by Katie Dowe
“I don’t know what you mean,” his eyes shifted from hers.
“You're a beautiful man and an amazing lover. I can testify to that. After being with you I'm afraid that it will be anticlimactic for me to be with anyone else.”
“Is that so?” his tone was light but his hands were trembling.
“Hmm,” Addison got busy unbuckling his belt.
“What are you doing?”
“Just proving a point.” She reached in and pulled out his semi erect penis, running her finger over the tip of it.
“Addison,” he groaned, his head bowed towards hers. His body stiffened as she bent her head and licked his tip before closing her mouth over him, pulling him fully into her mouth. Preston went rigid, his heart racing frantically as she continued to pull him inside her mouth, her tongue stroking him slowly. He felt as if his head was about to explode. His hands clenched at his sides as he automatically moved against her mouth. With a harsh groan he pulled her up and over him. She wriggled out of her panties and sat on his full erection, breathing between her teeth as he slid easily into her. He tore at the light cotton blouse she'd worn, sending buttons flying as his mouth sought her nipples. Addison arched her back and shuddered as his teeth grazed her nipple. His fingers dug into her waist, holding her still as she rode him, her fingers digging into his thick brown hair and holding on. He got to his feet and her legs clasped around his waist as he took her to the bed where he lay her down and brought her feet up to his shoulders. He bent and took her lips with his savagely, stealing her breath and causing her to tremble violently.
*****
“I didn't bring a nightgown,” she murmured lazily as she trailed a finger down his smooth chest.
“You don’t need one.” He clamped a hand on hers to stop her from tormenting him.
“I feel strange with your mother probably knowing what we're getting up to,” she lifted her head and looked down at him. “It feels weird.”
“She knows I'm an adult,” his tone was amused. “Parker never cared about the amount of women he brought to his room. He'd been doing it since he was in high school. He was discreet but both Mother and Dad knew what was going on.”
“And they said nothing?”
“Parker had a way of persuading people to think the way he did,” he said with a shrug.
“Did you ever bring anyone in here?” she asked casually.
He laughed quietly, obviously gratified at her jealousy. “You're the first.”
She raised her eyes and looked at him. “And the last.”
“Yes ma’am,” he told her gravely.
Chapter 11
“Your script is almost finished Addison and as I hear it you have a winner on your hands. You've consented to do this interview to push start the promotion for the movie. When will it be coming out?” the entertainment reporter asked her curiously. Addison had hesitated when asked to be interviewed. She'd always let her agent deal with the publicity side of it. She stayed in the background for the scripts she'd written which had been turned into movies and she preferred it that way, but this time Gamble had said it would be good to put a face to the person who churned out such blockbusters..
She'd discussed it with Cameron of course and he'd told her that it was her decision. Ever since that argument at his place two weeks earlier he'd been trying but she could see that it was still a struggle. “In December,” Addison crossed elegantly clad legs as she gave the answer. “There will, of course, be lots of promotion where that is concerned starting at the end of July.”
“The script is based in part on an episode in your life?” the woman probed.
Addison hesitated a little before responding. “It is. Just the beginning though.”
“The location is somewhere that is a well-kept secret,” she glanced down at her notes for a little bit before looking up at her. “Rumor has it that you met Preston Sinclair there and neither of you knew who the other was. I would say that's romantic all on its own!” The woman leaned forward and Addison could just imagine her metaphorically licking her coral painted lips. “So are there wedding bells in the air for you and Preston Sinclair?”
Addison reined in her thoughts. They'd been together for several months, not counting the time at the cabin when they hadn't known who the other was. They'd had their first official date a week ago where there had been reporters salivating over them being together and holding hands but they had never talked about how permanent their situation was. He hadn't told her he was in love with her and she hadn't declared her love for him either. “You'll just have to wait and see,” she said, forcing a smile on her lips.
*********
“You're not enjoying the meal?” Preston asked her politely as she pushed her fork around the pasta with beef ragu. It was the night following the interview she'd had which had been aired several times. He hadn't said anything about it to her when he came to pick her up to take her out for dinner. As a matter of fact, he'd hardly said anything at all.
“What’s not to enjoy?” she gave him a brilliant smile. She'd worn a black dress with a boat neck and flared skirt and her hair was caught up in an elegant chignon. Diamond earrings dangled at her lobes and around her throat. He was wearing a dark blue suite and light blue shirt and his brown hair gleamed in the dim light. Their pictures had been snapped by a lone photographer as they left the vehicle and went into the restaurant.
“Is there something wrong?” he asked her, his eyebrows raised.
“I don’t know Cameron. Is there?”
“I would appreciate you not repeating my questions Addie.”
“Did you watch the interview?”
He picked up his wine and sipped before answering. “I suspect the whole world did.”
“You didn't like it.”
“I never said that.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“Could we have this discussion when we're alone?” he asked her coolly.
