by Laila Cole
Chapter 7 – Jennifer
It was 6:25 PM and Damien’s driver was set to be at my parents’ house in five minutes. I looked at myself in the mirror and smiled. My hair was tied into a bun, a few wisps of light brown hair escaping down the sides of my face. I’d applied just enough makeup to cover my bruises and look attractive without looking like a clown. My dress fit me perfectly as I stepped into a pair of white heels, the finishing touch on a look that I hoped would impress one Damien Hernandez.
I stepped out of my room with confidence and headed toward the front door when my mother heard the clacking of my heels against the tile from the living room and turned around to catch a glimpse of me. “Excuse you! Turn around and let your mother see.” I hesitated. And as I slowly turned she smiled. “Yep, you’re beautiful, just as god made you. Now go on before you make me cry more than I already have.”
I fought my own tears back and escaped out the front door before I ruined my mascara. I walked down my driveway and as I approached the curb a black limousine turned the corner. My heart pounded. I took a deep breath and calmed myself, fighting the urge to flee back inside. It was 6:30 PM sharp.
The limo pulled up to the curb and the passenger side door popped open. A moment later Damien stepped out of the car in a black suit finished off with a bow tie around his neck, and a smile from ear to ear. I hadn’t expected him. “Hello beautiful,” he said. “Are you ready?” He stretched his hand out to meet mine.
“I am,” I said with a smile, trying to keep my composure, but was I? “I didn’t expect you.” I let my hand fall into his as he guided me into the back of the limo.
Damien followed me into the car and closed the door behind him. He tapped the plane of glass separating us from the driver and the limo sped off down the road. I’d become quiet and nervous. I tried my best not to be distant, but couldn’t help myself. “Thanks for picking me up. This is interesting.”
“It was the least I could do.” He reached into the back. “I have something for you, but the way you look tonight, I realize that you simply don’t need it.”
“Need what?” I said.
“This,” he said as he unzipped a dress traveler to show me a beautiful black gown made by Chanel.
My eyes opened wide and my jaw dropped. The dress was absolutely gorgeous. “Great taste you have,” I said. I tried not to appear too excited, though inside I was gleaming.
“Thank you. I’m glad you like it,” he said, scooting closer to me. “But as I said before, I like you better in what you’re wearing now, though I still want you to have it.” He zipped the traveler back up and hung it on a clothes hook. “I am glad you decided to come with me tonight, we’re going to have an amazing time.”
I blushed. “Thanks for taking me. So The Masters is pretty good huh?”
He smiled in return. “It’s fantastic.”
I tried to play dumb. “It sounds good, though I’ve never heard of it before you asked me.”
It was as if he could see right through me. “Really?” he said. “I hope you like it. This is just one of the many places we are going to go together.”
I laughed. “Are we now?”
“Of course we are. I only want the best for my friends.”
“So we’re friends?” I said.
My heart began to race as he looked intensely into my eyes. “Yes. For now.”
I began to get uncomfortable. “You’re so forward; I haven’t even split up with my husband, and I’m not even sure that I will. Let’s start slow ok?”
“I understand,” he said, reaching for a bottle of champagne and uncorking the top. He poured two glasses and handed one to me. “And now for a toast.”
I giggled a bit; I’d never had a man toast with me before a date. In fact the last time I remember a toast was at my wedding so many years ago. “To what are we toasting?”
He paused, trying to think of the right words to say. But with Damien, the right words always came easy. “To new friends, and taking things slow.” He held his glass to mine, lightly touching the rim until the glass rang out. We each took sip.
The cold tartness of the champagne shocked my taste buds. “That was sweet of you. This champagne is really delicious.”
“Well I’m glad it lived up to the hype. That bottle alone was over $600 dollars and has been aging in a cellar for more than a decade.”
Whenever Steven would mention money I’d grow uncomfortable. “Oh no, I’m sorry, you didn’t have to spend that on me.”
He just smiled and continued drinking from his glass. “I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to. There’s a difference.”
“I-I don’t know what to say.” I couldn’t fathom a man wanting to be so generous toward me since my husband was always the exact opposite, unless, of course, he’d wanted something from me.
“You look surprised,” he said.
“You’re very generous. Thank you.”
“It’s my pleasure,” he said, taking another sip of champagne.
By the time I’d finished my champagne we arrived at The Masters Steakhouse, which was nestled up to San Diego Bay in one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in the city. Anyone who was anyone in San Diego society had been there. Movie stars, business magnates, and now the lonely old Jennifer Davenport in a $100 dollar dress. I’d never been more nervous to eat, though I tried to let my guard down just a little. I’d enjoyed the ride over and I fully intended on enjoying the rest of the evening.
