John gets up, moves around me and pushes me a bit forward, so he can come and sit behind me. When his back is against the headboard, he pulls me to him. I can feel his shirt touching my back. The sensation of my naked skin against his clothing gives me goose bumps. He brings his mouth to my ear and I can feel his hot breath on my skin when he talks to me.
“Do you think of him when you please yourself, Jolene?”
I shake my head, knowing he’s talking about Lionel.
He bites my earlobe. “I want to hear you say it, Jolene.”
“No, I don’t think of him.”
John takes a hold of my free hand and moves it in the right direction. With his hand on top of mine, he steers it over my belly. My fingers glide over my mound, between my wet lips.
“Who do you think about then?”
“You.”
That answer makes John growl. Which makes his chest vibrate against my naked back.
“Can you feel how turned on I am, Jolene?”
“Yes,” I moan.
He plays with my hands, makes my fingers go faster, circling around my clit. The sensations become too much, the vibrator deep inside me, my hands guided by him, his presence, his voice... and that’s when it happens.
It feels like the fireworks on the Fourth of July, exploding deep inside my belly. The most powerful orgasm I have ever felt washes over me. Wave, after wave, after wave, rushes over me and I fall against John. Once I start to come down from my orgasm, John slowly lifts me up, gets out of the bed and lays me down. He removes the vibrator and puts it back on the nightstand He kisses me on my forehead and whispers, “Sleep tight, Jolene.”
I don’t think sleep will be a problem anymore. My entire body feels satisfied. All the tension of today seems forgotten. Very quietly, John leaves the room. When I hear him close the door, my head falls onto the pillow and sleep comes immediately.
7
John
What the hell just happened?
I’m standing in the hallway, right outside of Jolene’s room. With my back against her door, I drop my head back. This was not what I had planned at all. But as soon as I found that vibrator under her sheets and saw that look on her face... I was a lost cause.
And then she had to go and tell me her loser ex-boyfriend couldn’t make her come? That was a challenge I couldn’t back away from. It’s like holding a red flag in front of a bull. Everybody knows I never back away from a challenge.
I walk to my room, the only thing that can help me now is a long, cold shower. I can still smell her on my skin, still remember every inch of her. The way she let me lead her hand. The only thing that would have been better, was if it had been my own hand on her skin. But I’m not entirely sure that would have been a good idea, so I refrained.
I close my eyes and think about her naked. How her breasts moved up and down with each of her heavy breaths. The soft moans she made when she came, will play on repeat through my ears for days to come. I had trouble being in the same room with her today, so I don’t even know how that will go tomorrow.
It’s like I only now realized what I’ve done, and I can only hope that we can find a way to deal with this. No one can find out because that would be a disaster. Nevertheless, I know I want more. But next time we get together, it won’t be the vibrator who gives her pleasure.
After showering, I get ready for bed. The entire night I toss and turn. Every time I close my eyes, I hear her soft moans; I see her face and that heavenly body of hers. In the wee hours of the morning, I finally fall asleep.
JOLENE WALKS INTO THE dining room. She’s wearing a short, red sundress. The fabric dances around her with every step she takes. It accentuates her boobs perfectly, and every pair of eyes in the entire room is on her. The men look because it’s just impossible not to. She has this pull about her. And the women look at her because they know that she attracts all the attention of the men.
When she finally gets to the table that’s reserved for our band and our entourage, I get the full effect. She looked nice from afar, but with her this close to me, images of what she looked like yesterday come back to me.
Naked. On her bed. Pleasuring herself with a vibrator.
She’s wearing hot red lipstick that draws my gaze to her full lips. I can only imagine what those lips are capable of. The expression on her face when I found that vibrator last night, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl blush that hard. And when I held it up in the air, she started jumping, trying to take it from me. What she didn’t realize was that every time she jumped, her breasts were pushed against me. Not that I would ever complain about that.
Jolene takes a seat right in front of me and gives me a small nod to acknowledge that she’s seen me, but I don’t even get a good morning from her. I think someone is in a bit of a mood this morning. Which makes me smile, because I’m one of those people that no matter how late things get the night before, I always wake up early and happy. Just to tease her a bit, I make my morning greeting to her extra cheerful.
“Good morning, sunshine.”
A blush appears on her cheeks, probably thinking about last night.
“How was Carlos this morning?” I whisper so only she can hear me.
She narrows her eyes at me.
“Oh my God, I knew you would be this way,” she bites. She looks around her. “Don’t tell my brother, he doesn’t need to know any of this.”
Jolene gets up and walks to the buffet. If she thinks she can get rid of me that fast, she’s wrong. She clearly doesn’t know me that well yet. I follow her to the buffet, take a plate and start adding food on it.
Jolene seems to be putting a lot of thought into the different types of eggs that are available, but I know that she’s only doing this so she doesn’t need to return to the table and sit with me. But if she thinks I’m going to let her off this easy, then she’s got another thing coming. She’ll find out that I don’t back away from a challenge. Ever. Especially not one that looks as good as her.
