L.A. Fire

by Sarah Bailey

  Julian shook his head and slid his arms around my waist. “You’ve been pulling away, Sarah. Something happened between now and the last time I saw you. You’ve been distant all day. I feel like I’m losing you. Like you’re slipping away from me.” He took a deep breath, then cupped my cheeks between his hands. “I’m sorry about what I did in there. I was acting up. I needed proof that you still cared, so I flirted with those girls, hoping to make you jealous.”

  I gave him a hard stare and pulled out of his grasp. “You messed with my emotions on purpose?” I yelled.

  “I needed to know you still cared,” he said, his eyes ardent and intense.

  He looked so sincere, but what Megan had said to me had gotten under my skin. I still had a strong doubt that I couldn’t shake. “Megan came over to talk to me,” I said, closely watching a weary expression creep into his face.

  “What did she have to say?” he asked, his eyes getting cautious and watchful.

  “She said you’re the one who wouldn’t open up. That you wouldn’t let her close. That you discarded her because she kept trying to get you to reveal yourself until it became tiresome.”

  Julian chuckled darkly. “I’d have to say she has our roles reversed. In any event, what does this have to do with anything?”

  I felt dumbstruck. “Are you serious? To me it explains everything. I tried to get you to open up tonight, and you shut down. Then the next thing I know, you’re flirting with other women. Maybe you weren’t trying to make me jealous. Maybe you’ve just gotten sick of my prying, and are now looking for easier options.”

  Julian’s eyes became stormy. “I’m not trying to get rid of you, Sarah. Quite the opposite. I’m trying to bring you closer. I want to know everything about you. What you love. What you hate. What makes you tick. I’m crazy about you. I’m sorry I tested your trust tonight, but I needed to know the truth.”

  I looked at him in hurt and confusion. “I would have told you the truth if you’d asked.”

  He shook his head. “The real truth is in our emotional responses. I needed proof that you still cared.”

  I felt another surge of anger. “So to get your emotional truth you were ready to leave me totally vulnerable in a very public situation?”

  Julian grabbed my wrists, and pulled me closer, so that my face was inches from his. “I would never have let you lose control publicly, Sarah. I would have caught you and shielded you before that ever happened.”

  I looked at him in frustration. “You don’t know that, Julian. You can’t predict the timing of my emotional reactions. It’s not in your control.”

  His face became grave, and then he nodded slightly. “I’m sorry,” he said, and gently brushed my lips with his. Something in me melted a bit in response to his touch, but I was still feeling guarded and hesitant. I pulled back from him and looked him squarely in the eye. “Tell me to my face that what Megan said is a lie. That you are in fact willing to open up to me emotionally.”

  Julian sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “I’m willing,” he said. “And able.” He stroked my lower lip with his finger, and his soft, seductive touch gave me goosebumps. “Come to my beach house this weekend,” he said. “We’ll turn off our cellphones. Go sailing on my yacht. Spend a whole weekend totally and completely wrapped up in each other, with no distractions.”

  I bit down on my lip, and considered for a moment. Julian was right. We needed some alone time. Time away from the drama of our exes. Time away from the gossip about us at work. If this thing between us had any chance of working, we’d need to find some solid time to unwind together, and then open up about ours pasts, our feelings. Julian was studying me closely, waiting for my response. I squeezed his fingers and said, “Okay. Let’s do it.”

  All of the tension left Julian’s face. He pulled me closer, then lifted me onto his lap. “I’m absolutely crazy about you, Sarah. There is no one else,” he said, looking at me with heated eyes, and stroking my hair. Then his expression darkened. “Is there anyone else for you?”

  He must have seen the hesitation in my face, because I saw jealousy and anger flicker in his eye. He tightened his grip around my waist, and tilted up my chin so that I was looking directly into his eyes. “Answer me,” he said, his tone rough. “Is there someone else?”