“Why? Because you don’t want me to embarrass you? Erika asked me a question Cameron and I had no idea what to say to her. Any hope of it becoming anything than us just being boyfriend and girlfriend? Or is this our situation until we get tired of each other?”
“You have plans on becoming tired of me?”
“Or maybe it's the other way around.”
“Why are you trying to start an argument?”
“Where do I stand Preston?”
“You already know the answer to that,” he told her a little grimly. “I can't seem to be able to get you out of my head.”
“So that’s it then. You're attracted to me and this is just who we are until things change.”
He didn't answer but put aside his glass. “I have to use the men’s room.”
She watched him weave his way between a couple of chairs as he made his way to where the set of restrooms were. She picked up her wine glass and drank the full bodied wine in order to quell her parched throat. She shouldn't have brought up the fact that she was peeved at not knowing what their real relationship was. She hated feeling so insecure, but she loved him so much.
She pushed back her chair the minute he came back into the room.
“What’s going on?”
“I'm leaving.”
“Why?”
“I want to go home Cameron, back to my apartment.”
“I thought we were spending the night at the manor.”
“You made that decision, not me.”
“I have to fly out early in the morning to go to Japan.”
“Then stay at the manor. I don’t give a damn. I need some space anyway.”
*****
She cried herself to sleep that night. Something that she hadn't done in a very long time. He hadn't said anything, just dropped her off at her apartment and made sure she got in the building safely before he'd turned and left . He hadn't called her since. She had stayed up late hoping that he would call and told her he was coming over. “Okay girl,” she said to herself firmly as she woke
up heavy-eyed and feeling dejected the next morning. “You are a strong independent black woman who cannot afford to let a man, any man, get the better of you and reduce you to tears. You are better than that. So to hell with him!” She spent another half hour crying and moping before she got out of bed and went to the bathroom to take a shower. It was Friday and for the past two Fridays they'd made plans, whether to go out or just stay in at her apartment and just chill. She'd cooked him dinner those nights and they'd just stay in the living room, watching a movie and talking or critiquing the actors or the plot.
“Your movie ‘Love Unlikely’ was an excellent one,” He'd told her. She had turned to look at him in surprise.
“You watched it.”
“I did,” he'd acknowledged sheepishly. “When I found out who you were I went online and got information on you and I watched the movies.”
“They changed up a lot of things,” She'd told him.
“But still, it's a very moving and poignant story. And well performed.”
“Why thank you sir,” she'd told him with a smile “What about ‘Waging Love’?”
“Another bestseller.” He'd looked down at her as she rested her head in his lap. “You have quite a talent.”
“So I've been told.” She looked back at the screen. “Now look at that, clearly the producer or director was blind. You can tell how the story is going to end before you reach halfway through. Bitch, the dude is lying! He has another family stashed away in another neighborhood. He's not a traveling salesman. God!” she threw up her hands in exasperation. “What?” she'd asked him as she looked up at him.
“Just wondering if you go to the movie theatre?”
“With Annmarie and she always swears she will never go with me again. I cause quite the scene.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
“You are most welcome,” she'd grinned at him. They had turned the television off and had made out right there on the living room couch.
She groaned as she walked to the bathroom. It felt like there was cotton stuffed inside her head.
******
“Honey, you've been holed up in bed for two whole days! As a nurse and as your sister I'm telling you that it's time for you to throw off the sheets, get a hot bath and go outside and enjoy this wonderful summer day.” Annmarie pulled the curtains open, causing Addison to blink at the blinding sunlight streaming in.
“I'm not feeling well,” Addison muttered as she turned her head away.
“All the more reason for you to get up and do something.” She sat on the side of the bed. “Preston hasn't called?”
“No, and I don’t care. He can go to hell.”
“You don’t mean that and I cannot believe how stubborn the two of you are!” She pulled at the sheets and bundled them up in her hands. “Get up, take a shower and we're going to go to the mall to do some shopping.”
“I don’t go to the mall.”
“I know honey. You're too much of a big shot to go to the mall, but that's for my benefit. I need some scrubs and frankly I need some summer wear. I have a sister with tons of money and I'm going to take advantage of that. And FYI, online shopping defeats the purpose of the mall experience where you get to bitch about what people are wearing and what they're doing.”
Addison laughed at that. “You're determined to make me go aren’t you?”
“Very. Now come on, let’s go.”
*********
“Is it my imagination or are teenagers wearing fewer layers of clothing every summer?” Annmarie asked as she stared at a pair of girls with long blonde hair and minuscule shorts and tops. It was a brilliantly beautiful Sunday afternoon and Addison had cried for a break after being dragged into every store for the past three hours.
“I'm practically naked myself. It’s the heat,” Addison told her as she sipped her tall glass of lemonade.
“Honey, you're wearing a dress.”
“A very thin one and very short.”
“You have the body to pull it off,” Annmarie looked at her sister in admiration. They had been stopped by several people who had asked Addison for her autograph. “Okay honey what’s going on?”
