by Jayne Blue
“Seth?”
“Never mind.” Seth dismissed my inquiry with a wave of his hand. “It’s legal stuff you wouldn’t understand. Too technical.”
I gritted my teeth.
“Fine,” I said. “But where are we going now? The driver is headed back to Miranda’s house. Is that what you want?”
“Why not?” he said. “You live there now. With me. Remember?”
“Seth.” I still had to proceed with caution. “I get that but I still have an apartment. With things in it that I need. I know you’re anxious, baby, but ...”
“But nothing.” Seth pounded his fist against the door again. “I want you. I have everything else now. You have nothing in that shitty little apartment that you need. I can buy you better things.”
I hated, absolutely hated, when he got like this. His tone and facial expression had a Veruca Salt from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory quality. I knew damn well that Seth’s problem was the exact same as Veruca’s – his overindulgent mother.
“Seth,” I said. “I do have a few things that are mine that are important to me. Just give me a day or two to pack up. I promise I’ll be quick.”
“Already done,” he said.
Alarm bells rang in my head. “What do you mean? What’s done?”
“I’ve called a service. They’re gonna be out there packing up your shit in about an hour. I was going to surprise you. That’s why I wanted you with me this morning. I’ve taken care of everything.”
“Seth.” My tone was hard and I didn’t care. “This is not okay with me. You can’t just take over my life like that. You have to talk to me.”
“You’re mine, Tora,” Seth said. He was smiling, completely unaware of my growing distress. “Start acting like it. I’m going to take care of you. I told you I would. My way is better. You don’t have to lift a finger. People listen to me now. They jump when I call. Not my mother. And not Jack.”
And I knew when he said “people” he meant me.
“Please, Seth,” I said. My heart was racing. I felt claustrophobic in the car all of a sudden. I thought I could do this. I thought I could put up with anything Seth threw at me if it brought me unfettered access to Miranda’s house.
“Call them off for one more day, okay? Let me put together a few of my own suitcases. You’re going back into the office later today anyway, aren’t you? I mean, you have to. You’ve been out more than a week already.”
I put a hand on Seth’s knee, willing my fingers not to shake. When he didn’t interject, I barreled ahead. “You go take care of what you need to at the office today, and tomorrow you send your movers and we’ll make a day of it ... okay?”
“Then I don’t have to hear any more excuses?”
“Never,” I said, crossing my heart.
“You’re really looking out for me, aren’t you?” There was a childlike eagerness in Seth’s voice. This was the crux of him. He went from a manipulative rage to petulant child at a hair trigger. It was getting worse. How would it be when I was with him every day and night?
“I’m trying,” I said.
He leaned over and kissed me. “Have an early lunch with me and then the driver can take you back to your apartment. I want you at the house no later than noon tomorrow. Fair?”
I smiled and nodded. Twenty-four hours. My sentence was suspended for a mere twenty-four hours.
***
Seth had been docile and sated during lunch. True to his word he dropped me off at my studio apartment in Lakeview. He was right that it was little. He was wrong that it was shitty. If it weren’t for the circumstances that brought me here, I could have fallen in love with the place. As it was, this was my 450-square-foot sanctuary. It had one large window wall with a view of the city and the river behind it. When I was here, I could stop pretending, stop lying ... just be.
And now that would be stripped away by tomorrow morning. I knelt on the small green window seat that had been the first thing I bought when I moved in. What would I do with it? With all of it? I could ask Seth’s people to take it to a storage unit, I suppose. What would I take instead? As soon as I thought it, I knew the answer.
Nothing. I would take nothing. I would make Seth get rid of the staff in the house so I could be alone when Seth was gone. Then ... I would find Miranda’s files. It would be hard to live there, but the job would be done sooner. The sooner I found what I needed, the sooner I could leave Seth and the lies behind.
Resolved in my plan, I stared out at the water with my face pressed against the glass. It got late. Dark. I finished a third glass of wine as I taped the last of the boxes I would have the movers take to storage in the morning. There was nothing left to do.
I took out the key card Jack had given me and fingered its hard edges. Jack. Why did the memory of his touch linger on me? He was just a man, after all. And he was a Manning. There was a chance he was complicit in some way with Miranda’s sins. If I went to him, maybe I could find out. And I wanted to. I wanted to see him again. Badly.
Tomorrow morning I would give myself over to Seth the way he wanted. Let him think he was remaking me into the perfect wife. I would let him. It wouldn’t take long.
I called a cab. Tonight, however, would still be for me.
Chapter Eleven
I hesitated for just a second before tapping my knuckles against the door to room 814. For a moment, I wondered if I hadn’t knocked loud enough. One second passed. Two. I was strangely calm for what I was about to do.
Then the door swung open and Jack stood before me. He was casual, in a black button down shirt and faded jeans that hugged his hips. So was I. I wore a black jacket over a black tank top and my own pair of faded jeans with holes in the knees. Seth would hate it if he saw me in it but these were my clothes.
