by Lane Hart
Jess's spot in bed where I'd been spooning against her was still warm, so she hadn't been up long. Then I heard the retching from the bathroom. Oh shit, she was sick. Before I could get up she was back in the bedroom and slid quietly under the sheets with her back against me.
"Are you okay? Did you just get sick?" I asked, making her jump.
"No, I just had to go pee. Go back to sleep."
I was almost certain I'd heard her throw up, but I let it go. God, I hoped she didn't have a damn eating disorder or some shit. Now that I thought back on it, I'd been here since lunchtime yesterday and hadn't seen her eat anything for lunch or dinner. Fuck.
Chapter Fourteen
Jess
I woke up warm and cozy with Tyler cuddled against my back. His erection intimately saying good morning to my ass. Oh fuck! Nausea rolled through my stomach again, making me run to the bathroom. This time I quickly turned on the shower before I threw up in the toilet, trying to drown out the sound. He'd heard me earlier when I thought he'd been sound asleep.
I dry heaved a little longer until the feeling passed, then brushed my teeth and cleaned myself off in the shower. When I got out I decided to finally eat. I knew I shouldn't have gone so long without putting something in my stomach, and now my body was pissed. I rubbed my lower belly and apologized to our babies. Ugh. Those two words again.
I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and ate a banana which seemed to help, then went back to bed to properly wake up Tyler.
The sexy as fuck man was still naked from our incredible, night long romp, when I climbed up on him straddling his hips. I wasn't sure if it was his hotness or the hormones making me want to screw his brains out. Probably a combination, because no matter how many times I had him, I just couldn't get enough.
I leaned down to kiss his chiseled pecs, then moved lower and licked the ridges of his pelvis, finally feeling him start to wake.
Ready and dying of need, I turned around to reverse cowgirl him, trying not to dwell too long on the reasons Tyler didn't want to look at me when we fucked. He groaned under me when I rolled the condom on him, even though I knew we didn't actually need it, then I eased myself down on his hard cock.
Now more awake, his hands came up to my hips to help guide my thrusts, and every stroke of him inside me sent pulses of pleasure through my entire body. I rode him harder and faster until what was quite possibly the best orgasms of my life exploded from me.
Tyler held me as he rolled us to our sides, him spooning me until he finally pulled out and disposed of the condom. When he wrapped himself back around me his hand slid across my stomach and I tensed up, reminded of the lie I was keeping from him. Could he tell my stomach was not as flat? I'd noticed the day before, so I was really hoping the job Will told me about would work out, and soon.
"Jess, are you okay?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"You just seem sort of … off."
"I'm fine.”
“Butterflies are your thing, huh?” he asked, and at first I thought he was talking about the ones in my stomach. He meant my comforter and decorations in my room.
“Yeah.”
“Any reason in particular?”
“Well, I guess to me they represent new beginnings and freedom.” My own freedom from the pain of my and Jonathan’s past.
Tyler was quiet for a second then he kissed the side of my neck and his fingertips glided over my stomach again. “Yeah, and they’re also beautiful and fragile,” he said, and my breath stopped from the intensity of his seemingly innocent words.
“Can I fix you some lunch? Maybe a turkey or ham sandwich? I seriously need to go grocery shopping." I tried to change the subject and distract him with food.
"That's be great, thanks. I guess I should go get a shower," he said before sighing and climbing out of bed.
I dressed in some pajamas then headed to the kitchen. By the time I had a plate full of food for Tyler, he was already out of the shower. Actually he was standing naked in my bedroom, holding my phone.
"Why is Will texting you?" he snapped.
"Oh, he was just sending me the contact information for a job that I applied for."
"Had a helluva lot of fun Thursday night," he read the text. "Are you fucking seeing him?" he all but growled at me.
"Not that you have a say in who I see, but Dylan and Will stopped by the club the other night."
"Did you give them private lap dances?"
"That is what I get paid to do. At least for now." I left out the part about what had happened between me and Dylan.
"What the fuck does, 'If you need to talk to someone about what you're hiding, I'd be glad to listen' mean? Are you fucking BFFs or something now?"
"I don't appreciate how you're talking to me right now."
"Maybe I just don't want to get screwed over again so soon by another woman."
"If I remember correctly, you were the other man, screwing over your best friend for said woman. And just a reminder, I'm not her!" I screamed.
"I'm well aware that you're not her, and I really wish I knew why you flip moods, going from wanting me one minute to being downright hostile towards me the next."
"Seriously? Oh my God! You know, maybe I should screw Will and Dylan. I know they wouldn't mind looking at me while we fucked, and they wouldn't pretend I'm someone else. They actually want me."
"When we started fucking you knew I'd just been dumped, and you didn't seem to mind just screwing around with me then."
"That was before you knocked me up."
"What does that have to do with anything? You took care of that ‘problem’ without even a second thought. That right there told me all I needed to know. You don't give a shit about me, or want any sort of relationship with me. You couldn't wait to get rid of something we could've had together!" he yelled.