The limousine stopped and Damien opened the door. He stepped out of the car, reaching his hand inside to grab my own. He helped me out and we walked arm in arm along a winding garden entranceway beset on both sides by two small, trickling fountains, which added to the luxurious ambiance of the establishment. We approached the entrance and the maître’d looked at us with a smile. “Do you two have reservations?”
Damien approached him. “Yes. They’ll be under Damien Hernandez, for 7:00 PM.”
The maître’d smiled as he scanned his guest list. “There you are. Right this way, please.”
We followed him through the normal dining room where men and woman ripped into hunks of steak and lobsters the size of my arm, to a secluded, private dining area in the back protected by a large tan curtain. It was an extremely intimate location and the perfect place for a date. I’d never been anywhere so romantic. I didn’t know what to say or think. I just kept trying to relax and enjoy myself.
As the maître’d left Damien approached our table and pulled the chair from under it, motioning for me to sit with his hands. “Please sit,” he said. I’d never been anywhere near a man who had better manners and I instantly became self-conscious of my own.
“Let’s order a bottle of wine,” he said. “You choose.”
I took the leather-clad menu into my hands and cracked it open. There weren’t even prices listed next to the items, except for the wine, and there wasn’t a single bottle under $250 dollars a bottle. With my eyes wide Damien sensed my nervousness. “Don’t worry about the prices. You just order whatever it is that will make you happy, ok?”
I nodded, trying to understand such a foreign concept. I found the cheapest bottle of wine I could without feeling like a burden. “Ok,” I said. “I want to get a bottle of 2013 Chateau Mormont Cabernet.”
A playful smiled erupted on his face. “Is that really what you want? Or are you just ordering that because it’s the cheapest thing on the menu?”
“You’ve got me. Honestly I’ve never heard of that winery, and I really don’t know much about wine that doesn’t come in in a box. I’m sorry.”
He laughed. “Well I do, and I’m going to order something I think will be extraordinary.” He scanned the menu. “We should get the 1999 Domaine Grand Cru Burgundy.”
I sat there shocked as I found it on the menu. “That wine is $650 dollars, are you sure you don’t want to get something simpler?”
“I’m not craving simple. I’m craving complex.”
“Is that what attracts you to me?” I b
lurted out; the champagne in the limo had clearly impacted my executive functioning.
He didn’t respond and instead only smiled as the waiter approached our table. “Have you two decided on something to drink?”
“Yes, we’ll have two bottles of the 1999 Domain Grand Cru Burgundy.”
“Excellent choice,” he said. “I’ll get that for you in just a second.”
The waiter bolted out of sight and there was an awkward silence that lay between Damien and I. The waiter returned only a moment later to uncork both bottles and began to pour Damien’s glass. Once finished he reached over to pour mine when Damien stopped him. “Please, allow me,” he said, grabbing and tilting my glass as he took the wine bottle from the waiter’s hands and poured wine into my glass until it was filled with the richest color of maroon that I’d ever seen.
I took the glass into my hands and inhaled the rich and fruity aroma. I took a sip and couldn’t believe what coursed over my taste buds. “Oh my god this is delicious!”
Damien smiled and took a sip of his own. He didn’t look as pleased as I was. “It’s just ok,” he said. “I’ve had better.”
“Really?” I quipped. “Or are you just showing off?”
He laughed. “Nope, I’m just stating a fact. Wait until we go to Europe, then I’ll show you some wine that will blow your taste buds right off.”
“Will you now?” I said surprised. I’d never been to Europe. I began to feel uncomfortable and wanted him to know that I wasn’t just interested in him for his money. “Listen I need to be straight with you. I think it’s great you have money, and this great lifestyle, but that’s not why I came here tonight.”
He took a sip of his wine, his face growing more intense. “Now we’re getting somewhere. So why are you here with me, then? I didn’t assume you wanted my money, but I did want you to have a good time.”
I took another sip of wine, feeling the light tingle of alcohol buzz through me. Words escaped my mouth I never would have said sober. “I felt a connection that night at the bar, and it didn’t revolve around money, or status, or looks even. I felt like you understood me, and that’s something I’ve never been able to say about other men in my life, my husband included.”
“That’s because I do understand what you’re going through. My sister went through this a few years back with her husband. She eventually left him and has felt better ever since. It wasn’t easy, but it had to be done.”
I choked up a bit. “I’m sorry,” I said, grabbing a napkin and wiping my eyes. “The wounds are still fresh.”
He took another sip of wine. “And they will be for some time. The moment you let that misery take you where it wants to take you, you’ve lost and he’s won. I can see it clear as day, you’re better than that, and you’re better than him.”