“Besides you almost maxing out my credit card? Nothing.”
“Buying seven dresses, three rompers and dozens of tees can never max out your card.”
“Not to mention the three black sandals and that strappy tan one that you couldn't resist,” Addison reminded her with a laugh.
“You're changing the subject. What’s going on with you and Preston?”
“He's being a stubborn jerk and I'm not going to be the one to call him first,” Addison said lightly as she stirred her drink with the straw. “And besides, he's in Japan or China.”
“They have phones there.”
“I'm not calling him.”
“Instead you're going to stay and suffer.”
“That’s right!” She lifted her glass in a toast. “I am not chasing a man down. Edgar proved to me that it's not worth it.”
“Preston is not Edgar and you know that. Besides, I saw on Facebook that they broke up.”
“I saw it. Sherrill called me several times and I didn't take the calls.”
“She called you?”
“Hmm,” Addison gave a nonchalant shrug. “I have nothing to say to her.”
“Honey if I were you I'd take the call. Show her that you're the bigger person.”
“I am the bigger person but I don’t have to show her.”
“I wonder what she wants to talk about?”
“I don’t really care.”
“Okay now that we've rested let’s go at it again. I saw some sheets that I need to get.”
“I'm not paying for them,” Addison warned her.
“Honey, what do you think wealthy sisters for?”
******
“Darling, it’s good to have you back!” Paige greeted her son with pleasure. His trip had turned out to take a week instead of a couple of days as he'd expected and Addison hadn't called him.
“Thanks Mother, it’s good to be back.”
“I waited for you for dinner.”
He'd been traveling since the previous night and was feeling drained and depressed. He was jet lagged and he didn't have an appetite. “I'm not very hungry.”
“I insist. go wash up and come back down.”
He gave her a wry look before turning and going up the stairs to his suite. He stood there looking around the room. She'd taken him at his word and had changed the color of the walls to a soft ocean green, which she had told him kind of reminded her of his eyes. Several pieces of her clothing hung inside his closet and there were delicate underwear inside a drawer that belonged to her. He had several of his things over at her place as well. He closed his eyes wearily and sat down heavily on the sofa in front of the bed. He missed her. Life wasn't complete without her and he felt the heaviness in the pit of his stomach. He'd picked up the phone to call her several times but he'd felt the hurt when she told him she needed space. She was the one who had told him that no matter what they should talk things out and then to hear her say that she needed space had gotten to him. He wasn't Parker and maybe he had worn his welcome out. You messed up bro, he heard the faint whisper in his head.
“Stay out of my thoughts!” he said aloud as he got to his feet. “You're dead.”
*****
“It is nice us having dinner like this, and I must say that I missed you immensely but why is Addison not here with us?” his mother asked as they started eating their lemon meringue pie. He'd told her that he wasn't hungry but had surprised himself by eating the full meal.
“She needs space,” he said briefly without looking up.
“What does that mean?”
He pushed his plate away and met her gaze. “Exactly what I saidMother. We had an argument and she told me she needed space.”
“And you're giving it to her whether she really wants it or not.”
“She wouldn't have said i
t if she didn't want it,” he said stiffly.
“Oh honey,” Paige sighed as she looked at her son. “You obviously did something to piss her off. I've seen that woman around you and it’s obvious space is the last thing she needs from you. Why don’t you call her?”
“It’s complicated, and I think that maybe we do need some space from each other. Maybe we're not suited.”
“And if you think that then you're a fool. I've never seen you so happy before. Darling please don’t let this woman get away from you. She is definitely the one.”
*****
She had just taken a bath and washed her hair and was sitting in the living room having a glass of wine and contemplating calling Cameron when she heard the doorbell. She frowned as she looked at the clock. It was a quarter past nine and she knew it couldn't be Annmarie because her sister had gone to work. Maybe one of her nosy neighbors, she thought, or security with a message for her. She looked through the peephole and her heart slammed inside her breast. Cameron stood there looking so solemn and it was the most welcome sight she could ever see. She took a deep breath to steady herself before opening the door. She was pathetically happy to see him but she was determined to play it cool.
“Hi,” she said as she opened the door.
“Hi.” His gaze roamed her face and her appearance. She knew what she must look like. Her still-wet hair tumbled past her shoulders, she was wearing tiny silk pajamas and her robe was left open.
“May I come in?” he asked her.
“Of course.” She stepped aside to let him in and locked the door behind them. He had on jeans and a white t-shirt and she was reminded of the first time they'd spent at the cabin. “Would you like a glass of wine?”
“No thanks.” He stood there as if not knowing what to do next and Addison was determined not to help him out. “How are you?”
“I'm fine. And you?”
“I just got back this afternoon.” He shoved his hands inside his pockets and Addison almost felt sorry for him but said nothing to relieve the tension.
“Okay.”
