“What?” Sam’s eyes were wide and her mouth hung open.
“And get this, it cost three grand!”
I looked away, searching all the faces in the room looking for some salvation. They were saying stuff at me, but I pretended I couldn’t hear them over the music.
“Abbie!” they shouted in unison.
“Shut up and drink, old lady.” Smiling, I raised my glass to them and took a gulp of my gin and tonic.
We giggled and carried on drinking until it was time to go for dinner. Four of us, Jenny, Sam, Marla and I went for a meal.
* * *
The restaurant, like the bar, was more upscale than anywhere we’d normally go. The three of us had decided to treat Jenny. She was the first of our friend group to turn thirty, and we were trying to ease the transition for her.
We were all feeling pretty good after the earlier drinks and ordered an overpriced bottle of sparkling wine.
“Cheers,” Marla said holding her glass aloft.
“Thanks for this incredible meal girls,” Jenny said.
I’d been lucky. They had stopped quizzing me about Jay since leaving the bar. The waiter brought us our desserts, crème brûlée is heaven all around.
“So Abbie,” Jenny said as she dropped her spoon. I braced myself and took another drink of wine.
“Yes.”
“I’m worried about you.”
“No, we’re worried about you,” Sam said.
“Why on earth would you be worried?” I asked.
“Because,” she halted, looking for the words she was either too drunk or not drunk enough to find.
“You guys are getting so serious so fast, but you don’t seem to know anything about him,” Sam said, taking over from Jenny.
“That’s not true,” I said.
“It is. What do you even know about him?” Jenny asked.
“Lots. I know lots about him, about his character and his lovingness.”
“Okay, I’ll be the recruitment specialist interviewer here, what’s Jay’s home like?” Marla said.
“I haven’t been to his home yet.”
“No? Why not?”
“I don’t know, I live so centrally, it’s convenient.”
“So he doesn’t live centrally?” Sam asked.
I remained quiet.
“Where does he live?” Marla asked.
“Oh my god, you don’t even know where he lives!” Jenny said.
“You know? It doesn’t even matter,” I said, dropping my fork on the table.
“Maybe he lives in his car,” Sam said.
“What else don’t you know about him?” Marla asked.
“That’s a silly question, how does she know what she doesn’t know?” Sam said, giggling.
“What’s he look like?” Marla asked.
“Sam’s seen him,” I said.
“He looks respectable, plus he’s gorgeous,” Sam said.
“He’s more than gorgeous,” I said, picturing his face at the front of my mind.
“Okay, yes, more than cute,” Sam said.
“Let’s see a photo,” Marla said.
“I don’t really have one.” I struggled to get the words out of my mouth.
“Abbie,” Jenny said with concern.
“Wait, I do have one.” I wrestled my phone from my purse and flicked onto the photos. I held my phone out over the table for the three to look at. In unison, they each grabbed for the phone to get a closer look.
“His eyes are closed,” Marla said.
“Is he asleep?” Sam asked, her brow furrowed.
“Yeah, it’s a pic of his first sleepover at mine.”
Jenny wrenched the phone from my hand, “Let me see.” Her fingers spread across the screen, zooming in on his sleeping face.
“He’s got brown eyes,” I said.
“Man, you definitely have a type, this guy is just a hotter version of Matt,” Jenny said.
“He is?” I said surprised.
“Look at his jaw line and nose. Except somehow it works so much better on him. Damn, look at the muscles in his shoulders,” Jenny said.
“He’s even better standing up with his eyes open,” Sam said.
“Hubba-hubba,” Marla said, and we all laughed.
We left the restaurant and headed back to our usual Friday night bar since they turn into a dance club at ten and played the best music around. We knew it would be a late one due to the importance of the occasion. Jenny had arranged ahead of time to stay at my central condo. We’d all chipped in and given her a massage pamper package and she had an early appointment in the morning.
