by B. B. Reid
Before I could respond to Ever’s plea, the bus slowed and rolled to a stop. Both of our gazes flew to the window and the country club waiting on the other side of the parking lot.
While a tour of the grounds was being given, those of us whose parents were members took advantage of the amenities since it was much less busy during the week. After the buses emptied, Four and Tyra found us in the crowd and stunned me with their genuine excitement to see me. It wasn’t until I couldn’t take Ever’s watchful pleading gaze any longer that I snuck away to pay Klara a visit.
Lying face down on the massage table, I’d just begun to drift off when there was a knock at the door. Even though there was a sheet covering me from the shoulders down, I was feeling a little self-conscious when Klara opened the door.
“I’m sorry to bother you, Klara, but I could really use your assistance.”
“Anja, please tell me you didn’t burn someone with the stones again.”
The door closed, and I could hear hushed whispering on the other side before Klara returned. “I’m really sorry, madam, but I’m needed in the next room. I’ll just be a few minutes.”
She was gone before I could even reply.
Deciding that I wasn’t all that hungry, I settled in, resigned to miss breakfast. I was sure no one would notice that I was gone, anyway. A few minutes later, I drifted off, and it wasn’t until I heard the door open again that I awakened. I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, and I decided it didn’t matter as I allowed my eyes to shut again slowly. I was barely aware of the sheet slowly being tugged down my back and the faint smell of cigarette smoke. Eyes still shut, I pursed my lips. Clearly, my masseuse had taken the time to do more than just assist a colleague. Instead of being angry, however, I found myself inhaling the tainted air and thinking of a certain boy. The one with a gentle smile and fiery temper. A dirty-talking enigma.
When the sheet reached my lower back, I forced the image away and settled in. A moment later, I tensed when I felt the sheet slip past my waist. I definitely hadn’t ticked off my gluteus as a go for a massage. And even if I had, Klara usually started with shoulders…
Unless it wasn’t the masseuse at all.
A chill ran down my spine when I felt full soft lips press against my nape. Before I could register that it really happened, I felt another. As soon as I felt the intruder move away, I lifted my head and glanced over my shoulder.
Leaning against the counter where Klara kept her supplies was Jamie in all his delectable glory. I couldn’t decide if the pants and the vest he wore were red or brown, but it made a killer combination with his mahogany hair styled to show off his beautiful face. He even wore an expensive-looking watch to complete the look. The white shirt he wore only emphasized his tanned skin and the tattoos he’d mostly hidden underneath his clothes. Unfortunately, his hands and neck would always give him away. I was willing to bet he gave all those girls on Wall Street something dirty to dream about during the day.
Coming to my senses, I stopped ogling him, grabbed the sheet, and covered myself, even though he’d already seen plenty, before sitting up.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s senior breakfast day, and I’m a senior if you recall.”
“I meant in here.”
“Oh… I got lost.”
Closing my eyes, I inhaled before slowly exhaling. Unfortunately, my patience was nowhere to be found. “You got lost?”
Pushing away from the counter, he slowly took the two steps it took to get to me before gripping my chin. I both hated and loved it when he did that. “But don’t worry. I found you.” He was kissing my lips before I even had a chance to respond.
Or remember that I was naked except for my panties underneath the sheet.
His tongue tasted like mint, and the cologne he wore filled my senses until I was clutching his silk tie, desperate for every inch of him. I’d forgotten the sheet until I felt my bare nipples brushing his chest. The roughness of his vest teased them until they were hard and eager for his attention. As if sensing my thoughts, he pulled away and gently nipped one before tugging it between his lips.
Eyes fluttering, my head fell back as he licked, nipped, and suckled at my breasts. I thought I’d chased him away for good, but it hadn’t taken more than a few spoken words to get us right back here. I had the feeling that no matter how deeply Jamie and I cut, we would never stop wanting more.
The little sounds escaping me pitched higher and higher, and when I was dangling over the edge, Jamie stepped away, pulling me back.
