeated, slumped over, head on my arms.
“Your hair is getting in the sauce,” he said. I felt his hands holding my hair.
“Why? Why did you do that? I loved your bike. I told you I don’t need the money back.” I peered at him under my elbow.
“Stop being so fucking dramatic. I needed cash. It was just a bike.”
“Just a bike?” I shook my head, sitting back up in the chair. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“Mmmhmm,” he said, tearing off a piece of garlic bread in the process. “How was your appointment? They have your results back yet?”
Shit. This was something I’d wanted to finesse later. “Yeah.”
“And?”
“And—not good. She said my tubes likely—whatever. The doctor thinks insemination will probably be a waste of time.”
His plate screeched on the table as he pushed it away. “Fuck. I’m sorry, baby.” He grabbed my hand.
Taking a deep breath, I waited a moment to continue. “I’m going to try it anyway,” I said, exhaling. “She also said we need to start using condoms.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m going off my birth control now, so she recommended we use a barrier method.”
He chuckled, pulling his plate back, digging into the pasta. “You think I’m going to start wrapping it up now, after already feeling you?” More laughter. “Not going to happen.”
“I bought a box and you’ll use them or we won’t have sex.”
His fork clattered as he threw his head back, lost in hilarity. Not finding any of this particularly funny, I ignored him, stabbing my food like it was his head.
“I’m glad my fertility issues amuse you so much,” I said, feeling extra pissy.
“That isn’t what I’m laughing at and you know it. The doctor said there’s not much chance of you getting pregnant naturally?”
“Yep.”
“Then what does it matter if I come inside you?”
“Are you deaf? She said, ‘Probably’.” I enunciated slowly for him.
“I’ll take my chances.”
27
Jason
There really was no feeling like gliding over the water on a wave. Just you against nature. The day was so clear, I had difficulty seeing where the sky stopped and the ocean began—just vast sparkling blue everywhere I looked.
The only thing that even came close was being out on my bike. The bike that was now in the possession of some middle-aged moron who would drive it like a ninety-year-old grandma.
Having the money to come here with Vivienne was well worth it. Fuck, just seeing her in nothing but bikinis the last three days made it worth it. I compensated her well enough at night. And the morning. And the afternoon. There was no getting enough of that woman.
Three weeks flashed again in my mind, like a neon sign that wouldn’t let up. Three weeks. Three weeks. It mocked me. Tha
t’s all the time I had left to decide what the hell I was going to do. Give this woman up or begin the journey to starting a family.
My board rose and fell with the oncoming waves. I could see a big one coming in the distance. It took practice as well as a good eye not to miss your chance. If you missed out on a good wave, there was nobody to blame but yourself.
That’s how I felt about my relationship with Vivienne. I saw our potential, rising in the distance, much like that wave. Everything about it looked promising. More importantly, everything about it felt promising.
Was I going to paddle forward and ride it out? Or sit back and watch while someone else rode with her?
“You don’t have to be involved if you don’t want,” she whispered to me while we lay in sated lovers’ bliss. Her skin had a soft sheen of sweat, still smelling like her coconut sunscreen. I had a new appreciation for coconuts.
“Involved in what?” I asked, not understanding what she was talking about.
“A baby. If you just wanted to make one with me, but not be—around—that’s fine, too.”
What the fuck? “Do I seem like the kind of guy who wouldn’t be around?” Honest to God, this woman.
“No, but I just thought I’d put it out there.”
“Yeah, thanks for that. I’ll just put it out there that I’m not the kind of guy who gets a chick pregnant and leaves. Fuck.”
She pushed up on her elbow beside me. “Are you mad?”
“Am I mad that you thought I was the kind of guy who would do that? Yeah. That’s a really shitty thing to peg me as.”
“I was just giving you another option, that’s all,” she said quietly. “Not that it’s going to happen anyway. That doctor wasn’t very optimistic.”
“Come here.” I hugged her back into my body. “Everything will work out for you. Don’t give in to negativity. You’re the most determined person I’ve ever met. If you want something, you’ll find a way to get it.”