Jenny and I said good night to Sam and Marla and got back to my condo just before two. It took me a few times to get the key in the lock thanks to all the booze. When I finally managed to click open the door, we skidded through the entrance and collapsed on the bed.
* * *
Jenny was still asleep, mouth hanging open and drooling, when I woke up. With a pounding head, I staggered to the kitchen for some coffee. While I waited for it to brew I noticed a silver envelope on the floor in the entrance way. The building doesn’t allow junk mail to be put directly through doors but sometimes the odd person will sneak through and spam the residents with flyers.
I picked the envelope up and noticed my name printed across the front. It immediately put me on alert. For what, I don’t know, but this wasn’t normal. I sliced it open with my thumb nail and pulled out the paper inside. Only it wasn’t paper, it was a rectangle of heavy card that resembled a wedding invitation.
I scanned the handwritten message then read it again.
Abbie, meet me at O’Sullivan’s bar on Cedar street Sunday at three pm and I will explain everything. Don’t tell anyone. J
I staggered backward, my heart thumping. My hands gripped the corners so hard the corners creased.
“Good morning,” Jenny said, sounding far too cheerful for someone that had drunk so much the night before. I slid the note under the microwave.
“Hey, happy birthday sweetie.” I hugged her tight, congratulating her but also needing her support.
“I am so looking forward to my massage.”
“I wish I was having one.”
“But I’ll see you afterwards, for lunch and the hydrotherapy pool.”
“Yeah, when you’re all relaxed we’ll all be tense.”
“You should come, now you’re the big boss.” Jenny poured herself a cup of coffee and downed it in one go and poured a second.
“I am not the big boss, just Sam’s boss. And I haven’t had a paycheck yet, I’m broke.”
“Another time.”
We sat at the table, drinking our coffees. I used all my energy to focus on our conversation. Jenny would be able to sense if something was wrong, and no way did I want her knowing about the note. Or all the stuff that lead up to the note.
“You’d better get ready, you don’t want to be late,” I said, clearing our mugs away. I tried to seem natural, like I wasn’t trying to get rid of her.
After she’d left, I pulled the note back out and read it again. Tomorrow at three. How would I ever wait so long to see him? And why did he say not to tell anyone? What possible motivation could anyone have for saying such a thing?
I stewed all day and all night. Debating whether to go and whether to tell anyone. He said not to, which automatically made me want to. But whoever I told would try to talk me out of it. Or worse, go with me. Or try to physically stop me.
My heart was desperate to see Jay. I missed him, missed the feel of his arms around me. I don’t know how I got to this point. I went looking for a one-night stand for some sexual release and ended up smitten.
Smitten but not totally stupid. I needed answers, and he was going to tell me them.
Chapter 29
I’d never actually set foot on Blostern street before. In fact, I don’t think I’ve even driven down it. It’s not exactly the desirable part of town. I kind of wish I’d splurged on a cab.
Instead I strained my neck from my seat on the bus, scanning the stores and panicking I’d miss the bar and would end up having to walk any distance in this neighborhood.
A grimy beige sign came into view, “O’Sullivan’s.” It looked like it dated back to the fifties. It’s amazing the place had stayed in business all these years.
My hands connected with the wooden door, it was just as grimy looking as the sign and sticky under my touch. Inside was dim. Dark even. I’d left all the afternoon daylight outside. I squinted, my eyesight struggling to adjust.
Already on edge, I flinched when my arm was grabbed, my heart leaping into my throat.
“Abbie, I’m glad you came,” Jay said.
“Jeez, you scared me.”
“I’m sitting over here.” He guided me around a corner towards a booth, with two Buds sitting on the table.
I sat, trying to touch as few surfaces as possible. I looked at him, puzzled as he slid into the booth beside me and I shuffled along to make more room for him. Already the heat of his body was spilling into mine, and I was desperate to feel his arms around me.
