by Beth Rinyu
***
“Gia, I really did cook dinner for you.” He laughed as we lay on his living room floor naked and covered in sweat.
“Well, maybe I just wanted to skip to dessert first.” I planted tiny kisses on his chest, deeply inhaling his cologne. He kissed me on the top of my head and sat up, reaching for his clothes scattered across the room. “You know, I have no problem if you want to finish cooking dinner naked. I kinda like the view.” He shook his head and smiled while he pulled up his jeans.
He took my hand and helped me off the floor. When his hands moved down my naked body, I was yearning for him all over again. “And I kind of like the view from here.” He bent down and teased my breast with his tongue. “But, I slaved for hours to make you the perfect dinner, so you have to at least eat it.” I stuck out my lip and pretended to pout. “Okay. Fine….as long as you promise me some more of you after.” I couldn’t resist kissing his rock-hard chest once again. Sex with Jasper was beyond amazing and every time I thought it couldn’t get any better, he proved me wrong, and just now was one of those times. He was a very powerful man in business and he followed that same pattern in the bedroom.
After a delicious dinner of filet mignon, baby rosemary potatoes and some type of vegetable that I pretended to eat, we took a seat in the living room in front of the fireplace.
“That was really good….the sex and the dinner.” I laughed.
He shook his head and formed a deep smile. That same smile that was half-boyish and half-manly but 100% sexy. It always drove me crazy in a very good way ever since the first day that I had met him. As I stared at the dancing flames, I thought back to the past five months of my life. It was the first time ever that I had been absolutely consumed by one man. I had never dated anyone for long and this was a record. When I first met Jasper at my dad’s house, it was definitely an instant physical attraction. Even Carrie, who prided herself on being non-superficial, was left with her mouth wide open when she first laid eyes on him. I figured he’d be another conquest to add to my list. What could possibly go wrong with sleeping with a handsome, powerful millionaire? Not to mention his sexy Australian accent was an added bonus, making him that much hotter. One time. I figured that’s all I needed to get it out of my system. Then one time turned in to so much more; fancy dinners, attending all of his important events with him, and the way he would make me feel so important, always keeping me close by his side. Introducing me to his kids, which I would have been okay if he hadn’t, but these things made me feel like I was in a real relationship for the first time ever. Too bad he just wasn’t completely divorced yet, but I knew that was just a matter of time.
“Hey, why are you so quiet?” he asked, as I rested my head on his shoulder.
I shrugged. “Just thinking.”
“About what?”
“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I grinned. I wasn’t about to tell him that I had just spent the last few minutes daydreaming about us and our relationship and was actually thinking about a future together with him. God, what was happening to me? I didn’t need anybody. Especially not a man. So, why was I starting to feel like I needed Jasper?
“Oh, wait right there.” He got up from the sofa and disappeared down the hallway for a few seconds before coming back with that familiar turquoise blue bag from the store that I could never afford to shop in…Tiffany & Co. “I wanted to give this to you on Friday, but since our plans got ruined….” He sat back down next to me on the sofa and placed the bag on my lap.
“Jasper, really, this wasn’t necessary.”
He moved my hair from my face and pushed it behind my ear. “Yeah it is. It’s your birthday and you mean a lot to me.”
I felt my heart flutter and a surge of tears burn my eyes. I worked my way through the tissue paper and pulled out the box, gasping when I opened it up to find the diamond- encrusted tennis bracelet that I had admired so many times while window shopping, knowing that it cost the same as a small salary. “Oh my God, Jasper! This is –”
“A perfect fit,” he said as he clasped it around my wrist.
The words I was looking for were too much. How could I accept such an elaborate gift from someone I’d known for only five months? But as I looked down at it sparkling on my arm, it really was a perfect fit. Was I wrong for accepting such an expensive gift from him? It made me feel a little like Ava was right in her remark she had made about me the other night, but I was not in this relationship for Jasper’s money. That was the last thing I cared about. So, maybe it was okay to accept a beautiful piece of jewelry that cost a small fortune from your incredibly sexy boyfriend every once in a while. I moved my head closer to his until our lips were touching. “I don’t want you to feel like you need to buy me expensive things, Jasper. I like being with you for you, not your bank account.”
He shook his head and caressed the side of my face. “I know that Gia. I wanted to get this for you. You’re a good girl and you deserve it, even though you drive me crazy sometimes with that smart mouth and stubborn attitude. I really care about you….a lot.”
“I just don’t want people thinking –”
“People are going to talk no matter what….so fuck ‘em.”
“Okay, but right now, I’d rather fuck you.” I grinned.
“You’ll get no arguments here.” He grinned back.
***
I rolled over and looked at the clock, debating if I should spend the night or not. When Jasper pulled me closer and pressed his naked body into mine, the decision was made. He lifted my hair and grazed his lips along my neck.
“I’ve got a pretty busy day tomorrow, but don’t make any plans for Tuesday. I want to spend time with you before I leave.”
I turned around to face him. “Oh, where are you going?” It wasn’t out of the norm for Jasper to be jetting off somewhere on business at the last minute, so I wasn’t surprised.