I nodded. “You’re right. I’ll end up a jaded old bitch with crow’s feet under my eyes and all alone if I let it take hold of me wont I?”
He nodded. “That is the road of a pessimist. Not all men are like your husband, and then again not all men are like me. What I do know is that you deserve better.”
“Do you think?” I said.
He smiled. “No, of course not.”
My eyes widened.
“I’m kidding,” he said. “Come on now Jen, lighten up and have a good time.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I am.” I didn’t know what it was about Damien, but I felt that I could tell him anything and it would be ok; that he would understand and have some words of guidance to make me feel better.
The waiter returned to our table. “Have you two decided on food? I must say the pan seared rib eye here is beyond excellent.”
I looked up at the waiter and smiled. “We’ll have two! With mashed potatoes!”
Damien laughed. “Atta girl! That sounds good to me.”
The waiter laughed. “Ok, two pan seared rib eye steaks coming right up.” He disappeared from sight.
I narrowed in on Damien’s beautiful brown eyes, sipping my glass of wine. “Damien I’m going to ask you something and you have to promise me not to lie.”
“I will never tell a lie to you,” he said.
“Are you married?”
His eyes widened. “Married? God no. I got close one time but it didn’t work out.”
“What happened?” I said, finishing my glass of wine. Damien was quick to pour me another.
“It’s a long story, Jen. To shorten it, my work got in the way, and that is why I am so adamant about not making the same mistakes twice.”
“So she left you?”
He nodded and took a gulp of wine. “She did.”
“Are you over her?”
He took another gulp of wine. “It took me a while but I am.”
“Last question,” I said, trying not to sound like an interrogator.
“Shoot.”
“I know I have no right to ask this, and you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I’d like to know if you are seeing anyone else.”
He looked shocked. I was afraid I’d pissed him off. “And you thought I was being up front?”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m curious. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want. It’s ok.”
“No, it’s fine. I haven’t had the time to see anyone else. I’m a one woman man, I always have been and I always will be.”
I liked that answer, though I still didn’t know if I could trust him. “I didn’t mean to offend you. It’s just that you’re clearly a well-traveled man of means; I just figured you’d have a girlfriend at every pit stop your jet makes, bad for me but good for you.”
“You didn’t offend me, it’s an honest question. I’m sorry to disappoint you with my conquests, but I assure you I am single. With my interests and the stress level of my occupation, I could hardly handle one relationship, let alone many. Have there been others? Of course there have. Are there currently others? No, there aren’t. Anymore questions?”
I paused a bit, mustering up the courage for one more. I knew that with every question I asked I should expect one of equal intensity in return. “Why should I trust you? All the men that I’ve trusted in my life have hurt me, save for my father.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. The short answer to your question is that you shouldn’t trust me, you barely know me. But I assure you that if you take a chance with me, you’ll be forced to trust me because I won’t leave you any other choice.”
My heart was racing. I couldn’t determine if he was just telling me what I wanted to hear, because if he was, he was doing it convincingly. And what scared me the most is that I believed him.
The waiter returned with two sizzling plates. “Be careful now they’re hot.”
I held my hands back as the waiter slid the plate in front of me. “These look amazing,” I said.
“I assure you that they are,” he said, sliding Damien’s plate in front of him. “Is there anything else I can help you two with?”
“No, I think we’re good,” Damien said, “thank you.”
I could hardly wait to eat. My stomach was growling. The nervous tension I felt at the onset of this date had vanished. I took out my fork and knife and sawed through the steak like a hot knife through butter. I put the strip of meat in my mouth and my head almost exploded. It was the most unbelievably smooth and delicious piece of meat I’d ever tasted. I closed my eyes and savored every delicate bite. “This steak is incredible! Or let me guess, to you its just ‘meh.’”
He sliced a chunk and devoured it. His eyes widened to twice their size. “Incredible!”
“Are you just saying that to be nice?”
He laughed, sawing off another piece of meat and placing it in his mouth. “Oh my god, no. This steak is amazing!”
“I know right? So tell me, Damien, where in New York City do you live?”
“I live on the Upper East Side about a quarter mile from the 86th street station.”
I smiled because I knew exactly where he was ta
lking about. “I was there years ago! I’d taken the C train to 86th and wandered around the park in winter. It was beautiful and I’ll never forget it. Who knows, maybe we were on the same train?”
He chuckled taking another bite of steak. “Unlikely. I’ve only been able to afford that area for the last two years, before that I lived in a variety of places, San Diego included. I grew up out here.”
“Really?” I said surprised. “Where else have you lived?”
