by Tremay, Joy
“Stop,” he said abruptly, surprising her. His blue eyes looked at her intently. “I think I know where you’re heading with this. I know we haven’t committed to each other yet, but I wanted to leave that up to you.”
Richard paused before reaching across the table and placed his hand over hers.
“I have very deep feelings for you, Diana, but I didn’t want to pressure you into anything. Now, however, I think you should know that I want us to deepen our relationship.”
Diana gazed at him in consternation. They had slept together infrequently over the past year, and after each encounter, she had never truly felt fulfilled. The sad truth was that even though she liked him very much, she had never sought a deeper connection.
“Richard, I’m flattered,” said Diana gently. “You’ve been so understanding and patient with me. I’m afraid though that I don’t feel the same way about you as you feel about me.”
Richard’s blue eyes looked so sorrowful that it made Diana want to reach out and hug him.
“I know that I’ve felt more for you than you’ve felt for me, but I clung to the hope that your feelings would change. I guess I’m pretty pathetic.”
Richard paused and said sadly, “I’ve only ever wanted to make you happy, Diana.”
“I know,” Diana said softly. “I’ve never wanted to hurt you but now it’s time for us to go our separate ways.”
“No, please don’t say that,” Richard said pleadingly.
Diana shook her head firmly.
“I’m sorry, Richard, but I’ve met someone else,” she said quietly.
“Who?” he asked flatly. His eyes never wavered from hers.
“It’s someone from my past. You don’t know him,” she hedged.
“I want you in my life, Diana. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” “It does mean a lot to me,” she replied honestly, feeling guiltier than she had ever felt in her whole life. “It’s just that I’m no longer capable of continuing our relationship. I wish you the best. I know that there’s a perfect girl out there for you.”
He looked so sad that she felt like she had just kicked a puppy.
“I don’t know if I’ll ever find the perfect girl,” he said in a defeated voice. “Keep the earrings. I don’t want them.”
“Richard, I can’t - but thank you for being such a wonderful man and a gentleman.”
Richard paid for their dinner and they were both very quiet as he walked her to her car.
“Whoever he is, I hope he treats you right, Diana,” Richard said quietly before he turned around and walked away.
He didn’t look back, the little black box containing the earrings clutched in his hand because Diana had refused to keep them. She felt wretched, but she also felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She should have broken off with Richard months ago but she had not wanted to hurt him. Sooner or later, she would have ended their relationship but it was good that it happened sooner.
~
Later that evening, Diana crawled underneath her pink, cotton sheets. Still feeling emotional over her break-up with Richard, she had driven home with his hurt look haunting her all the way back to her apartment. It would have been better if he had railed and ranted at her instead of being so quietly accepting.
Suddenly, her cell phone rang on her night table, causing her to blink in alarm. It was past midnight. Who could be calling so late?
“Hello?” she asked distractedly, thinking it was Natalie calling for a late night update.
“Diana,” said Jake in a husky voice that caused her heart to leap instantly.
“Hi, Jake,” she said as she sat up straighter on her bed and leaned against her pillows. She had not expected his call at all.
“How did your dinner go?” he asked, a curious edge in his voice that she couldn’t interpret.
“It went fine,” she said, not wanting to go into details.
There was a short silence and Diana wondered what he was thinking.
“Did he take it okay?”
“Yes, Jake. He even gave me a birthday present.”
“A birthday present?” he asked, displeasure in his voice.
“Yes, earrings,” Diana admitted reluctantly.
“I see,” Jake said in a hard voice. “Did you keep them?”
“No, of course not,” she said, slowly starting to get irritated. What kind of woman did he think she was?
There was a pause on the other line and she closed her eyes feeling tired.
“I’m sorry if feelings were hurt, Diana,” Jake said unexpectedly.
“I suppose it was inevitable,” she said resignedly.
“It’s late, so I’ll say good night. I’ll pick you up at noon tomorrow,” he said, his voice gentle.
She suppressed a yawn before answering.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jake. Good night.”
Diana ended the call and slipped back down under her sheets again. Jake was like a bomb that had dropped into her peaceful world and part of her knew that perhaps she was jumping into Jake’s arms too quickly. But she wanted Jake more than any man she had ever met and now she understood that old saying; never underestimate the power of attraction.
~
Jake stared out into the night sky from his balcony and pondered over the possessiveness he felt toward Diana. He took a gulp of whiskey from his glass and thought about the woman whom he couldn’t wait to see the next day. He had his pick of women, especially here in Vegas where he had connections to every party venue in the city, and he had fully expected to meet many women while in town this summer. But after meeting Diana again, all he wanted to do was uncharacteristically spend his free time with just one woman - her.
Taking another gulp of his whiskey, he realized that perhaps one of the reasons why he had never been in a serious relationship was because he had subconsciously compared all women to the innocently sweet and sensual eighteen-year-old brunette he had met nine years ago and none of them had sparked his interest like Diana. He also had never felt possessive over any woman before. Just knowing that another man had given Diana earrings set his teeth on edge. If anyone was going to give her earrings, it would be him, damn it. He clenched his jaw before taking one last gulp of his whiskey. Tomorrow he was going to show her what she had been missing these past nine years and finally get his fill of the woman who had haunted his dreams for much too long.
