Taking Her Place

by Jean-Luc Cheri

  I reluctantly lifted the glass and brought it to my lips, taking a small sip. The alcohol was strong and not very pleasant tasting, but I resisted making a face.

  “How is it?” Alex asked.

  “It’s good, thanks.”

  “So you’re enjoying your hotel room?”

  “It’s very beautiful.”

  “What floor is it on?”

  “Sixth, why?”

  “Well, if you really want to see a luxurious room, you should see one of the penthouse suites here. They’re incredible.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes. Four bedrooms, four baths, views of both the ocean and the city. It has its own private pool and hot tub. Well worth the two-thousand-per-night cost.”

  My eyes widened. “Two-thousand dollars?”

  He nodded. “It’s even better than the best rooms in Vegas. It’s the only place I stay when I come to Miami.”

  “You’re staying in one of the penthouse suites?”

  He smiled. “Of course. Like I said, I’m friends with the owner.”

  “It sounds amazing.”

  “It is.” After a small pause, he added, “Would you like to see it?”

  “What?”

  He chuckled. “I don’t mind. You can come up and check it out. You’re going to love it. It has a private elevator too.”

  “You want me to come up to your room?”

  His eyes met mine. “Yes, I want that very much.”

  “Um, I don’t think–”

  “You’re already dressed for the pool and hot tub. We’ll have a good time.” His eyes traveled down over my body, lingering at my breasts before moving lower.

  I couldn’t believe it. This guy who looked like my grandfather was coming onto me?

  I shook my head. “I can’t.”

  He smiled and leaned closer. “Come on, we’ll have fun. And I have lots of booze up there. I promise not to card you.” He chuckled.

  “Thanks, but I really can’t.”

  His eyes met mine again. When he spoke, his voice was low. “Beth, if it’s my age you’re worried about, don’t. I’ve got one of the biggest cocks you’ve ever seen, and a medicine cabinet full of Viagra. I promise to fuck your tight teenage pussy all night until you beg me to stop.”

  I stared at him in shock, my eyes wide.

  His smile widened. “What do you say, sweetie? Want to see how the other half lives?”

  I shook my head. “No.”

  He rested his hand on my bare thigh. “I’ve got drugs too. Anything you want. Uppers. Downers. Grass. Cocaine.”

  “No,” I repeated.

  His hand began to slide up my leg towards my crotch, and I quickly placed mine over it, preventing him from getting closer.

  “Stop it!” I whispered urgently.

  “Come on, baby. Lighten up. I just want to have a little fun.”

  “Get your hand off me.”

  “Is this how you thank me for buying you a drink? You’re being ungrateful.”

  “I didn’t even want the drink. I told you that.”

  “Girls your age don’t know what they want. I promise that once I get my cock inside of you, you’ll never want me to take it out.”

  I felt my anger rising. “Get your fucking hand off me.”

  He glared down at me. “Don’t be a bitch.”

  “I wouldn’t be a bitch if you weren’t such an asshole. I was being nice to you because you reminded me of my grandfather. Fucking you is the last thing I want to do, and you having a penthouse suite with a hot tub is never going to change that.”

  He stared at me with angry eyes as his lips turned down into a deep frown. “Fucking cunt.”

  “Fuck you. Either get your fucking hand off me right now, or I’m going to scream.”

  He continued to glare at me, and I inhaled, preparing to carry through with my threat. But then a soft voice interrupted us.

  “Alex.”

  We both looked up to see Raul the bartender standing in front of us.

  “That’s enough,” Raul said softly. “I’ve warned you about this before. The girl said no. Let her go.”

  Alex pulled his hand from my leg.

  “Thank you,” Raul said, keeping his voice even.

  “I’m friends with Martin,” Alex said, staring at the bartender.

  Raul seemed unimpressed. “Want to know a secret? Martin doesn’t like you that much. He’s told me so. And I have friends too. Friends who’ll beat you within an inch of your life if I ask them to. So you need to calm the fuck down.”

  Alex frowned, but remained silent.

  “Look,” Raul continued, “I don’t give a shit if you need to fuck girls young enough to be your granddaughter for you to get it up. If they’re willing, that’s between you and them. But you need to understand that when a girl says no, that’s the end of it. Next time it happens, I’m calling the police. You got that?”

  Alex didn’t reply.

  “I said, do you got that?”

  “Yes,” Alex replied begrudgingly.

  “Good. You’re done for the day. Get lost.”

  “But I–”

  “I said you’re done. Go.”

  Alex gave me one last seething look, then stormed off, heading into the hotel. I watched him go, then turned back to Raul.

  “Thanks,” I said softly.

  He gave me a smile. “No problem. The guy’s an asshole. I’m going to talk to Martin and let him know what happened here. Hopefully, he’ll decide to throw this jerk out on his ass.”

  “You’re a good guy, Raul.”

  He gave me a wink. “I do my best. Have a good day, miss.”

  “You too, Raul.”

  Chapter 34

  Back in the room, I took another shower. This time, I wasn’t washing off the sand and sunscreen, but instead the memories of that jerk’s touch on my skin. I closed my eyes as the hot water flowed over my naked body, wondering if what’d happened at the bar had been a dream. Or, more precisely, a nightmare.