“Oh, I’m heading up to Cape Cod with Kathy and the kids for Thanksgiving.” I was waiting for the punchline because this was clearly a joke, but when he got up and walked into the bathroom, I knew he was serious.
What the fuck? He was spending Thanksgiving with his soon-to-be ex? I got up and began to dress. There was no way that I was staying here tonight. Did he think I was that much of a pushover? Buying me an expensive birthday present, cooking me a nice dinner and having hours of amazing sex was supposed to make it okay? I was slipping on my boots just as he returned to the bedroom.
“Where are you going?” he demanded.
“Home. I forgot I have a super early rehearsal in the morning.” I lied.
“Gia, it’s after midnight. I really don’t want you going home this late.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t control what I do. Just like I don’t control what you do.”
“Gia, what the fuck?”
I turned around and threw my arms in the air. “Okay, I completely get why you would be spending the holiday with your kids….but your ex? Oh wait….that’s right, she’s not even your ex yet.”
He let out an exasperated breath. “Is that why you’re leaving?”
“No. I told you, I have my rehearsal, and I have to go.”
He gently grabbed my arm and I snatched it away. “Just let go of me!” I shouted.
“Gia, will you please just hear me out before you go storming off? Please?”
I let out a deep sigh, allowing him to take my hand and lead me over to the bed where I reluctantly took a seat. “Listen Gia, I would much rather not be spending the time with Kathy either, but I just want to keep things as normal as possible for the kids.”
“Jasper, it may be none of my business, but things aren’t going to be normal for them anymore; you’re getting divorced and the sooner they get used to it, the sooner they’ll be able to adjust. I speak from experience. My parents never tried to pretend like things were normal when they were getting divorced, my sister and I had to deal with it and we did, and we both turned out perfectly fine.”
“Gia, I j
ust feel guilty about not being in their life full-time. This is what they want for Thanksgiving, so I want to do this for them.”
“And is this want she wants too?”
“I don’t care what she wants.”
“Well, I do. She’s your wife, Jasper. Separated or not. I mean, if you want to get back with her just let me know and I’ll gladly step out of the way.” I couldn’t believe I was crying. I tried to wipe the tears before he could see them, but it was too late.
“Hey, don’t cry.” He pulled me closer and kissed me on the top of my head.
“This is just so stupid. I can’t believe I’m crying over this.”
“Gia, you are a big part of my life now and this trip is for my kids and my kids only. You have to believe that, sweet girl.” I wanted to believe it more than anything, but it still stung a little to know that at any moment, I could go from being his girlfriend to the girl he used during his midlife crisis. And, as much as I didn’t want to admit it, that was something I wasn’t sure my heart would ever get over.
Thirteen
Gia
I muddled through my Monday, trying not to think about the bombshell that Jasper had dropped last night. I knew I didn’t have any other choice but to be okay with it, even though I wasn’t. I really had no claim to Jasper. The toothbrush I had kept in his medicine cabinet was the extent of our commitment. Normally, dancing was my therapy, but even the three hours of dance rehearsal couldn’t clear my thoughts. So, I was actually breathing a sigh of relief as I walked into the bar, hoping that the customers or my co-workers would somehow lift my spirits.
Chelsea’s smile was a mile wide when I walked in the door and I couldn’t imagine why. “Well, well, well! Are you holding out on me or what?”
“What are you talking about?” I asked, as I placed my bag behind the bar only half paying attention to the magazine she was sticking under my nose.
“Umm....this!” I finally looked down at the cover of one of the biggest gossip magazines around. Who Is The New Mystery Lady in Cam Hamilton’s Life? was written in big bold letters over the top of the picture of Cam and I and the innocent little kiss that I had given him the other day right before getting into the taxi.
I let out a loud laugh. “Wow! This really is a rag magazine.” I handed it back to her.
“Gia! I know you are not holding out on me! When did you break up with Jasper and more importantly when did you start dating Cam Hamilton?”
“I didn’t break up with Jasper and I’m not dating Cam,” I replied nonchalantly, refilling one of the customer’s shot glasses while Chelsea stood there with her mouth wide open.
“Oh no, no, no! You are not going to get off that easy. How the heck do you know Cam Hamilton? My boyfriend idolizes him!”
“I’ve known Cam forever. His mom and mine are best friends.”
“And you never bothered to mention this to me!”
I’d never really mentioned it to anyone because to me, it really wasn’t that big of a deal. Cam was still Cam to me. Not superstar shortstop Cam Hamilton, like everyone else saw him. “I don’t know. I guess I just never really thought about it.”
She placed her hand on my shoulders. “Gia, you are friends with one of the hottest, if not the hottest, baseball player around and you never thought about mentioning that to me!”
I let out a giggle while fixing a drink for another customer.
“Yo, Red, a little less talking and little more working,” Sal scolded as he walked between us.