  I hesitated again before answering. “No one else comes close to you, Julian,” I said. And it was true. Julian was incredible. He was caring. Charismatic. Perceptive. He’d totally swept me off my feet, and opened me up sexually in ways no one else had been able to. But I couldn’t deny that I wasn’t completely over Rob. My response to him at The Bohemian proved that.

  Julian’s gaze was fierce as he studied every inch of my face. “That doesn’t answer my question, Sarah.”

  I took a deep breath. “I ran into my ex, Rob this weekend,” I said. “And I realized I still have feelings for him.”

  Julian’s eyes filled with pain. “Do you want him back?” he asked.

  “No,” I said, this time without the slightest trace of hesitation. “I want you, Julian. I want you more than anything,” I said earnestly, and he looked pleased by my tone. “It’s just my past is still pulling me in the wrong direction, and I don’t yet know how to fix that.”

  Julian grabbed me by the hips, his grip strong and possessive. “I do,” he said hoarsely, then pulled my leg up and around his waist so that I was straddling him. He fisted my hair in his hand, and pulled back my head. His lips traveled up the exposed curve of my neck, his soft touch making me whimper. I felt his lips smile against my skin. “I’m going to remind you again and again of how right we are for each other.” Then his lips slid softly, leisurely along my jaw line to my mouth. For a brief moment, his breathing was heavy and predatory, gusting between my parted lips. Then he pressed his mouth hard against mine, urging my lips open with his tongue.

  I curled my fingers into his hair, and pulled his face closer, wanting to melt into him completely. I started squirming in his lap, and felt his cock get hard against me in response. Julian grunted, then slid his hand up my exposed thigh and under the folds of my dress. He toyed with the lace edge of my panties, stroking his finger against the skin beneath it. I felt my sex clench in response. Then he slid off my panties, and started stroking my clit.

  “You’re so wet,” he said, and I moaned in response. Then he slid his finger inside me, hard and deep. With his other hand, he tilted my head so my eyes met his. “This is where I want to be, all the time,” he said in a gruff voice. Then, his eyes blazing, he added “And I want no one else here. I want this to belong to me, and only me.” He held my gaze, his eyes fierce and ravenous. “Are you mine, Sarah? Mine, and only mine?”

  My sex clenched hard around his finger, and a low murmur escaped from the back of my throat. I was so turned on, I felt like I was going to explode. Julian held my gaze firmly, his finger still lodged deep inside me. “Answer me, Sarah,” he said, stroking my insides.

  There was only one answer. “Yes,” I said, without hesitation.

  “Yes, what?” he said, fingering the ridges deep inside me.

  “Yes, I’m yours,” I said, my voice needy and trembling.

  He flashed me a victorious smile, then started sliding his finger faster, in and out, his eyes still on me, telling me he was in control. The eye contact, his heated gaze, his finger possessing me, was all too much. My sex started clenching hard, and my breathing became fast and shallow. A delirious pleasure was coiling tight deep inside me, so tight I felt ready to burst. Julian kept stroking me hard, spurring on my pleasure, my desire, with his deft finger. Then he pulled his finger out, and found my clit, rubbing it, stroking it, making my hunger build even more. I writhed in Julian’s lap, shamelessly enjoying the pleasure he was giving me. I finally climaxed, crying out, my back arched, my hips slamming against the bulge between his legs.

  After the last surge of pleasure had finished pulsing through me, Julian pulled me against his chest, and drew soft circles on my back. �
�I’m so glad you’re mine,” he said. I moaned in response and buried my head into the crook of his neck. My hands slowly found their way to his belt. I started unbuckling it, but he stilled my hands. “Not here,” he said. “Let’s wait til we get to your place. I want you in your bed, spread out before me, completely naked.”

