Jennifer and Rocket (The Princesses of Silicon Valley Book 6)

by Claire, Anita

  Laying her down on the rug, I’m over her as she breaks away and says, “We’ll get the rug wet.”

  I start kissing down her neck to her chest.

  “Meredith and Sam should be getting here soon.”

  Since I have one of her nice pink tits in my mouth, I have to release it to respond. “Yeah, I don’t care.”

  She squeals as I run my mouth down to her core. Looking up at her, I can see the passion run over her face as she makes those cute moaning noises she’s so good at.

  “Oh, Rocket,” she breathes out as she arches her back.

  Those are the words she should be saying. When I’ve got her good and revved up, all squirmy and moaning, I realize that I need protection. Shit, I hate breaking the mood when she’s ready. Reaching over, I find my jeans and dig out a condom. She’s ready and so am I. Just as I’m coming, I hear the garage door go up. Shit, talk about timing it tight. I finish my last thrust, take a deep breath, and pick my orgasming girlfriend up as I hightail it into the shower for round two.

  When we finally show our faces, Meredith raises an eyebrow and has a big smirk.

  “Have a nice shower?” she says as she hands Jennifer her bikini. “This was getting buried in the snow. Oh, and Rocket, are those your clothes strewn across the living room?”

  Jennifer snatches her bikini as I say, “If you got here five minutes earlier you would have walked in on a show.”

  Jennifer slaps my arm; her eyes get big. “Rocket!”

  Jennifer cracks me up. In some ways, she’s so prissy and in other ways…she’s not.

  A combination I like.

  Feeling dehydrated, I head for the kitchen. I’m astounded. Meredith brought up as much crap as Jennifer. Looking through the bags, I can’t find any beer.

  I say to Sam, “With all this food, do you think they could have forgotten beer?”

  Sam shrugs as he tells me, “I don’t get involved. This is their thing.” This is probably the best attitude to have. I can see why he’s lasted so long with Meredith.

  Heading over to Safeway, the snow is relentless. Two feet must have fallen since Jennifer and I got here. Safeway is a complete madhouse. Not only is it a holiday, but they’re predicting ten feet of snow. Everyone’s making sure they have enough supplies. Grabbing a shovel and a couple cases of beer, I decide that I better get some anti-freeze and some candles in case we lose electricity, we certainly don’t need any more food.

  Back at the house, Jennifer’s friends Juliette and her boyfriend Nate have arrived. Nate has a Jeep with snow tires and a Minnesota license plate, so there are at least two of us who can handle the snow. Juliette’s also brought a lot of food. I wonder who’s going to eat it all.

  Of course, Jennifer’s lugged up her rice cooker. Sam pulls out a beer, points to it and says, “Hey, Jennifer, I see you brought your security blanket.” Looking at me, he continues, “She never travels without it.”

  Dinner is fun; her friends are enjoyable to hang with. They bring out a side of Jennifer I’ve not yet seen. They all start telling funny stories from college. Whenever they bring up Jennifer, she’s making the costumes, creating the invitations, or memorializing the event in some scrapbook. Not that I’m surprised—I’ve seen her wall of crafts.

  After dinner, the guys cleanup and then the six of us play poker. Juliette and Nate play well. Jennifer plays terribly. She forgets which card is high and which is low, she asks questions that broadcast her every move, then she’s shocked when she loses. Trying to help her out only makes the situation worse. I don’t mind learning my girl’s weaknesses. Anyway, it’s nice to know she’s not good at subterfuge.

  After poker, we sit around the fireplace and countdown to the New Year. Sam has a crazy tradition of spitting Jägermeister into the flames after making a new year’s resolution. Surprisingly, it’s fun. As we make our New Year’s wishes, I silently wish that Jennifer and I have a good year together. Sam’s phone dings telling us it’s time for the big countdown. Jennifer squeaks as I pull her onto my lap.

  I start the New Year kissing my girl. Nate stands up with Juliette wrapped around him as he heads to their room. Thinking this is a good idea, I grab a hold of Jennifer’s hand as we head off, too.

