by Claire Adams
Chapter Thirty-Six
Mercedes
I woke up and realized I was lying on a set of perfect satin sheets. I couldn’t help but smile. I was with Jake, where I belonged. It wasn’t a dream. He’d really told me he loved me. Just thinking about those words made me shiver. He loved me.
Jake was warm. My cheek pressed against his shoulder, and my arm wrapped around his back. I sat back and propped myself up so I could see him. I wasn’t sure what to think about the story that he told me, about how he saw me and Tony delivered me to his house.
It was hard for me to think of Tony as the hand of God. More like a fairy thug-father. But life works in strange ways. He wouldn’t be the first fool to be used for a good purpose. It was just strange to me that Jake chose me out of millions of women to be with him.
There were plenty of women with a natural look and a good personality. Why me? I had no idea, but I planned on doing everything I could to find out. Maybe he was right about me sacrificing too much of myself to others.
When he first told me that I was beautiful, I didn’t believe him. I thought that he was just trying to flatter me. Then a famous designer told me that she wanted me to model for her several times. Still, I refused to believe her. I was completely blind. I couldn’t understand what he saw in me.
But he wasn’t going to let me forget. He was going to get up in my face and remind me every single chance he got. How could I possibly walk away from something like that? I loved him.
A smile curved up his lips, and he turned over to peck me on the lips. “You’re beautiful.”
“I love you, Jake. I fucking love you, and I simply cannot apologize enough.”
“Don’t apologize,” he said. “Never, remember?”
“Yeah.” I nodded my head.
“What’s for breakfast?” he asked.
“Are you asking me?”
“It’s your choice.” He reached up and grabbed his phone off the night stand.
“Something simple. I don’t know. I just want to eat it in here with you.”
“You do?” He needed that affirmation, and I planned on giving it to him.
“Absolutely.”
He reached up and wrapped his arms around my neck, then pulled me into his kiss. Soon enough, he was on me, and I was crying out. When we were done, he collapsed at my side.
“I want pancakes,” I said.
“And eggs,” he added.
“And sausage.”
“Yeah.” He kissed me again, then grabbed his phone to text the cooks. “You’re not allowed to leave today,” he said. “You’re my prisoner.”
“Am I?”
“Yes, you are.”
“Are you going to handcuff me?” I asked, giggling.
“If you’d like me to.”
“Hmm.” I stroked my chin. “We’ll get back to that later. I’m starving.”
The breakfast cart arrived shortly, and we feasted for as long as we could. Finally, we had to lay down again from exhaustion. Jake was lying flat next to me. He turned over and propped his head up in his hands. “Look.” His eyes traveled down his body and rested on his exposed cock. It was upright and rock hard. “You want to suck it?”
“Maybe.” I kissed him.
He wrapped his arm around my back and slammed me forward. His cock rested on my stomach while his tongue pushed into my mouth. I drew back and pulled my lips down his neck, kissed his chest, and moved down to his stomach while I watched him stroke himself.
I kissed every one of his eight abs and moved down the trail of hair below his belly button. He thrust his hips forward, and the head of his cock rested on my lips. I wanted to take the whole thing and let him press it into the back of my throat. I opened my mouth and pushed my tongue forward.
The sound of bells rang out. I froze.
“What is that?” Jake asked.
“My mother.”
He laughed, and I glared at him. “What?” he asked.
“It’s not funny.”
“So, what? Ignore her.”
“The words ‘my mother’ just left my lips. I can’t screw for at least an hour.”
“Wanna bet?” He bit into my neck, sending chills down my body.
“I have to call her back.” I stood up and turned to see him with his naked body laid out and his arms folded behind his head. He was still hard.
“You’re not leaving again, right?”
“No, I’m not.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket. It was dying, so I plugged it into his charger and dove down to kiss him again. He wrapped his arms around my neck to pull me down, but I stepped back.
“I’ll bet that took a lot of discipline.”
“I refuse to admit that.” I looked down at the phone. There were four messages and a missed call. “I’ll be right back.” I walked into the bathroom and called my mom.
“Mercedes,” she answered. “Where are you? What is going on? I’m worried.”
“I know, and I’m sorry, but everything is fine now.”
“Thank God,” she sighed in relief.
“Was that why you decided to blow my phone up?”
“No, we’re having lunch.”
“Alright, I’ll be there in a little while.”
“Sweetie,” she said. I could feel it coming. “I’m your mom. You know you can tell me anything, right?”
I hung up and walked back into the bedroom, where Jake was lying sideways in a seductive pose. He smirked and patted the bed. “Come here.”
“Dear God, you get me going.” I knelt to pick up my panties off the floor.
“Then why aren’t you here with me, huh?”
“My mother wants me to come home for lunch,” I said.
“Does that mean I get to meet the family again?” He sat up. “Last time was fun.”
“No.” I pulled my panties on.
“Why not?”
“It’s so annoying. They noticed that I was upset, so they’ve been ganging up on me.”