  After drying off, I lay naked on the bed watching television, trying to get my mind off my encounter with Alex. I finally decided I wasn’t going to let it ruin my evening with Julian. I hadn’t done anything wrong, so why should I let it bother me? And while Alex had been an asshole, if it hadn’t been for him, I wouldn’t have met someone as nice as Raul. So it all evened out in the end.

  I didn’t want to be naked when Julian got back, but I didn’t want to put on the nice dress I’d brought either, so I put on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt for now.

  Fifteen minutes later, the door opened and Julian came in, and I sat up on the edge of the bed, smiling.

  “Hey, sexy,” he said. “Whew, that was a long day. I missed you.”

  I got up and moved to him, pressing my body against his as he took me into his arms. We kissed, and all my troubles seemed to melt away as I felt his strong body against mine.

  When our kiss ended, he lifted his head and look down at me. “How was your day?”

  “Lonely,” I said, then hugged him. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to tell him about Alex.

  “I’m going to take a shower,” he said, “then we’ll relax a little before we go down to the restaurant and have dinner.”

  “Sounds perfect,” I said, hugging him tighter.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, now that you’re here.”

  He placed his hands on my shoulders and held me away from him, examining my face.

  “Is something wrong?” he said.

  “I’m fine. Just happy to be held by you, that’s all.”

  He smiled. “Be right back.”

  “I’ll be waiting.”

  He went into the bathroom and closed the door, and I got back on the bed, watching TV. The shower came on, and I thought about going in and joining him, but decided I’d rather wait for the main event, which I hoped was happening later tonight.

  Ten minutes later he came back out of the bathroom, freshly washed and sha
ved and wearing a towel around his waist. He joined me on the bed, lying back on the propped-up pillows as I snuggled against his side. Finally, I was where I wanted to be.

  “How was the meeting?” I asked.

  “It was long, but interesting. They’re restructuring the company, and the good news is that I’m going to have a bigger role in it.”

  “That’s great!” I said, smiling up at him. “Is there any bad news?”

  “Possibly.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re expanding into several other cities, and they’re thinking about having me run one of the offices.”

  I smiled. “That’s good news.”

  “It would mean I’d have to move.”

  I looked up at him. “Move where?”

  “Not sure. That’s yet to be decided.”

  “I guess that’s a lot of responsibility.”

  “It’s not that. I can handle the responsibility. It’s just that…” He looked down at me. “It’s… well, we can talk about it.”

  “I’m proud of you.”

  “Thanks.”

  I traced my fingers through the hair on his chest, and followed it down over his stomach. When I tugged on the towel where it was tucked in, it came loose, and I pulled the sides apart, revealing his flaccid cock. It was lying against his thigh, looking large even in repose. I ran my fingertip lightly over it, causing it to twitch.

  I giggled softly.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “Teasing you.”

  “Just teasing? With no intent to carry through?”

  “Nope, just teasing.” I touched him again, causing another twitch.

  “Like I said before, you’re mean.”

  I laughed. “I learned from the master.”

  “Who would that be?”

  “You. The king of tease.”

  He smiled and rested his hand on my bare thigh. For a moment, I had a flashback to Alex. It was fleeting, but Julian noticed.

  “What was that?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “That look on your face.”

  “What look?”

  “The one that seemed like you were upset because I touched you.”

  I quickly shook my head. “No, that’s not true.”

  He looked at me intently. “Beth? What’s going on?”

  I realized I had no choice now. I had to tell him the truth, or he was going to think I didn’t want him touching me.

  I sighed. “Something did happen today.”

  He rolled on his side to face me, looking concerned. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I was upset at the time, but I’m fine now.”

  “Tell me.”

  So I told him about what’d happened, not leaving out anything. His face darkened when I talked about Alex’s response to my refusal.

  “Fucking asshole,” he said under his breath.

  When I told him about how Raul had come to my rescue, he nodded and his demeanor brightened. “Thankfully, there are some decent people left,” he said.

  He slid his arms around me. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Beth.”

  I snuggled against him. “You holding me makes it all go away.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m sure.” I reached down and took him by the wrist, then pulled his hand to my leg, placing it in the same spot. “See?”

  “I’m not sure this proves anything.”

  I pulled back slightly and smiled up at him. “Touch me and you’ll see.”

  “Touch you?”

  “Yes, touch me.” I pulled his hand upward along my inner thigh.

  He got the message and took over from there, sliding his fingers into the leg of my shorts. When he encountered my panties, he nudged the elastic edge aside and caressed my smooth lips. I groaned softly as he slid two fingers into my slit.

  “You’re very wet,” he said.

  I smiled up at him again. “See? I’m fine. That asshole is gone from my memory, I promise.”

  “You sure?” His fingers slid up, parting my folds and then gently rolling over my clit.

  “Ohhh.”

  He smiled as he continued to toy with my sensitive nub. The pleasure flowed through me, and I lifted my hips slightly, pressing into his touch.

