by KC Michaels
“Nice colour,” he crooned as he fingered the lace of her bra.
Kate shrugged shyly, “Thanks.”
It took all she had to resist the urge to cover back up, especially since he was still fully clothed.
“Aren’t you going to remove your clothes?” she asked hoping her would stop looking at her the way he was, like she was a specimen under a microscope. It was very unnerving.
Jaxon pasted a devilish sexy grin on his face. “Of course,” He picked up her hands and brought them to the top button of his shirt. “Why don’t you help me?”
Kate wasn’t sure if she could. She was too worked up and wasn’t sure if she could will her fingers to move properly at the moment. Although she was normally exceptionally skillful with her hands, the thoughts of opening a button seemed like an impossible feat. As if he could see the uncertainty in her eyes he backed away and began the process himself.
She couldn’t take her eyes off him while he undressed in front of her. First he removed his shirt and then his socks and shoes. So far she was holding her own. It was when he opened the fly of his pants and she saw he was commando that she began to panic. His jutting erection was so much bigger than anything she had ever seen, which technically was only ever in the medical sense.
“It’s okay Kate,” he said coming closer to her again. “I won’t hurt you. I will go slowly, I promise.”
She probably should have told him then that she was a virgin but before she figured out a way to say the words he had backed her into the couch and urged her to lie down on her back. “I want you to leave this outfit on for another minute. I really love how it makes you look.”
He knelt on the floor in front of her. He was the most beautiful man she had ever laid eyes on. She couldn’t take her eyes off him and she held her breath waiting to see what he was going to do next. He brought his index finger into his mouth and to lubricate it. He slipped it under the scrap of fabric that covered her, all the while his eyes were completely focused on hers.
“Oh!” she gasped. He had inserted his finger and it was painful.
Jaxon suddenly became very still. His face changed from a warm rosy glow to a rigid white sheet and his slumberous dark eyes were now wide open. What was wrong? Why did he suddenly look like he was going to be sick?
“Kate you are a virgin?"
She didn’t respond right away. His tone sounded accusing and it embarrassed her.
“Shit!” Jaxon ground out, swiftly putting distance between them.
“Kate, I am sorry. Oh God, I am really sorry.”
Kate wasn't sure what to think. Suddenly she wanted to cover up after his reaction. She scrambled off the couch in search of her dress.
“I think I better go,” she said to him feeling all kinds of emotions—none of them pleasant or liberating—this was such a big mistake, a mistake she would regret for a long time to come.
“No Kate please I need to apologize I had no idea, if I knew you were a—look I am really sorry I never would have, had I known.
Kate’s temper flared. It was a combination of anger and humiliation. “Virgin, I am a virgin! You could say the word Jaxon. I didn’t realize there was a minimum level of experience you required from your partners. I didn’t realize I should have given you my sexual resume first."
“What?” His voice was filled with bitter disbelief and confusion. “It has nothing to do with your experience level. You are a virgin, Kate. I almost took your virginity on a whim and you were going to let me."
“I realize that Jaxon. If it's not my experience, then what is it? Why is it such a problem for you? Actually never mind, don’t bother answering that.”
“Kate, I told you this is it. One night is all we will have. Why in the hell would you throw your virginity away on someone like me?”
“Because I am twenty-nine years old and I am tired of not knowing what it's like to have someone to touch me that way. But don’t worry, I won’t put that burden on you Jaxon. Please forget this ever happened. I am out of here.”
Kate put her dress on as fast as she could; she put her hosiery in her purse and was thankful that she never did remove her bra and panties. She rushed out of the office with the intentions of finding Jade and getting the hell out of there. She almost slept with him. What was she thinking?
The rowdy crowd cheered for someone on the stage as Kate stormed through the club, but she was far too upset to care. Jade was still sitting at the bar with Steven. She was all smiles, and Kate felt even worse now because she was about to throw a bucket of ice water on the evening.
“Kate you’re back! Steven was just asking if we could go out for food with him, once this place is closed.”
“Actually I was hoping you might be ready to go home. I think my lack of sleep has finally caught up to me.”
There she was again lying her face off thanks to Jaxon, she hated lying to Jade but there was no way on earth she was going to tell her the real story; at least not now and especially not in front of Steven.
“Come on Kate. We never do this kind of thing,” Jade was disappointed and Kate felt like a total jerk. This had to be one of the worse nights of her life.
“Listen Kate, if you want to go home I'll make sure Jade gets home safely.” Steven offered.
“That’s up to Jade,” Kate managed to say, and she knew that at any minute she was going to lose it if she didn’t get out of there soon. More than anything else, she wanted to leave before she saw Jaxon again.
“I don’t mind,” Jade added. “Are you sure you're just tired and there isn’t something more going on? Did something happen between you and Jaxon Remington?”
“No, of course not I really am exhausted,” Kate assured her. “Have fun. I will call you in the morning.”
“Well if you’re sure everything is okay I will stay. I can’t remember ever having so much fun. Thanks for this Kate.”