Jay was wearing a t-shirt that exposed his biceps, and I clutched onto his arm, trying to calm myself. He seemed at ease, maybe this was his neighborhood. I waited for him to start explaining, but instead he reached for his beer.
“What gives?” I asked.
Jay sucked on the lip of his bottle before sighing. He turned to me and said, “I don’t know how to explain. In a way that won’t upset you.”
“Too late, I’m already upset.”
He didn't say anything. Instead, he put his arm around me, and I snuggled close against his torso. He took another sip of beer. A long sip, and I could hear his heart beat from my nuzzled position.
“It’s okay, just tell me. I won’t freak, I promise.” I gave him a squeeze, to try to reinforce my words, though I didn’t know how I wasn’t going to freak. The whole situation was freaky. Unless he was building it up. Over-blowing it, whatever it was. It’s possible not knowing what it was caused greater anxiety than if he’d just tell me. I decided not to say anything else, to wait until he spoke. I waited some time.
“There’s something going on, and I can’t let anyone see or know I have any contact with you,” he said. I straightened. “But it’s okay, I bought you a disposable cell phone to call me with. I even managed to program my number in.” My eyebrows knitted together.
“What does it matter if we have any contact? Who would care?”
“It’s too difficult to explain right now.”
“Okay…” Maybe he’s a spy, though why would he be a spy? More like an undercover cop, but no cop could afford that watch or to spend thousands on a corset. Once again I’d arrived at criminal, but I didn’t want to believe it. He was not giving me that vibe. But now, how was I wrapped up with a guy who couldn’t be seen with me? I shook my head and dismissed all my worries as a part of my paranoia after Matt.
“It’s only for a couple of weeks, until I can sort out an arrangement. Don’t worry, it’s nothing to worry about, trust me.”
He reached around me with his other arm, and I twisted in the booth to be enveloped in as much of him as possible. I inhaled his clean scent and let his touch comfort me.
“I’ve missed you,” I said.
“Beautiful, I’ve missed you too. More than you could ever know. Just sitting here with you is making me crazy.” Whenever he called me beautiful, my insides kerneled and popped. I’d come here to get answers, to give him the third degree. Above all, I’d intended to resist him. To not let him charm me. I was to be in control, but my desire was controlling me.
* * *
Our closeness was too much to bear. I looked up at him, and couldn’t restrain myself any longer. Neither could he. Our mouths joined with all the built up passion of the past few days.
I struggled to explore him within the constraints of the booth but that didn’t stop me. My hands flew over him, across his shoulders, down his arms, around his waist. I was desperate for more of him.
My hands roved over his hard body, down his thighs straining within his tight jeans. His hands found their way underneath my top and fumbled to undo my bra. Unhooked, it hung loose, my breasts heavy behind it. He palmed my tits and kneaded them, causing both the hardening of my nipples and the moistening of my pussy.
I reached for his crotch, his cock was hard, ready for me. In my frantic rush I struggled to undo the button of his jeans. Once opened, I rammed my hand underneath the elastic of his boxers, latched my fingers around his swollen member and tugged.
His cock grew larger under my touch, and I needed more of it. The fixed table of the booth prevented much movement on my part. There wasn’t enough space to sit on his lap. The seat wasn’t wide enough to allow room for my body while I leaned over to suck his cock. I could get it tantalizingly close but never close enough to get my tongue on it.
The more I tried, the more I wanted it. I forgot my surroundings. The decades of filth and grime vanished, and I contorted my body until I’d squeezed myself onto the floor, rewarded when my lips firmly wrapped around his cock.
I licked and sucked his shaft but the table was still preventing me from bobbing my head up and down over him the way I wanted to. I worked around, resting the side of my head on his thigh and rolling his cock in and out of me. The entire time my pussy grew hungrier, and I ground my pussy against my heel, stimulating my clit and moving closer and closer to climax.
