Irresistible

by Adrian Stark

  “Is the food here?” Chrissie’s voice brought me back to reality.

  “Not yet.”

  She scooped the bottle from the counter and poured herself a glass, toweling her hair dry with her other hand. She nodded at my hand, still poised over my phone screen.

  “You heard anything yet?”

  I opened my mouth to answer but the phone buzzed before I could say anything. It was Hugo.

  “Hey, Hugo, what’s up?” I asked absently around a mouthful of wine, trying my best to avoid eye contact with Chrissie.

  “Hey, Andrew, there was someone at the office looking for you.”

  Chrissie waved her hands and I looked at her. She mouthed something like going to dry my hair and walked back toward her room. When I focused back on Hugo I realized he was still talking.

  “What was that?”

  “I said ‘she seemed like she really wanted to talk to you’.”

  “Who?”

  “The chick that was looking for you! Said she wanted to tell you she was sorry and—” there was a knock on the door. Must be the food. I moved to answer it, only half listening as Hugo went on about the person he’d met at the office.

  “So I gave her your address and sent her on her way.”

  “Wait. You gave a random stranger my address?” I opened the door, prepared to apologize for being on the phone. “What the fuck, Hugo? What if they’re a journalist or a serial killer or somethi—?” The words died on my tongue, eyes going wide.

  Chapter Four: Chapter 4 Title

  Why did I wait so long to do this? Andrew stood in front of me, one hand clasping his phone to his ear. His shirt was rumpled, three of the buttons undone, and I was hit with the image of his naked chest, dripping from the shower or framed by sunlight as we lay in bed together. There were dark circles under his eyes. He looked tired but the sight of him still took my breath away. My hands itched to reach out for him, pull him close, and never let him go but I couldn’t move. Before I wouldn’t even think twice, reeling him in for urgent kisses and running lazy hands over any part of him I could reach. Now though…was I even allowed to do that anymore?

  “Josie.” He sounded so surprised and I immediately felt uneasy again. I thought I’d gotten so good at reading his face: the tilt of his eyebrows when he didn’t quite believe what you were telling him, the way his mouth would twitch when he was trying not to laugh... I thought I’d traced every line, every expression. But now it was unreadable.

  I couldn’t stop the racing of my pulse when he said my name, my heart beating so loud I thought for sure Andrew could hear it, stretching out between us.

  “Hello? Andrew?” The voice from the other end of the phone made us both jump, and I sent Andrew a tiny amused smile. Andrew stared down at the phone in annoyance. My stomach turned. God, this was a terrible idea. I swallowed uncomfortably, eyes flying to the carpet at my feet. It was nice—red, with little swirls like someone had dropped gold shavings—curling in every direction.

  Andrew was obviously busy. We hadn’t spoken in four months and suddenly I turned up on his doorstep. He’s right to be shocked; who does that? I turned to go, mind made up.

  “I can-I can go.” I clenched my jaw, determined not to cry until I was outside to save what was left of my pride.

  “No!” A hand shot out, reaching across the invisible barrier between us to catch my sleeve and spin me back round. “Please, don’t go.” It was barely a whisper.

  I stared down at his hand and reached very slowly to take it in mine.

  “Okay,” I responded, unable to deny him anything. Andrew spoke quickly into the phone, eyes never once leaving mine. It was like we were having a staring contest, neither of us wanting to look away first. He hung up and looked down at our joined hands without a word.

  I thought I should say something, but I didn’t know where to start. My mind was a mess. It was all I could do to hold his hand and look into his eyes.

  “Andrew, what’s taking you so long? I’m starving—oh.” Chrissie emerged from one of the rooms behind Andrew and paused, hands running through her hair. I cleared my throat, aware that Andrew and I were standing at the doorway in silence, hands clasped in front of us.

  “Hi Christine.”

  “Hi Josephine. You are not Chinese food.”