Chapter Four
The small airfield was dusty, but buzzing with activity. Diana gingerly stepped into the small plane and looked out the window before strapping herself in. She had been surprised when Jake had told her that they were flying out of Vegas and going to San Diego for lunch. She had been thinking that they were going to a restaurant on the Strip. Nowhere in her wildest imagination did she think they were going to be flying out of the city.
“Don’t worry. I know the pilot and he flies this route all the time. We should arrive in a little over an hour,” said Jake, sitting next to her. He watched her bite her lower lip before squeezing her hand briefly. He could feel her racing pulse and stroked his thumb gently over her palm.
“I’m not worried. The plane is a little small, though,” Diana said a little nervously. Jake gave her a reassuring grin.
“Relax, sweetheart. Everything will be fine. Just breathe,” he said.
Diana looked into his teasing green eyes, warmed by his endearment, and understanding of her nerves. She didn’t particularly like flying, especially on small planes.
“Please turn off all electronic devices,” instructed a flight attendant politely as she walked past them. Jake turned off his iPhone and smiled at her.
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“Well, you succeeded,” said Diana. “You know, lunch at a local bistro would have been fine with me.”
Jake laughed and tucked back a few flyaway silky strands of her chestnut hair behind her ear, causing her ear to tingle.
“Are you telling me you’re a cheap date?”
“I’m not a
cheap anything,” she replied tartly.
“I’m going to treat you like a queen, Diana,” he said and leaned down to kiss her cheek. She felt her heart accelerate at his words and smiled back at him.
“Honestly, this is a bit much Jake. I’m not used to flying out of the city for lunch.”
“I think escaping the Vegas heat for a few hours would be a relief,” he said. “Besides, you’ll like this restaurant I’m taking you to.”
The plane took off and in a short time, Diana found herself landing in beautiful San Diego. Jake escorted her to a waiting shiny, black Lincoln town car. He gave the driver instructions on where to go before closing the privacy partition while Diana looked out the tinted window and viewed the pretty landscape before her.
“It’s nice to be back,” said Jake as he lounged comfortably against the black leather seating.
“You really miss it here?” asked Diana, admiring his casual yet sexy look. He wore faded blue jeans with a white sleeveless shirt and managed to look drop-dead gorgeous.
He nodded. “New York is great, but San Diego holds a lot of good memories. The beaches here are incredible. My friends and I used to surf every day.”
Jake lifted her hand from where they rested on her lap and kissed her palm, his tongue teasingly licking. The simple gesture left her knees weak and he smiled at her mischievously.
“Too bad I forgot to remind you to bring your bikini. We could’ve frolicked at the beach after lunch.”
“Frolicking with you sounds fun,” she said teasingly.
Jake placed his arm around her waist and drew her up close to him. She could feel his hard, masculine body through the thin, strapless, light pink dress she wore.
“We’ll do a lot of frolicking, sweetheart,” he said before he bent his head and kissed her, “and don’t worry, the driver can’t hear or see anything with the privacy partition up.”
Diana arched into him and opened her mouth slightly, more than ready for his kiss. Jake placed one of his hands at her nape to hold her steady while his other hand slowly inched the hem of her dress up her thigh. She heard him groan as he touched his tongue to hers and he opened her mouth wider.
Diana placed her arms around his shoulders and clung to him as he eagerly explored her mouth with his tongue. He tasted so good that she moaned in pleasure as he continued to delve deeper, his mouth devouring hers. The skirt of her dress was now bunched up around her waist and she felt his hand caress her soft thighs. His fingers skimmed her pink, lace thong panties and gently delved inside. Her temperature soared even higher as she heard him groan.
“Damn, you’re so wet,” he muttered against her lips. She opened her eyes slowly and caught him staring down at his fingers as they gently explored her between her legs.
“Jake, I -” started Diana, embarrassed at what he was doing.
“Shh, sweetheart,” Jake interrupted. “I promise you’re going to like this.”
Once again, Jake bent down and captured her lips, his tongue entwined with hers as his fingers rubbed at her below. He was so turned on that he couldn’t stop kissing her and touching her. Her lips were so soft and her body was so responsive to his touch. He loved the way her tongue tangled eagerly with his and how she was so moist between her legs. His erection became even more uncomfortable as he heard her ragged moan. He pressed himself against her even more as he gently tugged down her bodice and captured one erect nipple in his mouth and sucked. He groaned as she gasped and squirmed against him, his hand getting wetter and wetter below. “Don’t stop,” she pleaded softly as he swallowed her breast and cupped her between her legs.
“I want you so badly, Diana,” he muttered.
He felt her reach between their bodies and unzip him. He was so turned on by her bold action that he inserted a finger inside her and felt her shudder in excitement. His manhood felt as if it were going to burst as she writhed against him. He continued to suck on her turgid nipple as he rhythmically pumped his finger in and out of her wet mound. Suddenly, she cried out and felt his finger drench in her wetness. Her orgasm suddenly made him clench to keep himself from coming. He released her nipple and stared into her eyes. She looked dazed and shocked, but she smiled in satisfaction causing him to stroke her one last time between her legs before withdrawing his hand from underneath her skirt.