“Is it that bad?” he asked.
“You saw. They make a game out of it.”
“I’ll bet they were concerned,” he said.
“They were.” I picked up my bra and put it on.
“Do you have to do that?”
“I wish I didn’t,” I said. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Good.” He stood up and kissed me, then ducked down and handed me my shirt.
If I had my way, my family would never see Jake. I’d live a double life, and they’d both be completely oblivious. It didn’t seem natural for the two worlds to exist at once. When I pulled up to the house, my mother was outside smoking a cigarette.
She ran up to give me a hug when I got out. “You look so happy.”
“Do I?”
“Yes, you’re totally different. You got back together with him, didn’t you?”
“We’re not doing question and answer time, Mom.”
We walked back inside, where my father sat on the couch watching a cooking show. “You did it!” he said, standing up to give me a hug.
“What is wrong with you people?” I asked. “Are you psychic?”
“We’re your parents.” My mother walked into the kitchen and pulled out another cigarette. “We know you better than you know yourself.”
“Well, it’s not something I’m willing to talk about.”
I followed my mother into the kitchen, where she stood in front of the stove. “Your cousin’s coming over. She’s been asking about you.”
I sat down at the table. “Did you tell her anything?”
“No.” She turned back with her brow ruffled. “I didn’t tell her anything.”
“They were on the phone for an hour,” my dad called out from the living room.
“Seriously?”
“We didn’t say anything bad.” She turned her focus back to the food.
“What are you cooking?” I asked.
“Meatball marinara.” My mom ducked under the sink to pull out a stock pot and sta
rted filling it with water. “We got the good meat, too; none of that fatty stuff, since we can afford it now.”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “We can, can’t we?”
She shook her head. “You know, I still haven’t figured out what happened.”
“It’s a mistake with the system,” my dad yelled.
“Bull,” my mom said. “There’s no way they would erase our debt just like that.”
“They’ll catch it,” he said. “Be careful. I’m telling you.”
“I don’t think we have anything to worry about,” I said.
“Do you know how it happened?” my mother asked.
“No,” I lied.
“Well, I just don’t get it.”
“You don’t have to worry,” I said again.
“All right.” She lifted the pan out of the sink and put it on the stove. The power of the moment started to hit me. It was so normal. My mom and I were in the kitchen while my father watched TV. But to us, it wasn’t normal. Usually, we were all in our separate rooms, staring at separate screens. We had this moment together, and many more to come, because we didn’t have to worry any longer.
Jake had given this to us. My mother wouldn’t have to work three jobs. If she wanted, she could stay at home all day, and my father would have the care that he needed to make sure that he survived. He was going to live.
The doorbell rang.
“That’s probably Loren,” my mom said from the stove.
“I’ll get it.” I stood up to answer the door. The second it opened, Loren grabbed me by the collar and pulled me outside.
“What is wrong with you?” she hissed.
I pulled myself away and straightened my shirt. “What?”
“You’re dating one of your clients, you fucking idiot. I thought you knew better than that.”
“You know what, Loren? I only screwed one guy. I only delivered packages to one guy. He wasn’t my client, and I like him, for fuck’s sake. I mean, who are you to judge me?”
“I’m worried about you. What are you thinking? Do you really want to be with a man that picks up hookers?”
I sighed. “I’ve been through this over and over in my head, and every single worry I’ve had has been dashed away. Now, there’s no denying that this is the right thing to do.”
Loren looked me up, then down. “You’re one crazy bitch, but I hope, for your sake, that you’re right.”
“I am, and you know me, Loren. If it was like that, I never would’ve gotten into this.”
“You’re right.”
We walked inside and sat down at the table. My mother asked Loren how things had been. Once she was satisfied that Loren had told her everything, she started dancing around the subject of Jake. Loren redirected her back to the stove by standing up to pull the lid off the pan before it was ready. My mom reacted instantly.
“Hey.” She shot up out of her chair.
“I’m sorry,” Loren said. “I just wanted to check.”
“You have to be careful. The lid has to stay on the pot. You know that. It’s not good otherwise.”
Loren flashed me a grin and sat down while my mother worked on the sauce, adding Italian seasoning, salt, and a splash of red wine. The smell of roasted tomatoes and herbs flowed through the kitchen, spreading throughout the house.
My father walked up behind my mother, who was hunched over the stove. His hand darted out around her back, and he stuck a finger in the sauce. Then he licked it off his finger.
My mother whipped around and seemed to grow 10 feet. “You get back.” She stepped forward, but he held his ground. “Go.” She pointed at the TV.
He gave her a defiant glare and took a seat at her spot at the table. “I’m fine right where I am.”
“Is that garlic bread I smell?” Loren asked.
“Shoot.” My mother dipped down to open the stove and check the bread.
The wine bottle sat on the counter next to her. Had she not bent down to check the bread, she would’ve seen when my father snatched it up off the counter. He took a good, long swig while Loren and I both watched, trying to hold our breath just to keep from laughing.