  I laughed softly, eyes finding Andrew’s once more. “No I’m not.”

  “Well, I’ll leave you two to it then.” She pulled a coat down from the hooks beside the door and slipped on a pair of boots before moving past me out of the apartment. Charlie appeared at the top of the staircase.

  “God, parking around here is awful; you were right Josie. I totally should have just let that chauffeur dude park it for me, I—what’s happening?”

  “Hello, Charlie.” Chrissie cheerfully slung her arm through Charlie’s and led her back down the stairs, throwing a wave over her shoulder as she did. “Lovely to see you; we’re leaving.”

  “Wait! Where will we go?”

  “Leave that to me. I know a few places. There’s…” Their conversation faded as Andrew tugged me gently into the apartment, closing the door behind me.

  Now that we were alone, the full force of just how much I’d missed him coiled in my belly. Andrew opened his mouth and I threw myself forward before I could second guess myself.

  I’d lost track of how many kisses we’d shared by now—from gentle pecks early in the morning to the hot press of teeth and tongue when we fucked. This though, this felt like we were kissing again for the first time. It ended sooner than I wanted, Andrew's hands gently pushing me back. I grabbed at his shoulders, refusing to move too far away from him. Warmth radiated from him and I shivered. He cradled my face in his hands, chest heaving.

  “Josie.” He breathed and I shivered again, drowning in the love I saw reflected in those eyes. “Josie I—”

  I placed a finger to his lips. Eventually, if we wanted to make this work, we would need to talk this through. And god, I wanted this to work—more than I’ve wanted anything in my life. But all I wanted now was him.

  “Please kiss me,” I whispered, fingers moving to drag through his hair and grasp at the nape of his neck.

  “Christ, anything you want.” Our lips met with a groan and I let my eyes slide closed. Andrew’s lips were smooth and soft and endlessly delicious in their movements. It was dizzying, sparks of heat rising through my gut as his tongue moved against mine, running over the roof of my mouth.

  He guided me through a doorway, and a moment later, he dropped down onto the bed, pulling me to straddle his lap. I gazed down at him for a long moment, eyes traveling hungrily over him, reacquainting myself with the love of my life. His hands went to my hips, fingers skimming along the skin just under the hem of my shirt before hooking his fingers into the waistband of my pants. I bucked into the sensation, loving the warmth of his hands and the bulge of his cock brushing between my open legs.

  “Fuck,” I whimpered. “Missed this. Missed you.”

  Andrew pulled my shirt over my head, pressing kisses to every inch of my skin until I was whimpering with need, limbs trembling as he buried his head between my tits. He pressed more kisses to the sensitive skin, one hand lifting from my hips to thumb at a nipple. My back arched, wanting him closer.

  “Please,” I whispered breathlessly, unsure what it was I was asking for.

  “What do you want, baby?” Andrew looked up at me, expression soft and so full of love I trembled before it. “What do you want? I’ll give you anything.”

  You. “This. More, please. I-I need you.”

  He shushed me gently, rubbing tenderly over my cheeks.

  “I got you baby. I love you so much, Josie.”

  He kissed me hungrily and I pushed against him eagerly, pouring every ounce of love and want into those kisses. My hands moved restlessly up and down his chest, tracing the muscles through his shirt and loving the way they shifted under my fingertips. I shimmied back, suddenly desperate to have him in my hand. I fu
mbled for the button of his jeans, fingers clumsily pulling at his pants and underwear until, finally, his cock was exposed. He pushed me gently off his lap, and I let my eyes trace the sculpted lines of his back, arms, and chest as he slipped his shirt off and pulled his jeans free before pulling me back toward the bed.

  While once again straddling his thighs, his hand slipped up beneath my skirt as mine reached down, pressing kisses into my flushed cheeks and lips. He was hot and thick in my hands, and he groaned as I began to move, gathering precum to slicken the movement. Andrew's head tipped back, his hand moving to touch my pussy with his fingers. His eyes met mine as he slowly circled my clit and then pushed a finger inside. I gasped. God, I’d missed his fingers in me. I bucked into his hands, speeding my own movements as I got closer and closer to the edge.

