by A. Zavarelli
“Do you want to get out of here?” she asked.
“God yes,” I blurted.
“C’mon.” She stood up and grabbed my hand. “We’ll take a cab. Leave that dickhead to wonder where you’ve run off to.”
Jameson came in two hours later, and I pretended to be asleep.
He turned on the light and sat at the end of the bed.
“Harper?”
I didn’t respond. But he continued anyway.
“I’m sorry about the reception, for leaving you alone like that. Lily told me you saw me talking to Katherine, and I just want you to know it wasn’t what it looked like…”
I rolled over and flaunted a bored expression. How many times had women all over the world heard that line before?
I wasn’t going to be another one. And if Jameson wanted to treat me like an escort that’s what he was going to get. I’d had two hours to numb myself and think this over. To realize that I couldn’t let myself get invested in something that was one-sided. This was just business.
“It doesn’t matter,” I told him in an emotionless tone. “I don’t care what you do or don’t do with Katherine. The only reason I’m here is because you’re paying me to be. Remember?”
He flinched away from my words and looked at me like a wounded puppy dog. I turned my attention to my hands and picked at my nail absently so I didn’t have to see it.
“Is that all?” I asked. “I’m tired.”
“I guess that’s all,” he agreed. “Goodnight, Harper.”
16
I spent the entire next day in the kitchen helping Julia prepare for dinner.
It was another big King event, she explained, and the entire family would be there tonight. She put me in charge of desserts, and I went a little crazy baking while she prepared the roast and side dishes. I relished the opportunity to avoid Jameson and the tension that seemed to grow between us with every passing day.
Lily was beside me, mixing up various batches of liquor concoctions.
“Tonight’s going to be fun.” She wiggled her nose. “Just you wait and see.”
“Do I even want to know what’s in that?” I asked in a teasing voice.
In response, Lily poured a glass of the cloudy concoction and handed it off to me. “Trust me,” she said. “You’re going to love it.”
I took a sniff and caught a hint of apples and cinnamon. It definitely smelled like Christmas. I brought the cup to my lips and took a sip, expecting a powerful hit but receiving only a sweet concoction that seemed innocent enough.
“What is that?” I asked.
“It’s Apple Pie,” she smirked. “Another King tradition. We’re going to use it tonight.”
Something about her words told me I was going to be in for another surprise. I just shrugged and tossed back my glass, hoping it wasn’t more of Katherine.
By six o’clock I was freshly showered and ready.
After prying the guest list out of Lily, I learned that Katherine was in fact going to be there tonight. It wasn’t the greatest news I’d received, so I decided to up the ante on this one.
I slipped into my sexiest black dress with a low cut back and sky high red stilettos. My eyes were smoky and my hair teased to perfection. I embodied the role that Jameson wanted. It gave me a small thrill and an aching heart at the same time.
When he walked in to the room to collect me, his eyes trailed over my body in surprise. And then he frowned.
I swallowed, wondering what that was all about.
“Am I not to your liking?” I asked coolly.
His eyes snapped up to mine, and he took a step closer as though he couldn’t help himself.
“You look beautiful, Harper. It’s just…” He paused. “There’s going to be a lot of guests here tonight, and I don’t want any of the guys getting ideas about you.”
“Like what?” I retorted. “That I’m an escort?”
He looked at the ground and then back to me. “It has nothing to do with that.”
His voice was deep and held a hint of possession that surprised me. And before I could stop myself, I took a step closer.
“So what do you need from me tonight?”
“What do you mean?” his eyes roamed over my face.
“Katherine’s going to be here.” It came out much bitchier than I intended, and Jameson took notice. “So I’m just wondering if you want me to keep my distance or throw myself at you. It’s been a little bit of a guessing game which one you want whenever she’s around.”
“Jesus,” Jameson groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “Is it that obvious?”
His words were like a vice around my throat. “That you’re still in love with her, you mean?”
His eyes widened, and he actually laughed. “God, no. Is that what you think?”
I shrugged. What the hell was I supposed to think?
“You’re partly correct in assuming she’s the reason you’re here,” Jameson explained. “But it sure as hell isn’t because I’m in love with her. I just…”
He paused, and for a moment came across as vulnerable. I wanted to stroke his cheek and tell him it was okay. That he could trust me, and he could tell me anything. But that was far too intimate.
“It sounds childish when I say it out loud,” he said. “But I didn’t want her to think I’m still in New York pining away from her. So I figured, what better way to accomplish that then by bringing a beautiful woman back home with me.”
“She hurt you,” I whispered.
Jameson rubbed his neck and looked away. “I’d rather not talk about it.”
“I understand,” I said. “But just so you know, you can trust me, Jameson. I’d never betray your confidence.”
My words seemed to dissolve some of his armor as his anguished eyes found mine. I could only imagine how difficult it was for him to trust anyone when he found out the woman he was supposed to marry slept with his own brother. Nevertheless, I still wanted him to know I wasn’t like her. I would never be like her.