“Why did you stop?” I was so close.
He didn’t respond as he reached for my waist. We played tug-of-war with the sheet before Jamie won, and I was naked. The sheet fell to the floor, and then his hands were in my hair as he ravished my lips. “I want to go down on you,” he whispered when he came up for air.
Immediately, I tensed and found it impossible to exhale. If he weren’t standing between my thighs, I would have pressed them together. “You can’t.”
“I can do anything I want,” he said, trailing sinful kisses across my jaw. “What are you afraid of? That you’ll like it?” I gasped when he nipped my chin. “That you’ll want more?”
“Klara will be back any minute,” I tried to reason.
“Then she’ll get to watch you come,” he smoothly replied. “We’ll call it a generous tip.”
“Jamie… no.” Pushing him away, I met his frustrated gaze. “Lock the door,” I heard myself say.
The anger faded from his eyes, and then he was across the room, locking the door before I could blink. As he swaggered back to me, he began to loosen his tie. Something about so simple an action made a shiver work its way down my spine. Those talented hands then found my waist and began tugging at my panties. “Lift up.”
I did, and in a flash, the scrap of lace was gone.
Stepping between my legs once more, he kissed me until my world was nothing but stars. I hadn’t even noticed when his hand slid underneath my knee or when he lifted my leg, planting my foot on the table. He was still kissing me when his hand started on my knee before sliding down, down, down…
I gasped at the first touch of his fingers. The second sent me spiraling out of control. Jamie’s nimble fingers strummed my clit as delicately as any of his guitars, and the soft notes I gave him in return was music to his eager ears.
“Can I taste you now?” he inquired when I was so close to falling.
The only response I could give him in return was to push against his fingers, begging for more. “Please.”
Kissing me one last time, he knelt, and I almost missed his lips until I felt them on my inner thigh. Glancing down, I found him already watching me through lowered lids. He continued to hold my gaze even when his lips reached my pussy, and he gave it a sensual kiss.
I drew in a breath at the feeling and knew I’d do whatever it took to feel it over and over. “Oh.”
This time when he kissed me, he introduced me to his tongue, and my head fell back on my shoulders. I wasn’t prepared for how he would take his time, making sure not to leave a single inch of me untouched, unkissed, unloved.
Eventually, Jamie wanted more, so sliding his hand under my other knee, he lifted my leg until it mirrored the other. I was completely open, and he dove right in. Moments later, I was distantly aware of the footsteps outside the door. Neither of us cared as my hand slid through his hair and gripped the back of his head.
Jamie continued to lick me, and over his appreciative moans, I could hear the door handle jiggling.
Finding it locked, Klara knocked. “Miss Montgomery?”
At that moment, Jamie’s tongue chose to flick my clit, making me gasp and cry his name. He’d definitely done that on purpose.
“Miss Montgomery?” Klara knocked and tried the handle again. “Is everything okay?”
As Jamie continued licking my clit, I felt his finger at my entrance, gently teasing me with the tip. My breathing deepened as hi
s tongue sped up until my hips were lifting off the table, and my shocked cry echoed around the room. I could feel my arousal seeping onto the table and my clit throbbing as fast as my heartbeat. Jamie stood and was kissing me before I could even catch my breath. And when his tongue swept inside my mouth, and I tasted myself, I greedily deepened the kiss.
“I have never wanted anything as much as I want inside you, Bette.”
I could feel his erection pressing against my inner thigh and wanted that, too. Reaching for his belt buckle, I decided it was time. I needed my lips, pussy, and hands wrapped around him now.
Unfortunately, Jamie’s hand stopped me before I could free him.
“Soon. We have to save something for our wedding night.”
“Huh?” With the force of my orgasm still ringing in my ears, I was sure I was hearing things. Frowning, I opened my eyes slowly, but his gorgeous smile blinded me.
“Nothing.”