  The limo driver dropped us off, and we quickly made our way up to my apartment. As soon as I finished opening the lock to my condo, Julian swept my into his arms, and closed the door behind us. He carried me into my room, then flicked on the light switch. Julian’s eyes scanned his surroundings, then his eyes fixed on a piece of art hanging above my bed. “Wangechi Mutu,” he said, sounding pleased. “I see you enjoy surrealism as much as I do.”

  “I love that piece,” I said. “It’s like an Alice in Wonderland fantasy, and it gives me crazy dreams.”

  Julian looked at me warmly, and brushed my cheek with his lips. Then his eyes became sultry and intense, and he carried me to the bed, laying me down gingerly on my duvet. “I’m going to undress you,” he said, his passionate eyes riveted to mine. He slowly peeled off my dress, his hands caressing my curves as he pulled it over my head. I wasn’t wearing a bra, so once the dress was off, I was left completely naked, aside from the stilettos on my feet. He pulled himself back to a standing position and claimed my body with his eyes.

  His desire was so intense, and it gave me such a thrill to see how much this powerful, stunning man wanted me. He started taking off his suit jacket, his dress shirt, and finally his pants, never taking his eyes off me. His movements were slow and controlled, but I could tell from the look in his eye that it was taking everything in him not to lunge at me. Once his boxers were off, he stood still in front of me, and I watched his big, thick cock rise and get rock hard. “Do you see what you do to me?” he said. “Just the sight of you gets me so turned on I can’t stand it,” he added, his voice low and gruff.

  “Spread your legs, Sarah,” he said. “I want to see you.”

  I did as I was told. He stared down at my exposed pussy, and I heard his breath hitch. Hunger flared in his eyes. Then he growled, and charged toward me. All at once, I felt his deliciously hard chest pressed against mine, and he was kissing me madly, ravenously. His musky cologne and the smell of his skin invaded my nostrils, intoxicating me. With his lips pressed against mine, I felt the vibration of his groan in my mouth.

  We were both in a frenzy, madly devouring each other, unable to get close enough. “Fuck me, Julian,” I cried out. I didn’t have to ask twice. His cock pressed against my pussy, and then I felt his heavenly hardness fill me. He stretched me wide, and went as deep as he could. The sensation of him plunging into me cry out; my sex clenched eagerly around him, and I dug my nails into his back.

  He grunted and said, “harder, baby. Dig harder.” Then he started pumping in and out of me, his pace hard, fast, and furious. My hips rose to meet each of his thrusts, while his fingers sunk into my ass and pulled me into him. My gaze was locked to his. We were fully focused on each other, getting turned on by the wild need we saw in each other’s eyes. My breathing became ragged. I gasped at the pleasurable shock of his hard thrusts, and felt my orgasm start to build. “I’m almost there, baby,” he grunted.

  “Me too,” I said hoarsely, and dug my fingers harder into his flesh. He groaned, and then both of us went over the edge. His orgasm was long and violent; his whole body shuddered. I felt the hot liquid squirting inside of me, and it drove me crazy. I thrashed beneath him, and my pussy spasmed around him as wave after wave of ecstasy pulsed through me. When we collapsed against each other, both of us were shaking hard. It took us minutes before we were able to catch our breaths. We lay there silently for several moments, until we were both startled by thumping sounds coming through the wall, followed by grunts and a long, piercing, drawn out cry.

  Then both of us burst into loud laughter. I heard Angela yell “Oh, shit,” from the other room, then run over to close her bedroom window. Julian howled loudly, and squeezed me against him.

  “I didn’t realized we had competition,” he said, stroking my hair.

  I smiled up at him. “What competition? They weren’t even a close second.”

  Julian nodded, and continued to lazily stroke my hair. “No, we definitely won that round. You were fucking incredible, baby.”

  I snuggled up to him, and kissed his neck. “Likewise,” I said. “You totally blew my mind.”

  He tilted my head up and gave me a long lingering kiss. “Good. Now get some sleep. You’re going to need your energy later.”

  “Later?” I asked incredulously.

  “Yes,” he said. “The night is far from over, and I’m not even close to done with you yet.”