“Are you ready to go downstairs?” I threaded my fingers through his. “It sounds like everyone’s arriving.”
For a moment, Jameson just stared at me, his eyes searching my face. His lips were so close I could feel his breath on my skin, and I so badly wanted to know what he was thinking. When he leaned in and brushed his lips across my cheek, I nearly melted into a puddle on the floor.
“Thank you for coming here with me, Harper,” he murmured against me. “You’ve made it bearable to be here again.”
Dinner was quite the affair.
Julia had really outdone herself, and the guests were more than thrilled to indulge in the delicious food and beverages while they chatted happily amongst themselves.
I could feel Katherine’s eyes on Jameson and I throughout, and the few times I’d glanced up I caught her staring. She didn’t even seem embarrassed. In fact, judging by the scowl on her face I sensed there was going to be more trouble on the horizon.
But to my surprise and relief, Jameson hadn’t taken any notice of her. He ate his dinner and talked to the man at his side about business in New York, occasionally checking in to give me a smile. Halfway through, his hand found mine under the table and squeezed, and he didn’t let go. It was nice to feel that warmth. That comfort he provided.
I wondered if he felt the same spark of electricity when we touched, or if it was only me.
“Alright everybody.” Lily clapped in excitement when the dishes had been cleared. “It’s that time!”
The table erupted in excited cheers and shouting as everybody stood up and shuffled into the other room. I gave Jameson a questioning glance and clung to his hand as he ushered me in after them. Lily walked over to the entertainment center where a man held out a mic for her. She tapped it twice before bringing it to her mouth.
“Okay, you know the drill people,” she said. “Robert here is going to call out the word for each song, and then you’re going to stop and run to the bar.”
“What’s going on?” I asked Jameson.
He smiled and shook his head, but didn’t get time to explain before the music turned on. It was Fireball by Pitbull. And the next thing I knew, Lily was running across the room to grab my hand.
“C’mon.” She grinned. “You’re going to love it.”
I shot Jameson a helpless look, and he just shrugged as his sister hauled me onto the middle of the floor. Then Robert gave instructions over the mic.
“Alright, ladies and gents. The magic word for this song is… you guessed it... fireball! Every time you hear it, you take a shot. When you’re not taking shots, you better be dancing your ass off. And go!”
I barely had time to grasp the concept before Lily started busting out her best moves in front of me. A nervous glance over my shoulder confirmed Jameson was watching me from the chair where he’d taken up residence.
“C’mon,” Lily urged. “You have to dance or you’ll get kicked off the floor. It’s part of the game.”
I started to move, even though I had no clue what I was doing. I mirrored Lily for a moment, and then we were running for a shot. The process continued for the entire three minutes, and it felt like we’d taken about ten shots. Now I understood why the alcohol was so weak.
When the next song came on, I started to loosen up and have fun. I glanced over my shoulder to give Jameson a playful wink, only to find Katherine standing at his side. She was trying to talk to him, but his eyes were trained on me… and there was no denying the hunger I saw there.
“Mind if I cut in?” a smooth voice asked from beside me.
I glanced around to see one of Jameson’s friends from the wedding. His name was Carl if I remembered correctly.
I nodded politely, and he started dancing in front of me. Thank God for the fast music because I didn’t want him using this as an opportunity to get grabby. Or at least that’s what I thought.
Carl’s hands found my hips anyway, and he started to weasel his way closer. A wave of nerves came over me because I didn’t know what I was supposed to do in this situation. Would Jameson want me to just go with it, or not?
I didn’t have time to think about it, because the next moment, a possessive hand wrapped around my waist and pulled me against a hard body behind me. I didn’t have to look to know it was Jameson. His hand came up and rested on the base of my neck as he started to move against me.
“Carl.”
The word was filled with venom and Carl backed away immediately. I was grateful.
I still couldn’t see Jameson’s face. But I could feel his hard body against mine, and then his lips on my ear.
“Vixen.”
Like a light switch had been flipped, I spun in his arms and snaked my hands around his neck, staring up into his molten dark eyes. Good Lord, the man was sexy as hell.
I smashed my breasts against his chest and rubbed my belly against his obvious arousal, a jolt of electricity zipping down my spine. His eyes were hooded and filled with lust as I curled my fingers in his hair and brought his lips down onto mine.
He kissed me hard and deep, like he couldn’t get enough of me. His hands found my ass and squeezed, and for a moment, I almost forgot we were in the middle of a crowded room. Until people started whistling and making crude jokes around us.
Jameson pulled away, leaving me breathless and wanting as I pleaded with my eyes for him not to stop. I needed him. I wanted him to be the one.
“Let’s go upstairs,” I whispered.
He released a breath like my words were exactly what he needed to hear. And then he pulled me along behind him.
17
We’d barely gotten the bedroom door shut before Jameson and I started tearing at each other’s clothes. It was desperate. Frenzied. Almost two weeks’ worth of pent up sexual frustration coiling inside of us. When we came together, I knew it was going to be an explosion.