Jamie helped me redress when my legs wouldn’t stop shaking long enough, and when we left the room, he held my hand as we traveled the short, empty hall. We made it to the front unscathed, and I soon realized why when I spotted all three of the club’s masseuses, including Klara, huddled behind the receptionist’s desk. It left no doubt in my mind that they’d heard everything.
Fear that word would get back to my father suddenly made my hands tremble. Jamie stopped short when he spotted the sign-in sheet, and with one swift movement, he snatched the top page with my name scribbled on it. Leaning over the desk, he scanned the space until he spotted what he was looking for. I realized once he’d snatched it up that it was the client intake form I’d filled out in the beginning.
“Sir, you can’t do that!” one of the braver masseuses scolded.
“Oh? Then why did I?” He didn’t wait for her response before tugging me toward the door. I wanted to apologize to Klara, but Jamie was moving too fast, so I settled for an apologetic glance thrown over my shoulder. Jamie had led me down one hall and then another before slowing enough to rip and toss the forms in the trash. When we passed a bathroom on the way to the ballroom, I made him stop.
“Hold my bag?”
He took it, kissed me hard, and then patted my rump before letting me go. I was still on cloud nine when I glided into the bathroom. One glance in the mirror, and I knew I’d fallen off the wagon hard. My disheveled hair, wrinkled uniform, and bruised lips told me so. I was beginning to think it was impossible to stay away from Jamie. He was temptation incarnate.
More than anything, I wished I could take back the lie about him not being enough.
Jamie was more than I could ever wish for.
More than I deserved.
Deciding I’d finally tell him so, I hurriedly cleaned the mess we’d made between my legs as best I could with damp paper towels. It looked like I was going commando for the rest of the day since my panties were currently stuffed in Jamie’s back pocket. He refused to listen to reason and give them back so I was left praying that the wind didn’t decide to play peek-a-boo with my bare ass. Once finished, I tossed the towels and rushed back into the hall.
The empty hall.
“Jamie?” My head swiveled back and forth before realizing he was gone. Wondering where he could have gone and with my bag, I started down the hall. I’d made it all of two steps before I closed my eyes, realizing the mistake I’d made. The first had been trusting Jamie at all, and the second…
Giving him my bag with my journal full of poems hidden inside.
He’d been after it for months, and I’d stupidly handed it to him on a platter. The only place I could think to look for him was in the ballroom, where the entire senior class was having breakfast. My heart was pounding so hard that my ears began to throb as I raced through the country club. I wasn’t sure what he planned, but whatever it was, I had to stop him. By the time I reached the ballroom, the tears I’d shed prematurely had clouded my vision.
Which was why I came to a screeching halt just inside the antechamber. My breaths came fast and hard as I began blinking rapidly at the figure sitting alone on the love seat.
There Jamie sat, my bag at his feet, elbows resting on his thighs, head bent… and my journal strangled in his fists.
Sniffling as I frantically wiped away my tears, Jamie’s head lifted at the sound, and if I looked even half as devastated as he did right now… oh, my God.
The second our gazes met, he shot to his feet, and the first thing I noticed as he ate the distance between us was his eyes rimmed with red. He didn’t stop even after his lips crashed into mine. He kept going, forcing me through the doors of the antechamber until my back was against the outside wall. This was nothing like the sweet kisses that made me blush when we were kids and craved now that we were all grown up. Somehow, though, my body seemed to want more. I tried pushing him away, but his hands clamped around my wrists. My journal fell to my feet, but I no longer cared about it as much as finding out what caused his anger. As if reading my mind, his grip on my wrists turned punishing, making me cry out from the pain.
He didn’t hesitate to let me go, but the devastation in his eyes kept me in place.
“Oh, did that hurt?” His tone was mocking, so I kept my mouth shut, knowing his question was rhetorical. “You have no idea, Bette.” Stepping away, he suddenly looked defeated. “It wouldn’t have been even close to what you do to me every day, yet I still can’t let you endure it.”
Somehow, I knew he wasn’t talking about my physical pain. He’d wooed me, tricked me, and all to steal my journal and expose all of my secrets in front of the entire senior class. And then, for some reason, he hadn’t gone through with it.