“Santa Fe, Phoenix, El Paso. I grew up a military brat. And well, I knew that lifestyle and I joined the military myself when I was 18. I served in the Gulf war.”
“I had no idea you were a veteran.” I tried to imagine him in fatigues but couldn’t, he was just too damn polished. “Move back to San Diego, it misses you,” I said with a smile.
“Or you could move to New York City,” he said, his eyes fixed to mine like a hawk.
I paused, my heart was racing and I immediately changed the subject. “Boy I’m sure stuffed.”
“Me too,” he said, flagging down the waiter. “I don’t know about you, but I’d like to take a walk around the bay, will you join me?”
“That sounds dreadful! You’re really trying to turn me off, aren’t you?”
He chuckled. “You’re a smart ass are you?”
The waiter stopped by. “Would you two care for dessert?”
I laughed out of exasperation. “I couldn’t eat another morsel of food if I tried.”
“Me either,” Damien said. The waiter handed him the bill. I wanted to open it to see how much it was but I resisted the temptation. Damien pulled out a metallic black credit card and slid it in the billfold. I knew that bill was at least $1,500 dollars and he didn’t even bat an eye.
The waiter returned to snatch the check and brought the receipt back a moment later, which Damien signed enthusiastically. He stood up and held his hand out, helping me up. I couldn’t stop smiling. I didn’t know if it was because of the wine or not, but I was a having an absolutely wonderful time. As I grew closer to Damien I’d forgotten about my life’s struggles because I was too busy fighting the images of him and I getting it on. He was just so god damn magnetic.
We walked out of the back exit of the restaurant, which led to a small walkway that bordered the bay. We approached the soft crashing waves just as the sunset lit the sky on fire with hues of gold and purple. His fingers slipped between my own and squeezed my hand. He pulled me toward him, looking me straight in the eyes. “Are you really having such a horrible time as you suggest?”
“Awful,” I said. “Just awful.”
He inched toward me until our chests touched. His hands slipped around my back, lightly stroking my spine. A kiss was inevitable. Our lips drew nearer until they touched, never before had I felt such an overwhelming sensation of joy as I did when we kissed. It was electric. The passion between us began to build as we sunk further into the kiss, but just as I began to lose control my life’s troubles flashed before my eyes. I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and pulled away, looking him in the eyes. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, but I think I’ve got to get going.”
He was shocked. “Get going?”
I nodded.
He was visually disappointed. “You’re not going anywhere. The night has just begun.”
I pulled his lapels and kissed him again. “I’m sorry Damien, but I’ve got to. My mother will worry about me. She’s already worried as it is, and besides there’s just so much going on in my life. I can’t just forget it all, though I’m trying.”
His hands traced up my shoulders and to my face as he lightly stroked my cheeks. “Sure you can. Come back to my room. It’s close by.”
My heart began to race. I knew this moment was coming, and I didn’t know what to say. He kissed my forehead and held me tight to his chest. “I’ve got to fly back to New York in the morning and I won’t be able to see you again for weeks.”
“Weeks?” I said.
“Weeks. Long, torturous weeks. Come to my hotel and let’s have a drink.”
I paused for a moment and considered his offer. In our brief moment of passion I’d forgotten that he lived on the exact opposite end of the country, and took for granted that he’d flown here in his jet. With those things considered I began to change my mind, as nervous as those thoughts made me. I looked him in the eyes and gently nodded. “Ok, Damien, one drink, so you’d better make it a good one.”
He smiled. “Absolutely.”
I kissed him again. “And please remember what I said about taking things slow.”
He placed the palm of his hand on my beating heart. “I haven’t forgotten and I don’t intend to, unless of course you want me to.”
We kissed again watching the sun set below the horizon and the rising moon glowing against the slow crawling waves of the bay. “It’s so beautiful here and I miss it. I hate that I have to leave so soon.” He grabbed my hand, leading me down the walkway circling the bay. “Are you ready to go?”
I nodded. “Yes. I’m ready. Where are you staying?”
“I’m at The Westgate. It’s only a quarter mile away. Shall we?”
I nodded quietly and took his hand, following him in lock step as we made our way out of the bay and to the luxury hotel where he was staying. We walked through the glass paned doors in tandem, and toward a bank of elevators that led to the tower’s rooms. The closer we were to his room, the harder my heart pounded. My stomach was churning so much I thought I was going to lose my dinner, which I would have regretted in more ways than one.
I hadn’t been with a man other than my husband in more than 15 years, and I wasn’t sure how my body and mind were going to react with Damien, should we end up sleeping together. I followed his lead as he led me out of the elevator and down the hallway to the penthouse at the very top of the hotel, refusing to let my fear derail us. He slid his keycard in the door and the green light blinked, granting him entrance.
