by A. Aubry
I held his hand in both of mine, my thumbs running along his skin, “There isn’t any other guy that I would want to see…I don’t even notice other guys since I’ve met you.”
He brought his lips to mine and I smiled at the tenderness. To think that this man, who had just punched my ex-boyfriend in the face, this man who looked all big and bad, could be this tender was something of dreams. His lips eased mine open and I willingly let him in. I had never been kissed this way and it continued to take my breath away. Don’t get me wrong, I had had my fair share of kisses over the years, but none of them would ever compare to the way that Jameson kissed me.
“Briella, what the fuck happened? Gavin just left in a huff and with blood all down his face,” Ashley pounded on my closed bedroom door.
Jameson laughed and walked back over to the door and opened it for Ashley.
“Why did you lock the—oh hello there, Jameson. Aren’t we looking sculpted this morning? Did Bri use her chisel?”
I giggled and got off the bed and stood next to Jameson, “No, he came pre-chiseled. Now what is all the pounding about?”
Ashley tore her eyes away from Jameson’s abdomen and looked at me, “Gavin…ex-boyfriend…here…pissed off…bloody face. Ring any bells?”
“I took care of him because he was disrespecting Briella,” Jameson spoke up first.
“What did he say? Jasmine didn’t mean to let him in, he just sort of pushed past her and bounded up the stairs.”
I sighed, my smile falling slightly, “He called me a slut. Told me that I only broke up with him so that I could sleep my way through Los Angeles.”
Ashley’s eyes seemed as though they were going to pop out of her head, “What a fucking asshole. You’ve only been seeing Jameson, where the hell does he get that he can talk to you like that?”
“My point exactly, that’s why I taught him a lesson on respect and manners before telling him to get lost,” Jameson pointed out before pressing his lips to the top of my head.
“It’s about time that you got a man who stood up for you rather than walked all over you,” Ashley narrowed her eyes at me, “I’ll leave you two to your morning then.”
She turned and walked back down the hallway towards her bedroom while Jameson closed the door once again. He snaked his arms around my waist and placed a light kiss on my forehead.
“Now, where were we?” He smirked.
“Right about here,” I returned his smirk before closing my mouth over his.
I should have been more upset about the whole Gavin situation. I should have been upset about how the hell he found me because we were in a pretty remote location. But I didn’t have time to be upset. My heart was pounding in my chest and butterflies were going crazy in my stomach. Jameson took all the negativity away from my life, and I just wanted a little bit more of his positivity before I had to face the real world.
Chapter Six
My phone had been blowing up for hours ever since Jameson left. The morning was perfect with just the two of us curled up in bed, exchanging kisses and soft conversation. I definitely pictured Jameson as the guy who would get sick of what we had been doing. We had been spending nearly every day together for three days, and yet he was used to getting what he was looking for out of women and then walking out the door.
While I knew about his previous playboy escapades, I also knew that Jameson seemed different when it came to me. The first night that I met him, he didn’t seem at all interested in what women were saying to him. Yet, when he talked to me that night, he seemed so invested. That look of intrigue hadn’t gone away in the several days we had spent together. Even as we laid in bed, wrapped up in each other’s arms, he watched me with such attention as I spoke that I felt like what I was saying was one of the most important things in the world. No guy had ever made me feel that way when I spoke.
But now my heavenly reality was shattered because Jameson had to leave, and my phone would not stop ringing. It was as if everybody back home instantly knew what happened when Gavin arrived here. Gavin had been texting me, accusing me of being a slut and lashing out at me. My mother had been calling me nonstop, leaving me voicemails about what the hell happened between me and Gavin. Hell, even Gavin’s mother was calling me constantly to find out why Gavin and I broke up. She was such a sweet lady and I wasn’t exactly sure how she spawned someone like Gavin.
Finally, I gave up and returned my mother’s phone call. It didn’t go as well as I had hoped. She was the one who told Gavin where I was staying because she had the information to send me a package. She was the one who helped Gavin arrange his flight and took him to the airport. He didn’t even tell her that we broke up before then. He used the excuse that he wanted to surprise me with a visit because he missed me. Gavin figured that I would get back with him if he showed up, so he didn’t want it spread around that we broke up once again.
My mom didn’t take it well when I told her that I had broken up with Gavin before he flew here. The reasonings that I had in doing so sounded like pretty solid reasons not to continue to be with someone. Especially the way that he put me down when I was just my normal sassy self. I didn’t want to hide who I truly was when I was someone, but that was what Gavin made me do. He tried to change me. She then lectured me about how I was letting someone stable go. Gavin was anything but stable in my life. The conversation ended on a bad note and it hurt me that my mother was not on my side.
The last phone call that I made was to Gavin’s mother. She answered after a few rings, her soft, melodic voice filtering in through my phone. I had confided in his mother plenty of times about how things were going between her son and myself. She had seen me grow up and she knew that I was not really myself with Gavin because of the way that he expected women to act. She was the only one to truly understand the inner workings of our relationship.
“Briella, I am so happy that you called,” Georgia answered the phone.