I stand behind her and bend forward to grab a piece of toast. When my mouth gets to her ear, I whisper, “Do you prefer them hard... or soft-boiled?”
Her cheeks turn this lovely red again. I snicker when I realize how much fun I’m going to have teasing her during the time she’s going to stay with us. Without waiting for her response, I take the toast and walk back to our table.
Not long after me, Jolene sits back down at the table. She still tries to ignore me. I’m just about to talk to her when Camille walks in.
“Hi, Jolene,” she says cheerfully. “Did you sleep well?”
When she hears me laugh, Jolene turns toward me, giving me an angry look. After she narrows her eyes at me, she looks back at Camille.
“It wasn’t that bad.”
Camille sits down next to her with a cup of coffee. “Jolene, you should join me and Karen tonight. We’re going to the club.”
Jolene’s eyes begin to sparkle.
“Really?” she asks surprised.
Camille smiles. “Of course, I wouldn’t ask you otherwise.”
“I would love to. Tell me where and when, and I’ll be there.”
“I’ll pick you up at your room tonight at seven. We’ll grab a bite to eat before heading to the club. Jonathan is babysitting Vincent and Maxim, so you can be sure we’ll have a good time.”
I moan out load which gets me angry looks from both Jolene and Camille.
“What are you grumping about?” asks Camille cheerfully.
“Three ladies out there alone, that’s a disaster in the making.”
Camille looks at me with mischief in her eyes.
“Like that one time you and Jonathan went to test ride a motorcycle, and you lost the keys after you went for a drink? You think we’re going to do something like that?”
This time it’s Jolene’s turn to laugh, and Camille looks at me with a grin. Apparently, Sticks can’t keep his damn mouth shut, because he’s the only one who knows about that.
Camille looks at her watch.
“I’ve got to go. See you tonight, Jolene?”
“Absolutely.”
REHEARSAL WENT WELL today. I don’t think anyone noticed that my mind was preoccupied. No matter how hard I tried, I kept thinking about Jolene. Why on earth did I do that with her last night? If Max ever finds out, he’ll never talk to me again.
As I put my guitar in its case, Max approaches me.
“You seemed kind of distracted earlier. Are you okay?”
Fuck! And here I was thinking nobody noticed.
Why am I not surprised? We’ve been best friends for years and he knows me through and through. Of course, he noticed.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I didn’t sleep that well last night.”
He smiles brightly at me.
“Who’s the lucky lady?”
“What?”
“Well, the only reason you ever don’t sleep well is because of a girl, so who is she?”
I can only hope he never finds out it is his sister that’s been filling my dreams.
“She was phenomenal.”
He slaps me on the back and laughs.
“What do you think, shall we go out tonight?”
“That sounds like a great idea.”
8
Jolene
I put on my favorite perfume. I turn around and have a look at myself in the mirror. Well, if this dress isn’t going to work, then nothing is. The little black number is one I bought this afternoon in one of the local shops. After Camille invited me for some clubbing tonight, I knew I needed a new dress. Let’s just say, this dress leaves very little to the imagination. My ass is barely covered with a tiny piece of fabric and my boobs look amazing. Exactly the way I like it.
I drew up a plan in my head. After what happened last night with John, I started thinking. It is not a good idea to ever go there again. Despite the fact that I like him, he’s a part of Full Moon and he’s my brother’s best friend. So, there’s no way this could ever work. And since I’ll be staying here for the rest of the summer, I decided it’s best to find another willing candidate.
Even though I was the one who made myself come yesterday, it was John’s presence that made sure I could. So, if John could do it, then there have to be other men who could do the same. So tonight, it’s only a matter of finding the right man. And I have the whole summer to test a few of them out.
I lean forward in the mirror and put on a coat of red lip-gloss. Tonight, I’m going to score a man, who doesn’t know me and gives me what I want. No emotions, no strings attached. That’s the plan. After the awkward breakfast with John this morning, I know it’s best to erase the memory of me and him, and the best way to do that is to find another man.
I’m so happy Camille and her friend Karen invited me to go with them. Ever since I got here, I’ve been feeling like the third wheel. Everyone in the band has his place, and it feels like I don’t belong anywhere. I try to help where I can, but despite that, I still feel lonely. I miss my friends and our shopping trips. I’m not ready to talk with Max about our situation, and where to go from here. We’ll get to that when the time is right.
What I hate is the way people look at me. I’m sick and tired of people treating me like I might shatter at any second. I’m not fragile, so I wish people would stop treating me like that.
So tonight, that’s going to stop. I’m a grown woman and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself. And this ladies’ night is exactly what I need. I’m going to have the most fun ever. When I hear a knock on the door, I run toward it. Camille and Karen are standing in the hallway, and judging by their looks, they’re as excited for tonight as I am.
“You look amazing, Jolene,” says Karen.
“You girls look fabulous as well.” I laugh.
They both beam with pride. Camille turns around in a circle. “Look, I can fit in my skinny jeans from before my pregnancy again.”