Finally, he drained the whole thing and set it down on the table next to me.
My mother turned back. “Mercedes!”
“I didn’t…” I started but couldn’t finish. I was cracking up too much.
Loren laughed too, but my father sat as solemn as could be with his arms folded across his chest.
“I cannot believe you did that,” he said.
“Wait.” My mother looked at the counter, then back at my father. “You little shit.” She slapped him on the back of the head.
“Ow, that hurt.”
“You know what, Mom? I don’t think a little alcohol is going to kill him.”
She set the garlic bread pan on the counter and turned to me. “I don’t like it.”
When she turned back, he was a quarter of the way through a piece of French bread. He looked up at me with a huge grin, and we all broke out laughing, even Mom. She went back to cooking while we sat and talked about everything and nothing in particular.
The moment drew on into the evening, even after we finished our food. We sat around the table, sipping on my mom’s secret stash of beer. For once, I wasn’t mourning my father or waiting to see if he was going to die. Jake changed that. He brought life back into the house.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Jake
I stood in front of the mirror, wearing a white dress shirt with my hair parted to the side. I buttoned my cuffs, then picked up my bow tie. I’d always hated the things. I would’ve worn a clip-on if I could, but for some reason, there was a stigma against them. I took out my phone and set it on the counter.
I had a video ready with an overdressed butler type explaining how to tie a bow tie. He walked me through each step individually. It should’ve been easy, but for some reason, the things were designed to be torture devices. By the time I was done tying the thing, my shirt was drenched in sweat, and I had to change.
I checked the time on my phone. It was 4:30, which meant that I had an hour and a half. I was starting to get anxious. My new guard, Rico was manning the gates. I called him. “Has anyone shown up?”
“Sir, I will alert you the minute somebody gets to the gate.”
“Thank you.” I walked back in, feeling like a complete idiot. I had to calm down. If I didn’t, my heart would explode. I sat down at the bottom of the stairs and took a breath.
When I closed my eyes, I saw Mercedes. Tendrils of her blonde hair flew out behind her, kissing the wind while we sped down the coastal highway in a red convertible. She laughed and smiled, so I turned away from the road for just a moment to taste her lips.
She’d been surprising me recently with different flavored lip gloss. There was cherry, strawberry, and watermelon. Those were boring, but I still couldn’t get enough. The flavor I loved the most was chocolate. The way the taste rubbed off on my tongue made my whole body tingle. I could practically feel it.
I was losing my mind, smelling perfume that wasn’t there, licking my lips and salivating. She was all I ever thought about. There wasn’t a single moment when I wasn’t trying to do something nice for her, or trying to prove myself to her in some way.
I worked hard. I always did, but now I worked for her. I got up in the morning because I knew I’d see her. Everything I did, I did for her, and I wasn’t sure that would ever really change. There were no fights, no drama, just that one moment of doubt, and we were back together.
My phone rang in my pocket. “Hello?” I answered.
It was Andrew. “Hey, Haylie’s freaking out because I’m leaving. You don’t mind if I take her, do you?”
“No, definitely bring her. I should’ve mentioned that before.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
“Yes, I’m positive.”
“Alright, I’ll load her up.”
“Thank you,” I said. “Hurry.”
> “I will.” He hung up.
I sighed, closed my eyes, and went back to my breathing. There was no way the breathing exercises would calm me down, but I needed something to focus on right now, something other than Mercedes.
The guard called me. “There’s a woman at the gate.”
“Who?” I jumped up.
He took forever to answer back. “It’s the mom.”
“Let her in,” I said. “And send her around back. And don’t scare me like that. Take names.”
I went back to breathing. I probably looked like a sorry mess, but I didn’t care. Mercedes was the only thing that mattered. I got up and checked out my appearance in the mirror again.
I wore two shirts and a tank top, and the sweat still somehow found a way to soak through. This meant, of course, that I was going to have to relearn to tie my bow tie. Then, I‘d have to find a way to control my perspiration, and I still hadn’t checked on everything.
I walked back into the bathroom to retie my bow tie. Then I caught myself in the mirror and saw the sweat welling up on my forehead. There was no way that I could control that. It’d just keep getting worse and worse, and I wouldn’t be able to wipe it away because it’d stain my sleeve. Then it would slide down my face and dry all over my forehead, stinging my eyes.
I slammed my eyes shut and willed myself to breathe, focusing on nothing but the in breath and the soft cloud that fell out after. I could almost see her standing in the shower behind me, cleaning herself off. When I walked out, I looked at the bed and imagined the way she looked when I woke up the morning after I told her I loved her. She couldn’t stop smiling.
I took one last look in the bathroom mirror, then looked down at the counter. The guard was calling. “Hello?”
“Sir, there’s a man at the door with a little baby.”
“What are their names, Rico?”
He sighed and took his time talking to my brother. “Haylie and Andrew.”
“Send them around back, and next time get names.”
“Yes, sir.” He hung up.
My phone started ringing again the second he did. “Hello?”