“Hi, Georgia. I’m sorry it took me so long to return your call. The phone call with my mom did not go as planned,” I sighed, plopping down on my bed.
“I understand, dear. So, would you like to tell me what happened with you and Gavin?”
I told her the whole story, rehashed the whole conversation between me and Gavin a few days before. Just retelling the damn thing made my heart break more than it had the first time that Gavin called me a bitch. When you think that someone cares about you, and they turn on you so quickly like that, it tended to break your spirit more than you thought it would.
“Gavin told me about another man in your bed this morning and how he attacked him,” she said softly.
“As usual, Gavin is being dramatic. The first night that we were here, we went to a club and met the owners. One of them offered to give me a tour of the city after we talked for a little while. You know my friends, they said that it was an opportunity that no one else would offer, not even the best tour companies in the city. So, I went. We had a great time, laughed more than I have ever laughed, and I got to see a whole different perspective to Los Angeles.
“When I came back to the house, I found out that Gavin had been calling me and my friends nonstop asking where I was. I hadn’t checked my phone while I was out and about because I didn’t want to seem rude. So, when I returned his call, Gavin freaked out on me and I said something sassy, which we both know he doesn’t like, and he called me a bitch. I broke up with him and then ended up going out with Jameson.
“He actually makes me really happy and acts as though he wants to spend time with me. We’ve been hanging out for the last several days and he has been nothing but a gentleman. Yesterday, the girls and I went out to a wine tasting and got pretty drunk. I drunk-called Jameson and invited him over last night. He came over to check on us and took care of me before we went to sleep. That’s the man that Gavin saw in my bed this morning. Jay only punched Gavin because he was calling me a slut and telling me I broke up with him because I wanted to sleep my way through the city.”
> There was a long pause before she answered, “I’m sorry for the way that Gavin disrespected you this morning. I raised him to be better than that, but obviously he didn’t take my teachings to heart. But this Jameson fellow…”
My lips pursed so hard that I thought my teeth would draw blood, “Yeah?”
“I can tell that you two have something special. The way that you just talked about him, that is the way that I look at Gavin’s father. Of course, I supported you and Gavin when you two were together and he proposed. But I could tell that there was something lacking in the relationship, that fire. Gavin didn’t have it when he talked about or looked at you, and you had it at the beginning of the relationship, but it soon died down when it was not reciprocated. If you don’t want to be with Gavin, then I respect that. You should be with someone who lets you be yourself, someone you have that fire with.”
“Thank you, Georgia. You are taking this much better than my mother did. I have to go though; my friends and I have a day at the beach planned.”
We said our goodbyes and promised to talk again in the future. After a quick change into my bathing suit, I grabbed my towel and beach bag. I made my way down the stairs and my friends and I walked out onto the beach behind our house. It was nice to get away from everything and relax. Especially after the drama today. As we sat and chatted, I couldn’t help but think about Jameson and the way that he made me feel. Maybe Gavin’s mother was right, he did make me feel that fire inside of me, and I didn’t have to hide who I was when I was with him. Not only did I see that fire in his eyes when he looked at me, but I felt that same fire within me as I looked at him.
Hours were spent soaking up the sun and playing in the ocean. I felt like a little kid again, all excited to get into the water and splash around. Whenever I was with my friends, I always felt so relaxed and we laughed so hard that our stomachs hurt. They never wanted me to be someone else and that was exactly why I loved to hang out with them. Even they could pick out that Gavin would make me act a certain way when we were together. I should have listened to them when they told me that he was stifling who I was. It should have made more sense to me that I wouldn’t be happy in the long run.
Happiness was what I needed in my life. That was why I talked my friends into coming back to Club Roma after we had spent most of our day on the beach. My friends made me very happy, don’t get me wrong, but Jameson also made me happy. I hadn’t told him I was coming tonight, and I had let my friends do as they pleased with my hair and makeup.
So here I was, walking up the steps to the VIP lounge with my hair styled in a half up/half down way with the bottom half in its usual waves that cascaded over my shoulders. My eyes were rimmed with charcoal black eyeliner, my lips were crimson red to match my dress that hugged my curves and accentuated my cleavage in just the right amount. The heels that I was wearing made me teeter just a little bit because of their height, but it was something I would just have to get used to.
The second that I got onto the landing, my friends coming up behind me, my eyes landed on Jameson. As per usual, him and his friends were surrounded by women, but Jameson was waving them off. Zander and Peter, on the other hand, had girls practically lounging across their laps. My friends made a beeline for the bar that was completely vacant, and I nudged my way past Michelle and her friend that I had overheard the night before. Michelle had been one of the many girls that Jameson was waving away. In just a few steps, I sat sideways on Jameson’s lap and threaded my arms around his neck.
“Bri! I didn’t think I’d see you here tonight,” his smile widened, and his eyes lit up like the Fourth of July.
“After what happened this morning, I just wanted to spend a little more time with you. Is that alright?” I smiled shyly.
“Alright? It’s amazing. You bring your friends too?” I felt his arms come around my waist and hold me tighter against him.