  ***

  In the morning, I instantly know something’s off. The light coming through the window is wrong. Rolling over, I figure I might as well sleep, until Hartley starts whining at me. Damn, she needs to go out. Jennifer pulls the blanket over her head as she snuggles in deeper. Quietly dressing, I pull on my warm jacket, boots, gloves, and hat. I open the garage door; it’s a solid wall of snow. With shovel in hand, I start digging a tunnel so we can access sky. After a bit, Nate comes out. He stands in the garage with his hands on his hips looking at the wall of snow. I give him a few minutes before I say, “You going to look at it, or are you going to help out?”

  He picks up a shovel and joins me. When we actually reach the surface, Nate says in disbelief, “It’s still coming down. I grew up in Buffalo, lived in Chicago and Minnesota and I’ve never seen so much snow.”

  I take a break by leaning on my shovel. “Growing up in LA, Wyoming at first was a shock. My first winter there, I went home for Christmas and didn’t go back until March. Actually, I traveled around the Southern Hemisphere. By the second year, I fell in love with snow and winter sports.”

  Nate nods as he says, “Yeah, winter sports are great.”

  After a while, we get a decent path cleared. Hartley pokes her nose in the snow, then whimpers and barks at me as she hangs out in the garage. Finally, I get tired of her complaining. Nate and I throw snowballs to her. This gets her over her fear as she starts chasing them. As we move her outdoors, she’s totally confused where they go while she swims through the snow to catch them.

  It’s exhausting to shovel at 6,000 feet. Feeling hungry, we head in the house. Everyone is up and making breakfast. Afterward, the six of us head outside so we can clear the driveway and uncover Nate’s Jeep. When we break for lunch, and to dry our clothes, someone turns on the weather channel. Not surprisingly, all the roads in the area are closed. They predict the storm will pass through by tonight, dropping another three feet. That will make twelve feet of snow in about thirty-six hours.

  In the afternoon, we get a break in the weather with bright blue skies. We all head outside. At first we throw snowballs to Hartley. Soon this turns into a full-blown snowball war. Remembering from when we got here that there aren’t any bushes or trees near the front door, I climb onto the roof and jump into the deep soft snow. Jennifer starts screaming my name thinking I killed myself. Hartley’s also barking, but she’s a crazed dog. The jump was fun, though it’s hard getting from the middle of a deep snowdrift to the path. I like it so much I decide to do it again. This time, I pick Jennifer up over my shoulder, carrying her up to the roof. Her friends shout and cheer as she squeals and screams. It’s only a small drop since the snow is so deep. Soon, all of us are jumping off the roof.

  Chapter 28 – Pizza

  Jennifer

  Meeting up with the Princesses for pizza on Tuesday night, Juliette tells us her sister got engaged on New Year’s Eve. “I told Nate he didn’t have to be involved in my sister’s engagement and he looked hurt. The next day, he told me he didn’t want to be the secret boyfriend.”

  “Why don’t you want to invite him to meet your family? Your parents are cool,” Hita says.

  Juliette looks pained as she answers. “I really like Nate. Introducing him to my family, that’s what people in a serious relationship do.”

  “You’re not serious about Nate?” Meredith asks.

  “I like him a lot. But having him meet my parents? We’ve only been going out a couple of months. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that.”

  “Your parents met your old boyfriend Stephan,” Isabelle reminds her.

  “Yeah, but we were going out longer than two months.”

  “They won’t disapprove,” I tell her. “Nate’s every parents’ fan
tasy for their daughter. Can you imagine me bringing Rocket home? I can already hear my grandmother, auntie, and my mom. They’ll have a heart attack when they see his tats and piercings.”

  “Yeah, and that’s his face and arms,” Meredith says. “You’re from Hawaii. Your family loves to have picnics on the beach. I can just see it…he takes off his shirt to go for a swim—”

  “Oh my God, your grandmother will freak!” Juliette says.

  “And they won’t even see that other piercing,” Isabelle adds in.

  “What was he thinking?” Juliette says with a shudder.