  He pulled me closer, his free hand gripping my hip so tight I was sure it would leave a mark. The thought made me clench around his fingers, breathy moans escaping as we ground against each other’s hands. My head was spinning, the building pleasure was far too distracting as Andrew slipped a third finger into my pussy, pressing deeper. The rhythm of my hand around his cock faltered as my body convulsed with pleasure.

  “Fuck!”

  "Josie, baby, please," Andrew begged. The desperation in his tone and the way his cock throbbed in my hand was too much to handle, and I kissed him hard, fingers gliding along the underside of his dick.

  Every movement sent sparks of pleasure down my spine. I couldn’t stop moaning, mouth open and wet as we traded kisses.

  “I’m gonna come,” I breathed into his mouth, licking across his bottom lip. My hand was cramping and my legs were going stiff from keeping myself upright but I didn’t care. Nothing mattered now except the feeling of Andrew’s finger curling inside me, his tongue claiming every inch of my mouth. He growled against my mouth and he came, ropes of white cum landing on my hand. Andrew leaned down, biting at my nipple and pushing his fingers impossibly deeper until I cried out, vision going white as my orgasm washed over me.

  Chapter Five: Chapter 5 Title

  I don’t know what time I woke up—early enough for it to still be dark, but for once, I didn’t mind. The past couple of months my bed had been feeling too big, too empty. I’d dreaded going to sleep at night, knowing something, be it Chrissie or dad or Josie, would keep me awake. I’d lie in bed for a few hours, kidding myself that I would eventually drift off before admitting defeat and crawling back into the front room to start working again.

  But today was different. Today Josephine was asleep beside me, a heavy comforting weight on my chest. I watched her for a long time, taking in every small movement and quiet noise she made. How was it possible for someone to be so beautiful? I shifted, pulling her closer and wrapping her up in my arms. The familiar scent of citrus drifted up from her hair and my heart ached. I could happily lie here for hours but I knew eventually we would have to talk. The past few months had been a mess for me. And I couldn’t imagine what Josie must have been through...

  My phone rang, disrupting the quiet, and I glared at it over my shoulder, groping for it with one hand, unwilling to let go of Josie. Luckily, she didn’t wake up at the noise. From the look of her last night, she needed a good rest.

  “Hello?”

  “Good morning, lovebird.”

  I flushed at the words and buried my head in Josie’s hair.

  “Oh hush.”

  “Who would have thought I’d be sexiled at the age of thirty five by my little brother?” I winced, groaning apologetically.

  “I’m sorry, Chrissie.”

  “No you’re not.”

  “You’re right. I’m not. Last night was wonderful and you being there would have ruined the mood.” My stomach rumbled and I thought of the Chinese food we’d ordered. Is it frowned upon to eat cold Chinese food for breakfast? There had to be leftovers; I didn’t even remember eating all that much… “Oh fuck. The Chinese food!”

  I could hear someone laughing in the background that sounded suspiciously like Charlie. Josie whimpered quietly below me, face creasing in discomfort. I pressed a kiss to her temple, coaxing her back to sleep.

  “We intercepted the food on our way out,” Chrissie reassured me. “We’re staying at Park Central.”

  My arm was starting to go numb. I wiggled my fingers experimentally, trying to shake off the pins and needles.

  “We’re not kicking you out for a week, Chrissie. You could have stayed at the Hudson or something.”

  “I insisted,” came Charlie’s voice again. “If we’re being sexiled, we’re doing it in style.”

  “She’s terrifyingly persuasive.” There was a teasing tone in Chrissie’s voice that I was definitely going to ask her about later.

  “So, have you two talked yet?”

  I ducked, embarrassed.