I nodded my head in the direction of the bar, “Of course. They are taking advantage of the available bartender.”
Jameson leaned his head down and I lifted my chin slightly just as his lips caught mine. Thank goodness for smear-proof makeup because Jameson would have had red lips thanks to me. His lips eased mine open and I sighed happily as his tongue massaged mine. The bass to the music thumped loudly around us but it was the electricity between me and Jameson that caused my heart to skip a beat and my body to hum in excitement. I pulled back, a large grin on my face, and bit my bottom lip.
“Those lips of yours are so damn enticing,” Jameson said softly, twirling a lock of my hair around his finger.
“Are you just saying that because they are really red?” I giggled.
“They entice me every minute of every day,” he smirked.
“You know that you don’t have to sweet talk me, right Jay?”
His lips brushed against mine softly, “I’m just telling you the truth.”
I grinned and ran my fingers through his hair, “Well then, you can tell me more truths when you take me back to your place tonight.”
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, “I get the pleasure of having you in my bed again?”
“After watching you punch my ex in the face for me? You definitely get that pleasure,” I paused before leaning in close and pressing my lips against his ear, “And so much more than just that.”
A low growl came from Jameson’s throat as he lifted me up, laying me on the couch and climbing on top of me in front of everyone. His lips pressed hard against mine and a groan escaped from me. He kissed down to his favorite spot just under my ear and goosebumps immediately covered my arms even though the air around me was warm.
“I could always take you back to my office and have my way with you there,” Jameson said just loud enough for me to hear over the music.
“I don’t want a quickie, Jay. I want all of you, all night long,” I breathed, my eyes closing at the sensation of his lips at my throat.
“Jameson, what the hell are you doing?” Zander’s voice cut our moment short.
Jameson’s lips left my skin and he looked over at where Zander and Peter were watching us with wide eyes. It was like the whole party up in the VIP lounge had stopped just to watch what was happening between us on the couch. It did make me feel a little better about myself that Michelle was giving me a look that could kill because this was how she wanted Jameson to be with her. Too bad, she would never know how great of a kisser he truly was.
“Sorry, I got carried away,” Jameson admitted before getting off me and helping me to sit back up.
Hell, if that was him getting carried away…I wanted to see when he lost all control. I gave Jameson a quick kiss and told him that I was going to go get something from the bar. I definitely needed something to cool me down from the heat that was always between me and Jameson. He reluctantly released my hand and I walked around the couch sneaking a quick kiss on his cheek before going over to the bar where my friends still stood. By now the bartender knew that I was always the one who came to get ice water from the bar and was already filling for me by the time I sat down beside Ashley.
“Were my eyes deceiving me or were you two about to give everyone up here a show?” Jasmine called across Ashley.
I innocently shrugged and took a sip of my water, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ashley almost spit out her drink and began to cough. I patted her on the back until she could control herself, “What happened to sweet, innocent Briella?”
“She’s still here…but now she has a bit of a wild side thanks to a man named Jameson.”
Melanie narrowed her eyes and tipped her glass in the direction of the way I had just come from moments before, “Who’s the redhead practically shoving Jameson’s face in her cleavage?”
Looking back over at the couches, I saw Michelle attempting to straddle Jameson’s lap. Even by his demeanor, you could tell that Jameson wasn’t interested and was trying to get her off. I rolled my eyes so hard that it actually hurt before abandoning my
water and walking back over to the couches.
“Come on, Jamie. You were all for this before you met that other slut,” I heard Michelle coo to Jameson, attempting to run her fingers through his hair.
“We were together for one night, Michelle. That was it. You don’t know what you are saying, and I’d appreciate it if you didn’t talk about Briella like that,” Jameson responded, trying to pry her hands off of him.
“I can show you how great of a kisser that I am,” she smirked as she leaned into him.
Standing behind the couch where Jameson sat, I pulled him back against the cushions just in time for Michelle to falter a little. He looked up at me, his eyes wide like I would be pissed off or something. I put my hand up so that Michelle’s lips met my hand before she opened her eyes again.
“I don’t know, Michelle. I think you’re a little sloppy…too much saliva. Jameson doesn’t like that in a kiss. Better luck next time,” I sneered, wiping my hand on my dress in a dramatic fashion.
Jameson chuckled as Michelle got off his lap and put her hands on her hips, “What the hell do you have that Jamie wants so bad?”
I raised up my index finger, “One, I don’t call him Jamie,” my middle finger joined my index finger, “I’m not desperate like you are,” my ring finger then joined the other two, “I have class. Need I go on?”
Michelle’s mouth fell open before she turned her gaze to Jameson who was stifling full-on laughter, “You’re really going to just sit there and let her talk to me like that?”
Smirking, I lifted Jameson’s chin so that he was looking at me upside down, “Yeah, Jay. Are you really going to let me talk to her that way?”
He reached his arms back to grab my hips and pulled me closer to the back of the couch, “You can talk to her any way you want.”
Lust swirled in his eyes, I could see it even looking at him upside down. I leaned down, about to kiss his lips, before looking back up at Michelle, “You might want to take a few notes on how to kiss someone.”