Jack took a step back, gesturing with his arm to invite me in. Tucking a hair behind my ear, I stepped into his hotel room. It wasn’t what I thought. Jack Manning could afford the Presidential Suite at The Drake, no doubt. This room was simple: luxurious, but simple. He had a lake view from his large double windows, of course, but just a king-sized bed, TV, two chairs and an end table. The room was decorated in cream and white. There was nothing of Jack here but the man himself. Whatever luggage or personal items he had were neatly tucked away.
“Slumming it, Mr. Manning?” I said as I hoisted my oversized bag on to one of the chairs.
“I’m glad you came,” he said, ignoring my weak sarcasm. Now that I was here, I wasn’t entirely sure how it was supposed to work. I decided to say so.
“I’m not sure I should stay,” I said as I turned to face him. The windows were at my back and Jack took two steps toward me but stopped just at the edge of the bed.
“I’m not sure you should either. But you’re here now, why don’t we sit? I think you have questions and I’ve got a few of my own. Do you want a drink?”
I shook my head. I crossed my arms in front of me and turned toward the window. City lights reflected across the water like stars, making it hard to tell where the river ended and the sky began. Jack came to stand next to me. We were less than an inch apart.
“What happened today?” I started. “Seth wouldn’t say. He seemed angry at you.”
Jack breathed hard through his nose and cast his head downward. The moonlight shadowed him in blue. “I don’t even know how to start. Let’s just say it was Miranda’s final fuck you to me.”
I turned to face him. “I’m sorry that happened,” I said. “I really am. I’ve taken my share of those myself.”
“I’ll bet you have,” Jack laughed and I liked the sound of it, rich and smooth, and I wanted to hear it again. “You sure it’s been worth it? That woman has left a long trail of bodies behind. Seth’s going to be one of them.”
“Stop,” I said. “Let’s not talk about them anymore. I’m sorry I brought it up. Forget it.”
“That,” Jack said, “is a fabulous idea. Come sit with me.”
Smiling, I turned. “I thought I�
��d be nervous coming here. I am a little, I guess. But I know why you asked me to come. And I think I’m okay with it.”
“Why?” His eyes narrowed and he took a step back, sinking down on the edge of the mattress. He looked up at me with a sly, inquisitive smile.
“Why am I okay with it or why did you ask me to come here?”
Jack shrugged. “Both.”
I leaned back against the window, putting precious distance between us. “Well, I just said I don’t want to talk about them anymore but maybe this last thing. You asked me here because then I get to be your final fuck you to Seth.”
“Sure,” Jack said and that surprised me. I guess a part of me thought he’d deny it. “But I think you pretty much made that statement all by yourself the other night.”
“Why do you hate him so much?” I asked.
Jack stood up and came to me. I had to crane my neck to keep eye contact. He was so close, less than an inch from me and I could feel his body heat. He leaned down and put his lips against my ear. “Why don’t you hate him more? Or maybe you do. Maybe that’s why you’re here. And, Tora ... I’m okay with that too. But for someone who said she wanted to change the subject, you’re doing a shitty job of it. Now, I really don’t want to talk about it; let’s try something to distract you.”
Then he kissed me. A light touch in the space between my ear lobe and the curve of my neck. My skin rippled in goose flesh and I was cold everywhere he wasn’t touching me.
And it worked. I didn’t want to talk anymore.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and guided Jack’s lips to mine. The other night when we touched it was quick and fevered, fraught with the risk of discovery. Part of me convinced myself that’s why I did it. For the thrill. It wasn’t true. Tonight there was no one here but the two of us and the world might be a million miles away and I found myself wanting him even more. He kissed me hot and slow, probing my mouth with his tongue and I opened my mouth for him. It was an old-fashioned make-out like I hadn’t had since I was a teenager and sparked the same forbidden arousal. I felt my knees go a little weak. When he finally pulled away, he left me panting for him like some wild thing.
“I want to look at you,” he said. “All of you. God, Tora, that’s all I’ve wanted to do since the second I saw you.”
I knew what he meant and felt it too. The other night had been hurried and hot. I had him inside me but we’d kept our clothes on. The promise of what lay under them had been on my mind as well. I peeled off my tuxedo jacket and let it fall to the floor.
“I want to see all of you too,” I said as I stepped around Jack and the bed; stopping in the center of the room I turned back to him.
“You first,” Jack said. He sat on the edge of the bed again, facing me. “Strip for me, Tora. Let me look at you.”
I cocked my head and smiled. I wasn’t a virgin, but I hadn’t had that many partners –just two before Jack but Seth barely counted. This was the first time any man had ever asked me to do that.