  But then his hand was gone, sliding out from my pants.

  I pouted. “Hey, that’s not fair.”

  He grinned and sucked his fingers. “Mmm, so sweet.”

  “See? I was right. You’re the king of mean.”

  “That’s true. So, my queen, are you ready for dinner?

  Chapter 35

  I got dressed for dinner in the bathroom, not wanting to show Julian the new underwear set I’d bought at Victoria’s Secret for this occasion. The panties were hiphugger style, and were made of white see-through lace that stretched around my curves perfectly. They featured a small pink bow in the front, which sat right at the top of my mound, looking like wrapping for a present. Which I thought was appropriate.

  The matching bra was see-thru also, and also had a little pink bow between my breasts. My areolas were clearly visible through the lace, and they stiffened to hardness as I slid the soft cups over my mounds.

  Over my underwear I wore a black dress that came down to almost my knees. It showed off my slender figure and the twin swell of my breasts, along with a nice bit of cleavage. It made me feel sexy just wearing it, and when I’d bought it for the trip, I imagined Julian taking it off me.

  A pair of black heels completed the ensemble, adding two inches to my height. After a final check in the mirror, I was ready.

  When I came out of the bathroom, Julian was already dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a short-sleeved polo shirt. He stood from sitting on the edge of the bed and stared, his hungry eyes drinking in my body.

  “Wow,” he said softly. “You look beautiful.”

  I smiled. “Thanks. You look amazing too.”

  He took me by the hand and pulled me into his arms. I arched into him and tilted my head back as he leaned down and kissed me gently. In his embrace, I felt like I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

  After several moments, he lifted his head and broke our kiss. “Hungry?” he asked.

  “In more ways than one,” I said.

  He smiled. “Me too. Let’s go eat.”

  We took the elevator down to the lobby, and then went to Pao, the hotel’s restaurant. Luckily, Julian had made reservations, because the line was long. As the hostess led us to our seats, I took in all the exotic decorations, including a large unicorn-like statue in the middle of the room.

  The waitress took our drink orders, and I studied the menu. It was all stuff I’d never eaten before, and Julian suggested we have the Cote de Boeuf, which was a large rib-eye steak served in a two-person portion size. My eyes widened when I saw the price was almost two-hundred dollars, but Julian just smiled and reassured me that the company was picking up the tab for dinner.

  When the waitress returned with our drinks, Julian ordered for both of us, and the waitress disappeared again.

  “This is really nice,” I said.

  “I agree,” Julian replied, “but only because of who I’m sharing it with.”

  “You’re sweet.”

  He smiled softly at me. “Do you realize that it was just over a month ago that you visited me in my crappy apartment?”

  I smiled along with him. “Seems longer than that.”

  “It does. I was just a stock boy living in squalor. A now look at us. Look where we are.”

  I looked around, still smiling. “No pizza boxes lying around here.”

  “And it’s all because of you.”

  “Julian, you keep saying that, but no, it’s because of you. You’re the one who made the change. You’re the one who got this great job.”

  “And I wouldn’t have done all that if you hadn’t given me a good kick in the ass.”

  I giggled. “Well, I’ll take a little bi
t of credit then.”

  “But it’s not only that. Not only did you get me started back in the right direction, but you’ve kept me on the right path. I want to be a better person. For you just as much as for me.”

  “For me?”

  “Yes, Beth. For you. I want to be worthy of you.”

  I looked at him in surprise. “Worthy of me? Julian, that makes no sense.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because, you’re so… perfect. You always have been. If anyone who needs to be worthy, it’s me.”

  He shook his head. “You’re wrong. I’m not that guy. I’m the guy you met a month ago. Overweight and practically unemployed. I need someone in my life to be a good person for. Cheryl used to be that for me, but after she was gone, I became so lost. But now, I have someone new to be a good person for.”

  He reached across the table and rested his hand on mine. “What I’m trying to say, Beth, is that I’ve fallen in love with you. I know it’s crazy, and people are going to say it’s wrong, but that’s how I feel.”

  I felt my heart swell. “You love me?”

  “So much.”

  “I love you too. I’ve been afraid to admit it, even to myself.”

  He squeezed my hand. “It makes me happy to hear you say that.”

  I thought about what my mother had said. “Julian, there’s something we need to talk about.”

  “Anything.”

  “Well, I–”

  I was interrupted by the waitress placing our salads on the table. Julian thanked her as she left, then turned back to me.

  “Go on, Beth.”

  I looked down at my salad, and decided this discussion could wait.

  “We should eat first.”

  “You sure?”

  “Yes. I’m hungry.”

  “Everything all right?”

  “Everything’s great.” I smiled.

  He gave my hand a final squeeze, then let it go. “Let’s eat then.”

  The salad had all kinds of things in it I’d never seen before, but it was delicious. Just as we finished, the steak arrived. It was accompanied by sweet potato puree, and a large bowl of rice.

  All the food tasted amazing, and Julian and I dug in. For a fancy place, there was a lot to eat, and I slowed down before Julian did. He finished the steak while I picked at the rice, my stomach full.