I was nervous as hell, but I didn’t show it. I just allowed him take the lead, kissing his way down my neck as he unzipped my dress and let it pool on the floor. His hands came up to cup my lace bra with a grunt, and he kneaded my breasts in his large palms as he kicked off his pants.
“You are so beautiful, Harper,” he rasped. “I can’t wait to be inside of you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”
Feeling bold, I reached down and rubbed the bulge of his briefs, shocked by the size of him. He was huge. And so hard I could feel him throbbing even through the material.
He walked me backwards towards the bed and unclasped my bra, allowing it to fall from my shoulders before he flung it aside. Laying me down, he covered my body with his, rubbing himself against me as he swirled his tongue around my breast. I clutched at his hair and dragged my fingers down his muscular back, pulling him closer.
I was a panting, needy mess.
Jameson cursed and pulled back, digging around in his wallet before he produced a condom.
“Almost forgot,” he said, looking rather confused by the thought. “That’s what you do to me.”
I moaned and wiggled closer, watching with wide eyes as he pulled down his briefs and rolled on the condom. I wanted to touch him, to feel him. I wanted it all.
Jameson lowered himself back over me and gently nudged against my wet entrance as his mouth found my breast again. He sucked and licked at each nipple, murmuring sweet praises against me. He told me how good I tasted, how much he’d been wanting this, how beautiful I was. And then he pushed inside in one deep thrust.
I squeezed my eyes shut and let out a tiny noise in my throat as he tore through my virginity. Jameson paused and clasped my face in his hands.
“That felt like…” He stumbled over the words. “Harper…”
“I’m a virgin,” I told him.
Jameson couldn’t hide his shock.
“How is that even possible?” he asked, his thumb stroking my face.
“You’re my first client,” I squeaked. “And I haven’t exactly had time for a boyfriend the last few years.”
Something else took over his eyes at my admission. Possession and fire.
He reached down between us to stroke my clit as his lips found mine. His kiss was soft and sweet and exactly what I needed at that moment.
When he started to move again, I clung to him, savoring each thrust of his rigid flesh inside of me. My core tightened and contracted, throbbing with a need I’d never known. And then I exploded around him.
It drove Jameson wild, and his thrusts grew quicker, deeper, harder. He grunted above me as I constricted around him, and with one deep and final thrust, he came with an agonized groan.
“Oh, fuck,” he panted. “That was incredible, Harper.”
His words brought me relief and a sweet sense of satisfaction. I knew this was right. I knew that there was nobody else I would have rather given myself to. In that moment, I belonged to Jameson King. And it scared me just how much that was true.
18
When I woke, I was laying across Jameson’s chest, and he was staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but when his dark eyes met mine, the fire from the night before had clearly been extinguished.
I could tell something was off when he followed up his nervous smile with a quick kiss on the forehead. I was certain he probably had a lot of questions. But he didn’t ask me any of them. He slid out from beneath me and stretched, giving me a great view of his toned chest and back.
“You alright?” he asked, lingering in place with bated breath.
Somehow I sensed he was worried this was going to change things between us. And now it all made sense. He didn’t want this complication. He didn’t want to have to deal with a clingy virgin after the fact. He had, after all, offered to pay me for sex before. So this was nothing more than a business transaction to him, and he feared I would turn it into something else
.
I gave him a fragile smile and nodded, absolving him of any guilt he might be feeling. And with that, he walked to the bathroom and shut the door behind him.
Jameson and I had done a magnificent job of avoiding each other and pretending that nothing happened over the last two days. But now it was Christmas Eve, and time for another family dinner. At Katherine’s house. Apparently this was another King tradition. Lily explained that the two families always had dinner together on Christmas Eve.
I wrung my hands together as we waited on the stairs. The house was large and magnificent though I’d expected no less. And when the door swung open, it was a butler who answered.
I wanted to laugh. Sure, why not? A butler. Who actually had butlers these days?
Crankiness was not becoming of me. I plastered a fake expression of contentment on my face as he ushered us inside and to the sitting room where the family was already gathered. Katherine was as pristine as ever in a silver gown, and she could spy the tension between Jameson and I from across the room. It was her in, and she knew it. Already, I could see the wheels turning in her brain, and I had no doubt that before the night was through she’d be coming onto him again.
It shouldn’t bother me. But it did.
Everything about this situation bothered me. I wasn’t really an escort. I couldn’t keep my feelings out of this as much as Jameson wanted me to. I’d given him something that was important to me. A part of myself I could never take back. And now I was yesterday’s garbage.
My eyes burned as the maid called out for dinner, and I spent the next hour pushing food around my plate and participating in conversation when spoken to. Lily was at my side, and I could tell she knew something was up. She kept trying to engage me in small talk, and I did my best to comply.
After dinner, we went back to the sitting room. More fancy drinks. Some Christmas music. Jameson excused himself and disappeared down the hall when he got a phone call. I was both relieved and curious though I didn’t know why.