“Wow, that was something,” she said, breathless.
“It surely was. You’re so hot, Diana,” he said as he adjusted himself and zipped up reluctantly. Now was not the time to take her no matter how badly he ached to.
“I’m overwhelmed,” she confessed, raking her hair back behind her ears. He sensed that she was embarrassed by her behavior, but he bent down to kiss her comfortingly.
“So am I, sweetheart,” he said. “I should say I’m sorry about what just happened, but I’m not.”
She looked at him silently for a few seconds, but then smiled.
“I’m not sorry. This just took me by surprise.”
“Me too and I promise you that there will be more surprises later. But we’ll take it slow,” he reassured her, although he didn’t know how he was going to slow down with her. His member was so hard it ached and he didn’t know if he could sit through lunch without touching her.
The car slowed down to a halt in front of a seaside area. They hadn’t even noticed that they had arrived at their destination.
Diana felt completely shaken and flustered by what just happened between her and Jake. She couldn’t believe that she had just experienced the ultimate pleasure with him a few minutes ago in the car. She knew she had it bad for him, but now she was afraid that she no longer had any control over her wild attraction. She was relieved that there was a divider between the driver and Jake and herself. She was already utterly mortified by her uninhibited behavior.
“Come,” Jake said, a mischievous glint in his voice as he stood outside the car and held his hand out to her. She recognized the double entendre and placed her hand into his, smiling wryly as he grinned boyishly.
“You’re looking pleased with yourself,” she said as he led her up the steps to the restaurant, which was perched upon a hilltop overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
“Well, it’s not every day I can make a girl have a good time on the way to lunch,” he teased.
“Are you sure?” she asked, feeling insecure all of a sudden. Maybe he did this all the time and she was just one of many who fell for his seductive charms. Jake halted abruptly and lifted her chin. He looked at her seriously and what she saw in his green eyes made her pause.
“You’re special, Diana. Someone I wouldn’t just play around with. Please believe me,” he said solemnly.
His heartfelt statement soothed her troubled thoughts and she smiled as he captured her hand and continued to lead her up the stairs.
A young waitress in a starched white uniform smiled at them as they entered the restaurant. The turn-of-the-century looking restaurant had the charm of a beach house with many customers sitting and eating on the large patio deck.
“Please, follow me,” said the waitress as she smiled and led them to a corner alcove near the edge of the outside patio that had breathtaking views of the ocean below.
“This is a stunning view,” Diana said as she looked out over to the shimmering, blue sea.
She looked at the kayakers and sailboats out in the ocean and felt the soft, warm breeze sift through her hair. It was a beautiful day without a cloud in the sky and she smiled as Jake leaned toward her.
“I agree. I have the best view of all,” he said as he studied her intently.
She blushed at his perusal and then looked down at the menu before her. Unable to focus on her lunch choices and still feeling unsettled from her heated encounter with Jake in the car, she placed her menu down and found him watching her.
“I’ll take your recommendations on what to order,” she said.
“So trusting, Diana. What if I recommend something greasy?”
She laughed. “Something tells
me that this restaurant doesn’t serve greasy meals.”
“They do serve the most fantastic pasta dishes. Do you like seafood?”
Diana nodded, scraped back her chair, and then stood up.
“I’m going to freshen up in the ladies’ room. Be right back,” she said, taking her small, white clutch purse with her.
In the bathroom, decorated tastefully with nautical décor, Diana splashed a few drops of cold water onto her hot cheeks and stared at herself in the mirror . What happened in the car had shocked her. It had been too heated, too much, and too soon. Nothing so unbelievably passionate and uninhibited had ever happened between her and Richard. She felt overwhelmed by the powerful lust she felt for Jake. Being with him was like riding a roller coaster without the safety bar holding her in place.
Diana tucked a few strands of flyaway hair behind one ear and then quickly peeled down her moistened thong, wrapped it in a paper towel, and tucked it in her purse. She was glad no one else was in the bathroom to witness her unusual behavior. She would have preferred not to go commando, but it was too uncomfortable to walk around in moist underwear. The growing intensity of her feelings for Jake was unnerving. Diana walked out of the bathroom still feeling unsettled, but the excitement of being with him overrode her anxiety at not being able to control her impulsive desires.
As Diana sat down, Jake said, smiling mischievously, “I suddenly find myself not very hungry.”
“Why not?” Diana asked curiously. She glanced at the dishes that a waiter was serving at a nearby table. “The food looks delicious.”
Jake leaned over, his gaze steady on her face.
“I’m just hungry for one thing...you,” he said, making her heart leap in response to the heated look in his eyes.
Trying to sound nonchalant, she replied glibly, “You already had dessert. Now it’s time for the main course.”
He laughed and leaned back in his chair, allowing her to breathe a little easier.
“I think I’ll have the seafood chowder and a slice of the Mediterranean pizza,” she said, closing the menu and sweeping her hair back away from her face.