  Not wanting to go there, I shrug. Kelly has a really big mouth. Then I wonder how Kelly knows about that piercing. Yeesh, it’s probably from a firsthand encounter, something else I don’t want to think about.

  What I really want to discuss with my friends is Tristan, but I don’t want them to think I’m the kind of girl who kisses another guy behind her boyfriend’s back. Then I wonder, when did Rocket turn from a casual fling into my boyfriend?

  Is he my boyfriend?

  ***

  On Friday, as I drive to dinner with Rocket, he tells me, “At the end of the month, my dad and Gary are heading up here. They can be a bit over the top, but they’re not scary.”

  Fear flows through my body.

  Or is it guilt?

  How about uncertainty?

  I spend the weekend spinning. What did Rocket tell his family about me? How do I meet a guy’s family when I’m still unclear about him? Baking up a storm doesn’t ease my nerves, it only gives me something to do. My mind shifts from wondering if his dad and Gary will like me, to feeling awkward about meeting them. This brings up all the uncertainty I feel about Rocket.

  Rocket enters the Winnebago and starts munching on one of the cookies I baked, finally commenting, “Are you baking over your visit to your family? Did something happen at school, or is it Dad and Gary’s visit?”

  “Not school, and I don’t think it’s about my family.” Then I shrug since my feelings are so conflicted.

  “I like you, why do you care what they think?”

  Feeling frustrated and overwhelmed, I blurt out. “Are you devoid of social norms?”

  Rocket chuckles, smells his armpit, and says, “No one’s complained that I smell.”

  Exasperated, I respond, “You have no issue wearing threadbare clothes, you live in a smashed up Winnebago, you pierced places that people should not pierce, and the last time you cut your hair was Halloween.”

  He knits his eyebrows before responding. “I assure you, my family is aware how I live and what I look like. I think this has more to do with you than with me.”

  My gut twists. I don’t like confrontation. I feel guilty for finally blurting out what bothers me about Rocket…and it doesn’t escape me that all my issues are superficial. Saying it out loud makes me feel even worse.

  I don’t want to be a shallow person.

  Rocket’s a good guy.

  Our weekends are magical.

  Why do I feel so conflicted about the two of us?

  Rocket has none of these issues. He gets a naughty look on his face as he pulls me close, rubs me against his groin, and says, “You sure liked my piercing last night.”

  ***

  On Wednesday, after locking up my classroom, I walk to my car and turn my phone back on. It shows someone’s contacted me using Facebook messenger.

  Tristan Hall: Are you free to get together?

  My heart stops.

  I gasp.

  Tristan Hall’s contacted me. I sit in my car with my hand over my heart trying to breathe.

  I stare at my phone.

  I want to immediately respond YES.

  But what about Rocket?

  Tristan and I are friends from college. I meet with the princesses on Tuesday nights. I can meet with Tristan. Who am I kidding? I might have dinner with Tristan, but what I really want…is to marry him.

  Rocket’s my fun fling…but Tristan…he’s the man of my dreams.

  I stare at the phone feeling conflicted. I have no idea what to do. Or what I should say.

  I know the right thing to do.

  But that’s not what I want.

  Instead, I text Olivia, my college roommate. As I drive home, I realize the only reason I contacted her is so she can help me thread the needle. Can I see what Tristan wants before breaking up with Rocket? Is that what I want, to break up with Rocket? The thought makes me feel sad…conflicted…uncertain.

  I love our weekends together.

  I’d miss not being with him, but he’s not my future.

  That’s where Tristan fits in.

  I feel on edge and nervous. My mind is spinning. Tristan is everything I’ve dreamed of. My family will love him. Rocket’s sexy, fun, and he totally gets me. Should I break up with Rocket and then get together with Tristan? Or should I get together with Tristan, see where that goes, then break up with Rocket? The uncertainty has me spinning. As I walk into my apartment, my phone dings from a new text.

  Olivia: What’s up?

  Jennifer: Can I meet up with you ASAP?

  I stare at my phone, waiting for her next text. Instead, Olivia calls. “What’s so important you want to drive over here now?”

  “Tristan Hall asked me out.”

  She screams into the phone.