"Right. Because having children,” I winced internally at my slip and hoped he didn’t notice. “Having a child with a man who only fucks me to try and get over the woman he actually loves would make for a great fucking family."
"Well, now we'll never find out. I'm trying to get over her, and I do feel something for you, Jess. But you can't blame me for being a little paranoid about getting screwed over again."
"I kissed Dylan, and we got each other off," I admitted, whether to come clean or just to piss him off more, I wasn't sure which. But all the anger drained out of him and instead he only looked hurt.
"Wow,” he said, running a hand over his face. “I should've known. I wasn’t enough for her, so why the fuck did I think I could ever be enough for you?" he said before hastily putting on his clothes and slamming the door on the way out.
Why did I even try? This wasn't going to work, and I was a fool to think there was any chance it would.
…
Tyler
I had an hour before I had to be at work to start the six p.m. to six a.m. shift, so I took a little trip to visit my buddy Will. His car, along with Dylan's ridiculously expensive one, were both in the parking lot. Awesome, he and I needed to have some words too. I knocked on the apartment door and when Will pulled it open he didn’t even try to hide his surprised expression.
"Hey, Tyler. What are you doing here?"
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure. Unless you're going to kick my ass. At least warn me beforehand so I can take my glasses off."
"Guilty conscience?" I asked him.
"Hell no. You just look like you want to hit me for some reason," he said.
"You're not the one I want to hit," I told him. "He is.” I pointed toward Dylan and he jumped up from his chair when I headed for him.
"Oh shit," he muttered when I grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed him against the wall.
"If you ever touch her or look at her naked again I will beat the shit out of you," I told him, having to look up at the tall ass motherfucker.
"I won't, and it didn't mean anything," he said calmly.
I barked out a laugh at the stupid c
liché. "It meant something to me. It means you're an asshole, only capable of thinking with your dick, and she doesn't give a shit about me," I let him go then turned to Will.
"And why the fuck are you texting her?" I asked him.
"Ah," he replied, then crossed his arms over his chest. "Why does it matter?"
"Because she's my … because I'm seeing her."
"Seeing her or just screwing her, and don't want her screwing anyone else?"
"Why do you even care?" I asked.
"You're so clueless," Will chuckled.
"So enlighten me."
"You don't deserve her. She's an incredible girl that should be more than someone you occasionally fuck because Lauren chose Caleb over you."
"I want to me more with Jess, but the woman is…like hot then cold, and I can't figure out why. I keep screwing up with her, and then she went and screwed around with him. Fuck, I even got drunk and knocked her up."
"Yeah, we know."
My jaw dropped. "What do you mean 'we know'? She told you?"
"Didn't have to, I figured it out. That's why she wants and needs more from you."
"Right, as evidenced by the speed at which she ended it."
"Wait, what? When?" Will asked, shooting Dylan a look over my head.
"About a week ago. She didn't even tell me she was pregnant or going to do it. Caleb did."
"Hold on, this happened before Thursday?"
"Yeah. Last Monday."
Another look I didn't understand went over my head to Dylan again.
"You really need to pull your head out of your ass," Dylan interjected.
"What the fuck?" I turned around to ask him.
"Nothing," Will said quickly. "Look, Jess is trying to find a new job. She wants more in her life, and I'm almost sure that she wants you too. At least you minus the Lauren obsession."
"I'm trying, but it's not like I can snap my fingers and get over being rejected and discarded like I meant nothing."
"Well you better figure something out, or you're going to lose Jess too."
"I know damn it, but it's tough to do after she went and screwed around with him behind my back."
"Tyler, I swear, the other night we just got carried away after she danced for us. We both got off and that was it," Dylan said.
"Tell me exactly what the fuck happened."
He blew out a breath and ran a hand through his hair. "She was … well you know how hot she is naked. She'd been on both of our laps and by the end of it, we were about to blow. She let me touch her tit- breasts," Dylan said then paused.
"Keep. Fucking. Going," I ordered through clenched teeth. It took all my restraint not to swing at him knowing they'd had her naked on their laps, and he’d had his hands on her.
"Then I don’t know what the hell happened. She raised up on my lap and of course I was hard. Since my cock is so huge she basically impaled herself on me, and then we both lost our shit," he said, making my eyes roll at his ego.
"What the fuck ever," I said.
"Jess did say he was hung like a horse," Will felt the need to add.
Of course I'd heard the rumors about Dylan all through high school, but I'd just assumed a few girls were exaggerating. It was no secret that they’d all lined up to screw the big, rich bastard.
"That's not exactly helping," I told Will then turned back to Dylan. "Keep. Going."
"We kissed and a few minutes later we both came. Then we laughed at how ridiculous it was, and both agreed it had been nice to get off, but that was it, nothing else to it. Will tried to stop us but hell, we were too far gone by then."
"Tyler, I know it sounds bad, but it really isn't like what you're probably thinking. I was there and it was completely innocent between them, then it was like suddenly something just ignited and blew the fuck up."