“Oh no, Sal, this requires a lot of talking, just look at our little Gia here.” She flashed the magazine in Sal’s face just before he snatched it from her hand, staring at the cover intently. I rolled my eyes at her and she shrugged her shoulders. “Sorry, Gia, but this is big news for us little people.”
“Holy shit, since when are you dating Cam Hamilton?” Sal looked up from the magazine in amazement, passing the magazine around to the customers sitting around the bar. “Look at this, we got a celebrity working here!” he proudly bellowed.
“Oh my god! For the millionth time, I am not dating him! We are friends. That is it!” I shouted.
“Gia, could you tell him to come to New York and play, we can use him.” One of the customers roared.
“Look what you started,” I scolded Chelsea.
“Well, I’m sorry, but you could have given me a little warning. Can you imagine the shock I was in when I saw this at the newsstand? And, missy, if you’re just friends, how do you explain that kiss?”
“It was honestly just a friendly, one second brush on the lips.”
“Well, it looks like a little more than that based on that picture,” she teased.
“It wasn’t, you should know that those magazines twist things around into making the readers believe what they want them to believe. Cam is nothing but a very good friend!” I said, as I vigorously wiped down the bar.
“Okay, well the next time that friend is in town, would you mind introducing him to your other friends.” She looked back down at the magazine that Sal had just given back to her. “God, that man is so hot! Gorgeous millionaires. Sexy baseball players. I want your life, Gia.”
“Oh yeah, my life is just wonderful,” I mumbled.
Once things started slowing down and I had a few minutes to catch my breath, I finally picked up the magazine examining it a little closer this time. Damn that photographer was good; he snapped that picture right at the precise time to make that kiss look way more intimate than it was. Great. Now I was going to have some explaining to do to a lot more people than at this bar, like my mom, Aunt Jodi, Carrie, and most importantly, Jasper. Shit! Jasper! What if he saw this? I’d just finished ragging on him about spending a few days with his soon-to-be ex and here I was on the front of a magazine cover appearing to be making out with one of the most famous baseball players around. Talk about looking like a hypocrite, but I knew the truth, and I would just explain it to him the same way I’d explained it to everyone else here tonight. I knew I was probably worrying needlessly, Jasper didn’t have two minutes to himself with everything else he had going on in his life and I’m sure reading trash magazines wasn’t at the top of his priority list during his downtime.
“Gia, you can go on and head out, I’ll lock up,” Sal said, looking around at the last few stragglers finishing up their drinks at the bar.
“Oh, are you sure?” Normally Sal always left the close-up to me or whichever bartender was on shift. Maybe “dating” a celebrity had its perks.
“Yeah, go. Get your holiday started early.”
“Oh, no. I’ll see ya on Thursday.”
“No, you won’t. I’ve decided to close. My mother was on me about working on Thanksgiving, laying the guilt trip on me about how her and my dad didn’t have many Thanksgivings left.”
“Well….newsflash….this bar has run without you here before.”
“Yeah, I know, but Dante wanted off and so did Chelsea and Andy. So I figured I may as well be nice and shut down to give everyone the day off.” I raised my eyebrow at him. “Shut it!” he said, seemingly knowing the smart ass thought I was thinking.
Great. The first time ever that Sal decides to choose family values over business was the one time that I actually wanted to work. I began to regroup my plans for Thanksgiving in my head. My mother had already told me that she was planning on having it at her house, but I wondered if I could persuade her and Ben, and Carrie and Jason, if he wasn’t working, to come here to watch the parade and then go out to dinner. I decided it was worth a shot. Even if it was a little late on notice. I just needed a change from the usual. Eat dinner. Watch football. Pass-out routine of years passed. I would deal with that tomorrow. The same way I would deal with Jasper’s text that he’d sent a few hours back asking me to call him. It was too late and I was too tired. Especially if the reason he wanted me to call him was what I thought it was. I gathered my bag, shouted a quick goodbye to Sal, stopping for a moment to grab my magazine cover debut from the
bar. I looked down at the photo and couldn’t help but smile. I had dreamed of kissing Cam in the way that picture had portrayed ever since I could remember. He had always been my secret crush all throughout middle school and high school. Now that we were “adults,” my crush had turned into a deep invaluable friendship but that still didn’t stop me from thinking, if I knew I was going to catch flack for this kiss, I should have made it worth my while and got some tongue action too!
Fourteen
Cam
My bags were packed and by this time tomorrow I’d be sitting on a beach in Cabos, away from meetings, away from schedules, and away from press events for four whole days. But before all that, I’d agreed to meet Jessica for a drink and lay everything on the line with her before I left.
“Hey,” she greeted me as I took a seat next to her at the bar, ignoring the stares of the other customers. I could tell she was annoyed over something. She didn’t like all the attention I got when we were out in public. Neither did I for that matter, but I really didn’t have much of a choice. “So, was your trip to Manhattan productive?” she asked. I shrugged my shoulders just as the bartender placed a beer in front of me. “Yeah, I bet it was!” She reached into her purse and pulled out a magazine, slamming it down on the bar. “I refuse to be the laughingstock of everyone because you have no self-control. Who is she Cam?” she demanded.