“That means it’s time to party,” Karen says. “Are you ready to roll?”
“I only need to put on some shoes and then I’ll be ready.”
I run to the bathroom where I left my black pumps. I put them on, take my purse off the table and put on my coat.
“I’m all set, ladies! Let’s go.”
CAMILLE PARKS THE CAR and we follow her into the restaurant. The waiter takes us to our table. Once the three of us are seated, the waiter takes our drinks order and hands us some menus. Camille and Karen order a glass of champagne. I like the sound of that, so I order one too.
“This calls for a toast,” says Camille when our drinks arrive.
“To the best wedding in the world,” Karen says cheerfully.
We toast and I take my first sip. The champagne tastes sweet and before I know it, I’ve emptied my glass. While we wait for our food to arrive, Camille tells us about her wedding plans.
“You guys have no idea how stressful planning a wedding is. I’m worried about the silliest little things. Like what color should the invitation be, what wedding dress do I want, what should Maxim and Vincent wear, what about the flowers... the only thing Jonathan cares about is the color of my lingerie and where we’ll go on our honeymoon.”
Me and Karen laugh. “Typical man.”
Camille shrugs. “I guess so, but believe it or not, I’ll be glad to put this wedding behind us. Jonathan will be my husband, and I don’t have to deal with all the other stuff.”
Karen squeezes Camille’s hand reassuringly. “He couldn’t have wished for a better wife.”
It’s obvious Karen and Camille have a tight bond. It makes me realize how much I miss my friends. We have the same kind of connection. I can always call on them for help. No matter how difficult it is for me to be at my childhood home, I really miss my friends when I’m not with them. Maybe I need to get a grip and start looking for a job because I will need one when I get back home.
THE THREE OF US WALK into the club. After a lovely dinner, we decided to go out and dance. This is exactly what I need, after a long period of grieving, I’m ready to relax and enjoy myself again.
It’s clear Camille and Karen come here often because they walk straight toward the end of the bar.
“Look what the cat dragged in,” the bartender welcomes them. He comes around the bar to hug Camille and then Karen. “What have you been up to, darlings?”
“We missed you too, Ken,” Karen answers him cheerfully.
Ken then looks at me. He lets his eyes wander over me shamelessly. His gaze lingers at my breasts a little too long, and then he looks me in the eye, grinning.
A warm feeling flows through my entire body. One thing is clear, if Ken likes what he sees, there must be someone here tonight who’s willing to go out with me. Or at least someone who will relieve me of the sexual tension buzzing through me. I feel like I’m about to burst, and I’m determined to end that tonight.
“And who’s this beauty?”
I extend my hand to him. “I’m Jolene.”
Like a gentleman, he takes my hand and brings it to his mouth. He kisses my hand.
“Nice to meet you, beautiful.”
I can feel my cheeks heat up. After the situation with John last night, I’m enjoying the attention I’m getting from Ken. The approval in his gaze does more to me than it should. He releases my hand and returns behind the bar.
“What can I get you, lovely ladies?”
We order our drinks and I have a look at the people on the dance floor. The beat of the music makes my heart pound faster. There are already a lot of people dancing, oblivious to the world around them. I wish I could be like that, just be myself, without thinking about what others think. Tonight, that’s exactly what I’ll try to do.
WE’VE BEEN DANCING for over an hour already. We all have had our share of alcohol and begin to feel more relaxed.
“You know, Jonathan was scared to death tonight.” Camille giggles. “Tonight’s the first time he’s alone with both Maxim and Vincent. Can you imagine, a tough gu
y like Jonathan, almost pees his pants because he has to take care of his own children?”
Karen cracks a smile. “I wish I could have seen his face when he had to change Vincent’s diaper for the first time.”
Camille barely suppresses a yawn. “I don’t know about you girls, but I’m exhausted. I think it’s time for me to go home.”
Karen jumps from the chair she was sitting on, making it clear she’s ready to leave as well. I don’t blame her. She wants to go and be with Mike. And Camille wants to go home to Jonathan. I understand that they want to be with their partners; I remember what it felt like to go home to someone who loves you. Or at least I thought Lionel did. That only makes me remember why I’m here, and I’m not ready to give up yet. I’m determined to find myself a man tonight.
“I think I’ll stay a little longer.”
Both Karen and Camille look at me with a strange look on their faces.
“How will you get back to the hotel?” asks Camille.
“Hey, I’m a big girl,” I reassure her. “I’ll call a cab or an Uber.”
Karen and Camille exchange a look but decide to it’s okay to leave me here.
Camille steps in front of me. “I’m happy I got to know you better, Jolene. You have to come to the wedding.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
After one final hug for Karen and Camille, they head for the exit together. I watch them until they’re both out of sight. Finally, it’s time to bring my plan into motion. First, I need a bit more courage. I head to the bar and order a cocktail. I finish it in a few gulps and then go to the dance floor.
Say You Desire Me (Full Moon, #3) Page 5