  “Olivia, you think you could give me a warning on that?”

  “Jennifer, your college crush asked you out. How did he find you?”

  “Oh, Olivia,” I moan. “I ran into him when I was visiting my folks in Hawaii. He said he would call. I thought it was a line.”

  “He called you?”

  “He sent me a text.”

  “When are you going? What are you wearing?”

  “Olivia, I’m dating Rocket.”

  “I thought that was a fling. No commitment.”

  “Yeah, but it’s a four-month-long exclusive fling. Does it make me a bad person to go on a date with Tristan when I’ve been exclusively with Rocket?”

  “Have you promised Rocket anything?”

  “No.”

  “Then tell Rocket you’re moving on.”

  My heart drops into my stomach.

  Shit.

  I don’t want to lose Rocket.

  My phone buzzes. It’s Rocket. How could I forget that today is Wednesday? Rocket’s here to pick me up. I let him up as I tell Olivia, “I’ve got to go, Rocket’s here.”

  My mind is in confusion. Finally, I close down my phone. I wouldn’t want Rocket knowing about Tristan. Is this how people end up in a mess?

  There’s a knock on the door. I answer it. Rocket’s dressed in a new, nice quality shirt. He’s shaved, and his hair has been cut.

  He looks good—really, really good.

  “Nice haircut,” I say.

  He picks me up, spins me around, and gives me a kiss. That man knows how to kiss.

  “Yeah, I’m not building a house until I’ve saved up more money, and the piercings, that’s me. But the hair and the shirt? I really don’t care. If cleaning up a little makes you happy.” He shrugs again and gives me a sweet smile.

  Damn, why is he so…accommodating? Now I feel like a complete heel.

  “Let’s go out to eat, something other than burgers. Tonight you choose,” he casually says.

  “How about Chinese?” I respond.

  “We can go to the place you like in Palo Alto, Mandarin Roots.”

  “Yeah, that place is good.”

  “Are you ready?” he asks.

  “I still need to wash up.”

  Heading into the bathroom, I look at my face, take a deep breath, and pull myself together. Why does Rocket have to be so nice? Why can’t he be condescending and dismissive like my former boyfriend, Carter? Or financially irresponsible, like my former boyfriend, Bishop? Or not be able to keep his thing in his pants like…all the guys I dated in college?

  Rocket makes it too hard to break up with him.

  Chapter 29
– Chinese Food

  Rocket

  As Jennifer and I eat Chinese food at the trendy restaurant she likes, I try to find out what’s been bugging her.

  “You’ve been running hot and cold since you got back from Hawaii. Did something happen there?”

  She looks at me shocked. “What would have happened?”

  “If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking. But…did something happen?”

  “No, it was the typical…hang out with the family, hang out at the beach, go to some bars with my brothers.”

  I can tell she’s grinding on something. I felt it when she returned. Something went wrong when we were away from each other. “Is it school?” I ask.

  “What?”

  “This thing that makes you irritable, distant, and jumpy.”

  She shakes her head. “I’m fine.”

  “Yeah, I know you’re fine.” Which gets her to smile and shake her head. “Anyway, Sophia and a few of her friends have an art exhibition this weekend down in Carmel. We can head down, check out the galleries. A few other artist friends will be there.”

  “Yeah, that would be cool,” she responds.

  “Jennifer?” A voice interrupts. It’s some dick-head looking prep. He reeks of entitlement and arrogance.

  Jennifer looks up and pales. “Carter?”

  “I thought that was you,” he says as he looks me over with obvious disdain. His eyes stop on my hardware and tats. He’s the type of prick that has one tat and thinks it makes him look urban.

  I nod and try to stay cool.

  His eyes turn back to Jennifer, “It’s been a while. I take it you’re busy.”

  She nods.

  “I’ll see you around,” he says with an attitude that means the opposite.

  “Who was that?” I ask.

  She hesitates before saying with a flat voice, “An old boyfriend.”

  I look back at the guy and take him in again. “Really, you dated that guy? What did you see in him?”

  She looks at me all annoyed. “He doesn’t live in an old Winnebago and drive some monster truck.”