  I chuckled into his chest. “You really are insatiable,” I said right before we both drifted off into sleep.

  Chapter 17

  Julian was true to his word. I woke up the next morning to him kissing my neck, then going down on me and giving me another mind blowing orgasm. We were about to have another round of sex, when we decided that we both needed some coffee first. I got up, put on my silk nightgown and headed over to the kitchen. As I was preparing the coffee, Ziggy slipped out of Angela’s room and sauntered over to the island where I was sitting.

  “Nice show last night guys,” he said, winking at me.

  “Show?” I said, playing dumb. I clearly realized that if we had heard Ziggy and Angela, they clearly had heard us too, but this was so not a conversation I wanted to get into with Ziggy.

  He grinned at me, “Yeah, show,” he said. “I heard you screaming, Ser. I mean, come on, no one’s that good.” Then he leered at me and said, “except maybe me.”

  I rolled my eyes at him, and looked over at the coffee pot. “Looks like the coffee’s ready,” I said, pulling two mugs from the kitchen cabinets. “It’s been charming as usual, but I’ve got company to attend to,” I said, quickly filling up the mugs with coffee, then adding milk and sugar.

  “You mean Mr. Corporate Moneybags? Aren’t you bored yet?”

  I scowled at him, grabbed the mugs, and started making my way back to my bedroom.

  “Rob’s gonna call you about getting that coffee soon. And you should take him up on it,” Ziggy said, his tone now serious. “You two are meant for each other. He knows it, now. And deep down, you know it too.”

  I flashed Ziggy an angry, threatening look. “Listen, Zigs. You may be dating one of my best friends, but that doesn’t give you any right to intrude in my affairs. So mind your own fucking business, okay?”

  Ziggy narrowed his eyes at me, and then shrugged. “I’m just trying to help you out, ladybug. You seem like the kind of girl who needs a little guidance.”

  I felt anger coarse through me veins, and a big part of me felt like hurling a hot mug of coffee at Ziggy’s face. “I don’t need any guidance from a cokehead loser who treats his girl like a fuckbuddy,” I said.

  Ziggy’s shoulders tensed. “Mind your own fucking business,” he said, and then I could tell by the expression on his face that the irony in what he was saying just hit him.

  I nodded and said, “Exactly,” then spun on my heel and headed toward my bedroom.

  When I entered my room, I found Julian sitting on the edge of the bed, his expression tense. I handed him his mug of coffee, and he took a big long sip, then patted the space beside him. “Please sit down,” he said.

  I breathed in the strong, pleasing scent of the coffee, took a big gulp, then sat down beside Julian. “What’s up?” I asked.

  He looked at me gravely. “When were you going to tell me you planned on having coffee with Rob?” His tone was stern.

  My eyes flicked to his. “I haven’t planned on doing anything yet.”

  “So you’re saying you won’t meet him?”

  I bit down on my lip, and shifted away my gaze. “No, I’m not saying that either.”

  Julian grabbed my mug from my hands, and put both of our coffees down on the bedside table. Then
he grabbed me by the arms, and gave me a fierce, penetrating look. “After everything we talked about last night, you’re still not sure about us?”

  I shook my head. “It’s not that,” I said. “It’s just, I don’t know. I need closure. I mean, if this is going to work between us, I can’t have my past haunting me anymore.”

  Julian started stroking my cheek, his eyes tense and full of concern. “Is your past still haunting you?”

  I hesitated, then nodded. “Yes,” I said. “And my outburst last night at the premiere proves it. I totally overreacted. And I didn’t trust you. And that has everything to do with Rob.”

  Julian let out a long sigh and squeezed my hand. “What do I need to do Sarah? What do I need to do to gain your trust completely?”

  I felt my brow scrunch up in pain. Julian reached up and gently smoothed out the little creases that had formed. “Just give me some time,” I said. “I’ll get over this.”