“Jamie—”
He didn’t give me the chance to say more. He shoved away from the wall and from me before storming away.
Summer… Six Years Ago
“MIND IF I SIT HERE?”
I looked up and nearly swallowed my tongue when I found Jamie towering over me. He’d appeared out of thin air like some newly born god who lived only for mischief.
I still couldn’t get the image of that guard he’d saved me from collapsing to the ground and Jamie standing there like some storybook hero. I knew he was anything but. In fact, he’d acted like nothing had happened while I’d been a nervous wreck ever since. What if that guard had died? What if we’d killed him?
“Oh, um, Ever and the guys are out back.”
We were all hanging out at the Portlands’ today. A playdate with Olivia had been the only reason my parents let me out today since I’d missed curfew by an hour the night of the fair. Olivia was currently upstairs, painting her nails with two of her actual friends, but, as usual, she was nice enough to let me take cover here.
Jamie said nothing as he popped a squat and rested his back against the tree I’d been sitting under alone.
Closing my journal, I angled my body toward him. He was so close that my knee brushed his thigh. “Don’t you want to play catch with the guys?”
He shook his head, and some of his reddish-brown hair fell into his eyes. “Tossing a ball back and forth isn’t really my thing.”
My eyebrows shot to my hairline. If he didn’t like sports, what did he like? “You don’t play sports?”
He seemed wary as he looked me up and down. “Is that a problem?”
“No, I just—is it all sports or just football?” My foot always seemed to find its way inside my mouth when Jamie was around. He didn’t exactly say all the right things, either, but only one of us was ever apologetic about it.
“The games I like to play aren’t considered a sport.”
“What kind of games do you like to play?”
His brown eyes twinkled in that way I knew meant trouble. “Have you heard of spin the bottle?”
“Duh,” I said, giggling to hide my nervousness.
Cocking a brow, he said, “Ever play?”
My cheeks were suddenly burning, and I had trouble meeting his gaze. “No. Of course not.” The thought of my first
kiss made my stomach twist and my heart race.
“I can show you how if you want.”
As if it would protect me, I clutched my journal a little tighter to my chest. I hadn’t expected Jamie to flirt with me again. At the fair, I’d looked like a girl, and I knew without needing to be told that I was a pretty one. But today, I was back to wearing my cargo shorts, and Avengers tee with my favorite red cap turned backward. “No, thanks.”
He leaned a little closer, making me want to say yes. “Are you afraid, Barbette?”
I considered lying, but I had the feeling he’d see right through me. “Yes.”
Lifting his hand, he tugged on one of my curls. “Then, I can wait.”
“Wait? Wait for what?”
“For your first kiss… and for you to get over my cousin.”
“Wha—I…” As I struggled for words or a plausible lie, Jamie plucked my journal from my hands. My heart pounded as I made a desperate attempt to steal it back. What if he read what was inside? Everything I felt but was too afraid to say was in that book. Cruelly, he held it out my reach. “Give it back!”
“Admit that you like my cousin.”
“No, I don’t. Now give me my book!” I shot to my feet, hoping that would give me an advantage, but he stood too, and pretty soon, I was chasing him all over the Portlands’ front yard. After a few minutes, I was beginning to tire and ready to give up when he stumbled over a rock. It slowed him down just enough for me to tackle him to the ground. “Jerk!”
I fell on top of him, but somehow, he managed to flip onto his back, sending me to the ground at his side. And that was when I realized he was laughing. Against my will, I began laughing, too. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed my journal lying in the grass a few feet away. Propping my head in my hand, I made no move to rescue it. I wasn’t sure how long we lay on the ground, staring at one another. Eventually, he broke the spell.
“Tell me something about you that no one else knows.”
My gaze flew to the grass, hoping it hid my blush. Jamie might as well have asked me to take off my clothes. Remembering all the stories Ever told about him, I wondered… would he stop me if I tried?