  “We were...busy…”

  “I do not need to know any more than that—look we’ll head back in a couple of hours, okay? Talk to her.” She hung up before I could respond and quiet settled over the room once again. I sighed, throwing the phone over the side of the bed.

  “You look like you just got scolded by your mother.”

  Josie stretched in my arms and snuggled in close. Her eyes were still soft with sleep and I couldn’t help the dopey smile that spread over my face.

  “Hi.”

  “Hi.” She bit her lip, hiding her own grin, and I had to kiss her. She tasted sour and stale from sleep but intoxicating all the same. When we pulled apart Josie was panting, eyes half-lidded.

  “Was that Chrissie on the phone?”

  I nodded, skimming my nose along her jaw with a rueful smile.

  “We kinda sexiled her and Charlie last night.”

  Josephine buried her head in my chest with a groan and I laughed, smoothing a hand through her hair. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed touching her like this.

  “We should probably talk, huh?” She murmured.

  “Probably,” I agreed. Neither of us moved. Worry niggled at the back of my mind. There was no way we’d be able to move forward if we didn’t talk about this now. Chrissie was right, we owed it to each other to say what we were thinking. I sighed, reluctantly pulling back my arm and sitting up. “I’ll make tea.”

  Josie looked up at me, soft and warm and safe. She smiled nervously and nodded.

  “Okay.”

  I went through the familiar routine of boiling water and pouring two mugs worth of Chrissie’s fancy tea leaves into the strainer. Josie was looking around the front room, one of my shirts wrapped around her shoulders. Chrissie had brought a lot of her own stuff with her when she moved in, adding a layer of clutter I wasn’t used to. But it was nice, made the place look more lived in, more homey. Josie seemed to think so too, looking around with a small smile. She looked so at home here, like she’d lived here all her life. I felt a thrill go through me as I realized that this could become a common occurrence—making tea in the mornings while Josie lounged in the front room, both in pajamas, content to waste the day away together.

  “Tea’s ready.”

  She took her cup and the two of us sat at the kitchen island, sipping at the sweet liquid.

  “It’s nice.”

  “It’s Chrissie’s she’s been ah—she’s been living with me since, you know.” Why is it so difficult to talk to people? Josie bit her lip guiltily and my heart sank. She thought this was her fault, and that thought killed me.

  “Josie, it's not your fault. Fuck—nothing is your fault, okay?” I took a deep breath— better to get this all out in one go—no way to sugarcoat it. And I can’t go another second with Josie thinking that she was in any way at fault for anything that happened. “The day I almost fired you, I had a meeting. The board told me they’d found some old files and that Wright Enterprises was responsible for the death of a lot of employees.” I couldn’t look at her, afraid of what I’d find on her face, so I stared into my mug. “I knew who your dad was and I let them persuade me that you we
re there to take revenge. But when I heard you talking to Charlie, I knew that you weren’t up to anything.” Josie kept quiet and I pushed on, desperate to fill the silence drawing out between us. “I always meant to look into things, but then I spent time with you and I was-I was so happy for the first time in years. And then MaryAnn happened and then Michael and I just—I never found the right time to tell you.”

  “Andrew…”

  “And I just want to tell you that nothing that’s happened is your fault.” We locked eyes and I tried to show just how much I meant what I was saying. “I deserved everything you said to me and everything that happened after you left. I’m not asking you to forgive me. I just want the chance to make it up to you, and I swear I will never—”

  “Andrew.” My mouth snapped shut. There were tears gathering at the corner of my eyes, and I wiped at them roughly. I kept my gaze on the table, flinching when I heard Josie’s chair scrape away from the counter, followed by soft footsteps as she made her way around the table, stopping beside me. “Andrew, look at me.” Her voice was so soft, so gentle. I did as she asked, meeting her gorgeous blue eyes. She ran a hand over my face, fingers lingering on my cheekbones before cradling my face in both her hands. “I forgive you.”