Kate didn’t bother to point out that aside from pick her up and take her there she really had nothing to do with the fact that Jade was having a good time. That was compliments of the dancers and Steven. She would have to thank Steven for it at a later date but for now she needed to go before Jaxon appeared again.
She kissed Jade on the cheek and hugged her briefly. “You be careful sweetie and call me in the morning.”
“Of course, drive safe Kate.”
“I will, and Steven take care of my best friend here. I am counting on you to make sure she gets home in one piece.”
“You have my word Kate,” Steven replied. “It was good to see you again.”
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, Jaxon saw what regret looked like, once again. He had lived most of his life with regrets but he had avoided as many as he could over the past decade. He couldn’t believe the first time he spontaneously and uncharacteristically decided to engage in a sexual rendezvous; the woman was a virgin. He had been so close to robbing her of her virginity, and it was on his sofa for Jesus sakes! What was worse, she was willing to let him do it. He wanted to run after her, but he didn’t. It was probably better she left angry with him. If she had stayed he may have done something foolish like sleep with her anyway. If he did that she would have had the equivalent of buyer’s remorse in the morning and he didn’t want that for her. For some reason her feelings mattered to him. It troubled him that she even agreed to his terms. Why would someone like her even consent to sex with no strings? Kate wasn’t a woman that needed deflowering by someone like him, someone who wasn’t capable of a normal relationship. She deserved more. God he felt awful about the way he let her leave. When he realized she was a virgin he just kind of freaked, he panicked. He didn’t do that. He didn’t panic, he was always calm and level headed but something about that woman got under his skin. He had no idea what it was and to be honest it sort of pissed him off. It pissed him off because he worried that he was losing his edge. Keeping his emotions in check was always his priority and hardly ever a problem. There were too many things at stake for him t
o take chances—his sobriety, his business, his son. He could never again go back to the way he was because he would lose everything and he knew it. Too many people depended on him for so much that he could never allow anything or anyone to mess with his psyche again—even if she was the most intriguing woman he had ever met, it was best if he never saw Dr. Katherine Sims again.
Two hours later, Jaxon was still sitting in his office. He was wound tighter than he could ever remember being wound in long time. Restless and edgy, he splashed water on his face to calm down. Not only did he hate the fact that he hurt Kate, but he was dealing with the biggest case of blue balls he'd ever experienced. It would be easy enough to take care of the latter problem; there were lots of women outside his door that would be willing to service him if he wanted them to. The problem was he didn’t want them. He did know where he could go, however—a place where he could take care of his itch and not have to worry about complications afterwards. No small talk, no getting to know you. The rules were already in place and he wouldn’t have to worry about anything except making sure he was satisfied before he left and that was never a problem for him.
“Fuck it!” he growled before hitting the send button on his phone. He was still rock hard and he needed release. Thinking about it, it had been a while anyway so he was definitely due. Maybe it was too long since his last session, it was the answer to his problem. Thinking he had it all figured out he began to relax. It really had nothing to do with Kate as much as it had to do with the fact that he had gone too long without tending to his needs. His physical and emotional ones.
Less than a minute had passed when he heard a ping in response. He looked at the text. “Meet You in 30”. He picked up his coat and left; he would be back to himself in no time.
***
CHAPTER 5
Kate managed to get herself home from the club in fifteen minutes. No more than a couple of hard fought tears had escaped as she tried to keep her concentration on the road. Once she stepped foot in her house it was a completely different story. She flopped herself on her bed, letting the remainder of her tears finally fall. She wasn’t sure what upset her more; the fact that Jaxon rejected her or the fact that she wouldn’t see him again. She undressed and dug out the flannel pyjamas her mom gave her last Christmas. They offered a small amount of comfort but not quite enough, because she continued to cry until sleep finally claimed her.
Her internal alarm clock told Kate it was morning and with that she realized something wasn’t right. She wasn't alone—she could feel it. Her eyes sprang open and she bolted out of her bed.
“What are you doing in my house?”
“Good morning to you too, Kate.”
“You didn't answer my question! What are you doing here?”
“I came to give you a message.” His tone made her feel very uneasy.
“What kind of message? What are you talking about?”
Her spidey senses went on high alert. She didn't have a good feeling about this. If he hadn’t been Jade’s fiancé, she would have called the police.
“I came to tell you that Jade doesn't think it's a good idea if you two remain friends.”
“What? Why?” Kate was stunned. “What happened? I have to call her.”
She tried to reach for the phone but Kenny grabbed her arm to stop her. His eyes were cold and calculating. It made her nervous.
“Let go of me!” she demanded.
“Didn’t you hear what I said? She doesn't want to talk to you!”
“I heard you, Kenny, but I don't understand. I want to talk to her myself,” she replied, adamantly.
Kenny let go of her arm and picked up the phone receiver, dialling the number.
“Here,” he spat, as he handed her the phone.
“Hello.” Jade’s voice sounded very small on the other end.
“Jade, are you okay honey? Kenny is here and he says—Kenny watched as Kate’s expression changed—but Jade, I don't understand? If this is about last night I'm sorry. I thought ...” A knowing smile crossed Kenny’s face.