I walked into a room so beautifully ornate I didn’t know what to say. My jaw just dropped as I marveled at the view of Downtown San Diego to one side, and the ocean to the other. Damien approached me from behind with a remote control in his hands. He pressed the button and the shades came down from the celling blocking out the view from both sides. I turned around to find him smiling and we kissed. I pulled away and placed my hands on his shoulders, taking a deep breath.
“Are you ok?” he asked.
I nodded. “What happened to the drink?”
“Are you thirsty?” he asked.
I bit my bottom lip and stared into his eyes. “No. I’m not.”
“Relax,” he said, squeezing my shoulders. “I’m not going to hurt you.”
I looked up into his eyes and determined that he was being honest, and we kissed again, this time I was overcome with passion and placed my fingers underneath his suit jacket, pulling it off of him. Next I unbuttoned his shirt and brought my fingers up to his bowtie, which unwound with a gentle tug. I pulled his shirt off of him forcefully, losing myself in the moment.
I ran my hands along his muscular chest, feeling every fiber of his flesh. Seeing his chest and abs so ruthlessly cut drove me wild with passion. “They’re nice,” I said.
He ran his hands up the back of my dress, zipping it down the back until it fell to my sides, with only my bra remaining he looked at my cleavage. “And so are yours,” he said with a smile. His hand traced along my back to my bra, which he undid with two fingers, pulling it off of me until my breasts fell right into his hands. “I’m glad I didn’t order dessert. It would have spoiled my appetite, and that would have been a shame.”
His words sent a chill down my spine. He held me tight and scooped me up from the ground with his muscular arms and carried me to the bedroom. He sat me on the down comforter bleached as white as white gets and began to massage my breasts. “Slowly,” I moaned, writhing against the comforter as he pleasured my nipples with his forefinger and thumb.
Unable to contain mys
elf I unclasped his belt, ripped it through his belt loops, and unzipped his pants, which fell to the floor.
He pulled the rest of my dress off of my body by my feet, taking my underwear right along with it. Before I knew it I was laying bare before Damien and ready to make love. My chest heaved up and down as every touch of his radiated like electricity across my body. “Damien,” I cried as he began to finger me. “Is this a one time thing for you?”
His fingertips traced down my abdomen and over my mound. With one finger sunk deeply into my wetness and thrusting to the motion of my body he responded. “Only if you want it to be. Do you?”
“I don’t know,” I moaned, gripping at the white linen sheets as he drove his fingers deeper into my flesh. He knelt to the ground, pulling my waist toward his lips as he began to lavish my clitoris with his tongue. I moaned out with wild abandon as I ground my hips into his face. He moaned as well as he held my legs tight, trying his damndest to make me come, and I did.
A wave of pleasure built up in my groin, unleashing in terrifying spasms I didn’t know I was capable of producing. I could hardly catch my breath, and by the time I finished I realized that I’d damn near pulled the sheets off the mattress.
Damien stood with a glimmer in his eyes. “You liked that didn’t you?”
“Did it have to stop,” I said, my body tense and aching for more.
He smiled. “Yes, because there are far better things than foreplay.”
“I may have forgotten. Will you teach me?”
“I will,” he said, pulling off his black underwear to reveal his large, hard erection. I laid back down on my back, ceding control of my body to him. He grasped the base of his penis and lightly pressed it against my vagina. Without going all the way inside he held my hands, interlocking his fingers between my own as he pinned them outstretched above my head and kissed me. “Are you ready for your lesson?” he said, lightly kissing my lips and chin.
“No,” I moaned. “But ready or not I don’t want it to stop.”
A moment later I felt the pressure against my throbbing vagina as he slipped inside of me, thrusting gently as he kissed me. We both began to moan, lost in the pleasure of the evening. “Now this, this is desert,” he said before our tongues connected once more.
He released my hands and I wrapped them around his neck and looked him right in the eyes, my entire body tingling as he took me. “Don’t stop until you come,” I said, my hips matching the thrusts of his until our bodies slammed together. I hadn’t had sex like this in years; in fact, I hadn’t ever had sex like this. This was more than just a transaction like sex with Steven. This was a profound communication on an entirely different level that I’d never before experienced. And it scared the shit out of me but it felt so god damn good.
We lay there together, as one being, making love to our heart’s content for the better part of an hour. I couldn’t stand any more pleasure, and as much as I tried I became helpless against the encroaching biological needs of my body. We both climaxed simultaneously. And in that moment I wasn’t thinking about the past, or the future, only that exact moment where we became one in the heat of passion, and I knew I’d gone down a path from which there was no return.