"Yeah, his dick apparently."
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have touched her, but it was just … she was just … hell you are a lucky son of a bitch, since for some fucked up reason, you're the one she wants," Dylan said.
I laughed bitterly and rubbed my hands over my face. "That's the same thing I remember the cab driver saying after he jacked-off while watching her blow me."
"Holy shit! She let him watch while she went down on you?" Dylan asked.
"We were both drunk as fuck, and got carried away. Once she started I saw him jerking it, but it was too good and I couldn't stop her. So he watched while she finished me and then I got her off."
"Fuck, that's hot," Dylan replied in awe.
"That was the night I knocked her up actually."
"When you both got drunk at Shooters?" Will asked.
"Yeah."
"She cares about you. Don't let this mess with Dylan and her fuck things up. God, she was just upset because you don't actually see her as more than a piece of ass. She thinks you're not over Lauren, but your insane display of jealousy here today says otherwise."
"So I don't have to worry about either of you?"
"Us what?"
"Trying to get with her."
"No, only because she doesn't want us. But there's a hell of a lot of guys out there that will try if you don't man up."
"Yeah. I know."
Chapter Fifteen
Jess
I straightened the jacket on my pants suit while I waited for the attorney in their conference room. From what I'd seen, it was a nice office, taking up an entire floor of the tall building, with fifteen lawyers practicing various areas of law. I'd googled Joseph Montgomery and knew he was an up and coming criminal defense attorney. I was a little hesitant to work for a man that defended criminals, but when they called and asked me to come in today, after I’d just sent in my resume, I figured I was crazy not to give it a shot.
"Ms. Dodson, sorry to keep you waiting," the young man in the grey business suit said when he came into the room and shut the door. He was handsome and tall with jet black hair and blue eyes, and seemed pleasant enough. The man also seemed very familiar. He looked like Orlando Bloom, but it was more than that. Oh shit!
"Mr. Montgomery, thank you for meeting with me. I was really excited to hear about your opening," I stood up and shook his hand before sitting back down in my chair across the table from him.
"Good. So, tell me about your prior experience."
"Well, I don't really have any, but I'm looking for a new career and am eager to learn."
"Oh. Sorry but I haven't had a chance to review your resume. Where are you currently working?"
"I've been an exotic dancer at Infinity's for the past three years." I waited for him to throw me out. Instead he reached to loosen his tie, and swallowed deeply.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And although it is not direct experience, I do work with a wide range of individuals, professionally and courteously in a fast paced environment."
"Y-yes, I bet you do. What led you to enter such a field Ms. Dodson?"
"When I was seventeen I moved out of my parents' house with my younger brother. We've been living on our own ever since."
"Tough home life?"
"You could say that."
"Well, I was hoping to find someone that at least had law office experience, but I want to take a chance on you. You seem like a determined, reliable woman, and I commend you on trying to branch out and start a more … respectable career. So when can you start?"
I couldn't help the smile from spreading across my face. "Really? You're going to hire me even though I don’t have any office experience?"
"Yes. On one condition."
"Anything."
"I won't tell anyone here where you previously worked, if you won't tell them you've seen me there."
I laughed and held out my hand to shake his. "Deal."
"So, now let's discuss salary and benefits. What were you making at the club in a week?"
"Oh, well, I worked Thursday through Sunday and usually averaged about a thousand a weekend."
"Wow. No wonder you worked there for so long�
��and you get the whole week off!"
"Yeah it was a pretty good deal, but not having weekends off to hang out with my brother or friends was the down side."
"Of course. I can't quite compete with that, but the firm's set aside forty thousand a year for me to hire an assistant, plus health insurance, life insurance, 401K disbursement, and twelve days of paid vacation, with all the holidays off. Also, there's potential for raises every six months."
"Oh my God, that is even better than I was hoping. How soon does the insurance start?"
"Right away. We have a great plan here, it's actually one of the few that's one hundred percent covered by the firm."
"That's great, but that brings me to something I feel I should be upfront with you about before I accept. The reason I'm leaving Infinity's is because I'm pregnant."
"Oh. Well, employment laws say I can't ask you about that, but thank you for telling me. I also wouldn't withhold a job from someone on such a basis. How far along are you if you don’t mind me asking?"
"About seven or eight weeks."
"So we've got plenty of time to train you, and then have you train a replacement while you're on maternity leave."
"You're okay with that?" I asked, almost tearing up. "This sounds almost too good to be true."
"You know why I went into criminal defense? Most people ask me how I can sleep at night defending nasty criminals. But you know what I say to them? Everyone makes mistakes, and sometimes all people need to change their life is a second chance. A fresh start. And the individuals that work the hardest for that chance are the ones that always succeed. I believe you, Ms. Dodson, have a great deal of potential and only need the opportunity to do something with it. So what do you say, you ready to help me defend some criminals?"
I nodded since I couldn't yet speak.
"Great. So when can you start?"