Kate yanked the phone from her ear and dropped it on the bed. “What did you do Kenny? My best friend just tells me we can no longer be friends and, rather than explain the reason why, she hung up on me. What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing you should concern yourself with Kate. Do yourself a favour and stay away from her.” He was cold and harsh.
Kate started for the door. “You can’t tell me I shouldn’t be concerned over the fact that my best friend has suddenly decided she doesn’t think we should be friends anymore. Of course I’m concerned and I am going to see her. I don’t care what you say!”
Kenny latched on to her wrist and put his face directly into hers. “I said stay away from her, Kate.”
“You’re in my personal space Kenny. Let go of me!” She tried to back away but he wouldn’t let her go.
Fear began to consume her. Her face twisted into a scowl as she locked her angry green eyes on him. She tried as hard as she could to mask her fear with anger; she didn’t want him to know how much he scared her. She tried to pull away again, but he just tightened his grip.
A knock on her door surprised them both; it was enough of a distraction to allow Kate to get free of Kenny’s grasp.
It's Jade, she’s here. Kate ran to the door and flung it open.
“Jade! What's going—” Kate stopped mid-sentence. “Jaxon? What are you doing here?”
Making his presence known, Kenny moved to stand behind Kate. She scolded him with an angry look.
“Who do we have here?” Kenny’s voice was filled with menacing condescension. Kate really wanted to smack the smug right out of him.
Not surprisingly, Jaxon was alarmed by Kenny’s presence. “I shouldn’t have come,” he apologized. “I didn't think you would have company at this hour.”
He peered at his watch. His tone was curt. He was upset, Kate thought. Not that he had any right to be; she didn’t owe him any explanation. If her visitor had been anyone other than Kenny, she would have let him jump to his conclusions and leave.
“Jaxon, this is Kenny, Jade's fiancé. He was just leaving.”
Kate glared back at Kenny, who had his sights fixed on Jaxon. His feet were planted on the floor in a stance that reminded her of a fighter; he didn't look like he was ready to go anywhere.
“Look Kate,” Jaxon reiterated. “I'm sorry if I caught you at a bad time.” He turned to leave.
“No, Jaxon! Please come in. Like I said, Kenny was just leaving.”
She sounded desperate for him to stay and suddenly Jaxon noticed the way Kenny had been looking at him, and Kate appeared nervous. He had a feeling what he interrupted was not friendly or romantic.
“Is there some kind of problem here?” Jaxon asked, offering Kenny a look that suggested he would be more than happy to settle it, if there was one. Kenny cowered under Jaxon's glare. “I believe Kate said you were leaving.”
Kenny seemed to be struggling to decide whether to be intimidated by Jaxon or to throttle him, but Kenny wasn't a stupid man and Kate knew he wouldn't act on an impulse. Jaxon definitely had the upper hand in the physical stature department. Kenny had obviously decided that his best option was to retreat.
“Yeah, I'm out of here, but Kate, you heard what I said so don't forget it!” He brushed past both of them and stormed out the door.
Jaxon shut it behind him. “So what was that all about?”
“I don't really know,” Kate replied, shaking her head. “But it’s my problem and I can deal with it later. What are you doing here anyway?”
“I don't like the vibe I get from that guy, Kate. I don’t trust him. He is Jade's fiancé?"
“Unfortunately, yes, but you didn't answer my question. What are you doing here?”
For the first time since he arrived, Jaxon actually took a good long look at Kate. Her eyes were swollen and purple. His best guess was that she had been crying, likely for a big part of the night. Damn it! It was his
fault. She misread the situation when she was at his club and he knew it. He let her leave anyway. He let her believe he thought it was a bad thing she was a virgin. That was the farthest from the truth. The fact that she was a virgin made him want her that much more but it was for her that he stopped. Problem was he couldn’t get her out of his head. His attempt at getting relief through other means was a bust. The next thing he knew he was back at the club going through the credit card receipts with the hopes of finding her address. As he suspected she had used her credit card when she paid for the Celebration package for her friend.
“I came to explain about last night. I know I hurt you.”
“You can save your breath because I’m fine.” She didn’t want his pity and now that Kenny was gone she didn’t want his company either. If he wasn’t so good looking she’d have an easier time throwing him out.
“I don’t believe you.”
“Well, you’re wrong; I am perfectly okay. I suffered a lapse in judgement last night. I don't know what came over me. Since you know my dirty secret now, you should have concluded that I have never done anything like that in my entire life. I guess I should be grateful that you are full of yourself.”
“Full of myself?” He cocked an eyebrow and crossed his arms over his massive chest. “Care to explain how you came to that conclusion?"
God, she really didn’t want to do this with him; last night was humiliating enough as it was.
“Look for the last time, get out or I am going to call the police.”
“Why did you do it Kate?”
“Excuse me?”
“Why did you agree to sleep with me last night?” Kate couldn’t believe him. Hadn’t he humiliated her enough last night?
“That’s it I’m calling the police.” She moved toward the phone, good looking or not she’d had enough but he slipped his arm around her waist before she had a chance to pick up the receiver.