Jay’s hips urged his cock up and down, in and out of my mouth. I worked my mouth harder, my tongue licked left and right under the shaft as sucked in bursts. Jay matted his hands through my hair, and cum shot into my mouth. On the second burst of cum, an orgasm radiated up from the filth of the floor and flooded through my body.
After I’d extracted the last of the cum from him I relaxed my body. For the first time, I noticed the ancient mosaic of gum plastered over the underside of the table. I didn’t want to look down to discover what I was kneeling on.
Suddenly eager to get out from under there, I shimmied and crawled backward out of the side of the booth. Jay did up his jeans while I stood beside the booth. He hadn’t moved over to give me any room to sit beside him.
He stood placing his hands on my arms, “I have to go, I was supposed to be gone by now,” he hesitated, a half smile on his face, ”but you distracted me. You leave first, we can’t be seen leaving together.”
As quickly as his cum had filled me with reassurance, his words sucked it all out again. I watched, stunned as he nodded me towards the door. Not wanting him to see me cry, I fled the bar, fortunate enough to find a taxi right outside.
It wasn’t until I got home that I realized I’d left the disposable cell phone at the bar.
Chapter 30
On Monday, I struggled to push my meeting with Jay from my mind. I couldn’t mess my new position up and jeopardize losing it, along with my condo and everything else. Since my parents died when I was a teenager, I’d been determined to have a good career. To make it on my own without needing help from anyone, because there was no one to get help from. Now all my hard work was paying off, and I wasn’t about to blow it. My entire life was riding on it.
By the time I’d had my meeting with Richard on Wednesday, my whirring mind had slowed enough to allow me to focus on filling spreadsheets with numbers.
Richard seemed impressed with my insights and supportive of my vision for reporting, which reinforced my confidence in my abilities. If only I didn’t have the issue with Jay distracting me I could really shine.
Every once in a while I’d stop to beat myself up for leaving the cell phone in the bar. I trusted Jay, and respected his instructions not to contact him, my heart still leapt every time my phone chimed. But there had been no word from him.
“You’re coming tonight or are you seeing your man?” Sam asked Friday afternoon.
“No, I’m not seeing him, I’m definitely coming. Lord knows I need a drink.”
&n
bsp; Her face dropped. “You mean you’re not seeing him tonight or not seeing him ever?”
“Just not tonight,” I said. My lips formed a tight smile, and she studied my face then walked away. ‘Was I seeing him’ was a question I’d been trying not to ask myself all week.
* * *
As I took the first sip of margarita on Friday, I could no longer avoid thinking about Jay. What were the chances a silver envelope would be waiting for me in my front hall when I got home? Or better yet, find Jay’s car parked out front with him sitting in it.
A few hours and a few margaritas’ later, Sam was getting ready to leave but Jenny and I protested. I guess neither of us wanted to stop the partying. Her milestone birthday had finally hit Jenny, and while last week had been a celebration, this week she wanted to drown her sorrows. I had my own reasons for wanting to party. Namely, I knew in my heart I wouldn’t hear from Jay this evening.
Jenny plunked three more drinks on the table, and Sam, for the moment, was obliged to stay. The crowd was thinning out, but the bar hadn’t yet turned the music up and switched to dance mode. It was the lull between the post work crowd and the late night party crowd. A time to relax and order our usual extra spicy chicken wings that would give us the energy to make it through the night.
Our table was nearish the front, Sam and I sat side by side facing the door and Jenny sat in a chair with her back to the door. I stretched around in my chair, looking at the bar and squinting to read the special of the day when Sam grabbed me and clutched my top so hard she scratched my skin.
* * *
“Ouch, what are you doing,” I said turning back to her.
As my head twisted back around, I froze. Calvin. Please don’t see us, but before I’d finished my silent plea, he had zeroed in on us and was marching straight to our table.
“What’s going on?” Jenny asked, turning to see what we were looking at.
“It’s our nightmare ex-boss, Calvin,” I said.
Dirty Billions: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance: (A Chicago Suits Second Chance Romance) Page 26