I reached down and slipped off my black pumps, then my hands went to the buttons on my jeans and I slid those down slowly. Jack kept his eyes on me, watching my every move. He didn’t tell me, but I knew what he wanted. I started with my top; dragging my thin tank top over my head I cast it aside. I stood before him now in my black lace bra and matching thong. A sultry smile curved the corners of his full mouth and a flash of heat ran through me thinking of how it would feel on my skin.
“Start with your bra,” Jack said. A thrill went through me at the forcefulness of his tone and that surprised me. I came here for a night of freedom, I thought. But the idea of letting Jack take control ignited a dark desire I didn’t know I had.
My fingers shook a little as I worked the delicate clasp between my breasts. Slowly, I peeled the sheer fabric away from my shoulders, exposing that part of me to Jack’s inspection. My breasts felt heavy as they sprang free; my nipples stood on end from my growing arousal and the hotel air conditioner.
I took a step toward him, intending to straddle his lap. The chill in the air had me shivering and I wanted to be close to him.
“Not yet,” Jack said, “I want to see the rest of you first.” Again, heat flared through me, settling between my legs at the command in his voice. Yes. I wanted this. I took one step back and pulled at the thin bands of lace at my hips, dragging my panties down until they fell to my ankles. I kicked them away.
Now, I was completely naked before Jack. The spark in his eye told me it still wasn’t enough to sate him. I knew what he was going to ask me – to demand of me – before he said it and I felt the first slow trickle of desire between my legs. When he said the words I gasped but I knew I was already his.
“Show me,” he said. “Turn around and bend over, Tora. I want to see all of you.”
I turned. With my feet planted slightly apart, I bent at the waist, reaching down, down; I clasped the back of my calves with my hands. Like this, I could hide nothing from Jack’s eyes. As he sat behind me, with me bent over for him, he had a perfect view of my most sensitive flesh. He could see how wet I was for him from just the sound of his voice. When he touched me I knew I might melt. I wanted to. I wanted the sound of Jack’s voice and the burn of his touch to carry me far away.
“Now,” Jack said. His voice was ragged with his own growing desire. “Come here.”
Rising slowly on shaky legs, I turned and went to Jack. He looked up at me, his dark brown eyes hooded with lust and admiration. He put his hands up, cupping my ass as he drew me toward him. I lifted myself on the bed so I straddled him. He was still fully clothed but the hard rod of his cock pressed against my pussy. I felt wild; I resisted the urge to rub against him and my body shook from the strain of it.
But Jack would have none of that. He clamped his hands on my ass and thrust upward, spurring me on. He understood my urge and how I struggled to control it but he wanted to drive me to it. Jack pushed me against him, guiding me into a pounding rhythm until he had pushed me past the point of control. It’s what he wanted. He had me grinding against the rough denim of his jeans and his rock hard erection beneath it. It was dirty, wild and sinful. Jack had woken something primal in me without even taking off a stitch of his own clothes.
I was so close. I wanted to come then and there but Jack sensed that, too. Just before I felt the first cresting waves of a powerful orgasm, Jack tightened his grip on my hips and made me be still. I squirmed and groaned like the bitch in heat he had made of me. Jack reached up and flipped me in a move that was both forceful and gentle all at once. I landed on my back beneath him with my legs spread wide, still writhing from the pull of the orgasm he denied me.
“Not yet,” he said. Jack rose from the bed and stood over me. “Do you know how sexy you look like that? You’re made to fuck, aren’t you?”
He was right. I was. Tonight, I was. “Please?” I couldn’t stop myself. Had it been five minutes? Ten? Jack Manning already had me uninhibited and begging for him.
“Patience,” Jack said smiling.
“Now you,” I said. “I want to see you.” And I did. Badly.
Jack had wanted a strip tease from me. For me, he shed his clothes with Clark Kent quickness. He was beautiful. Though still trembling, I brought myself up, tucking my legs under me until I was kneeling on the bed before him. I reached up and ran a hand down the sculpted muscles of his abdomen, the corded veins of his forearm, then curved them around the solid flesh of his ass. I drew him to me.
Jack reached down and hooked a thumb under the waistband of his boxer shorts and cast those aside. His dick sprang free. Jack’s erection throbbed with his own arousal. I closed my fingers gently around his girth and drew him toward me as I looked up at him. I stroked the length of him as Jack wound his fingers through my hair, cupping me at the base of my neck. With me still on my knees and Jack standing, I leaned down and opened my mouth wide. With firm but gentle hands on the back of my head, he drew me down until I nearly swallowed his cock. He was thick and
long and I spread my lips wide to accommodate him.
My whole existence became the feel of Jack in my mouth as I licked and sucked and struggled to take all of him in. First, he let me set the pace as I explored his velvety skin. Then, Jack struggled to control his own desires as his hands on my head drove me further down. I reached around and gripped his ass. With Jack’s dick in my mouth and his hands on my head, he began to thrust and grind. I let him fuck my mouth, my own heat and arousal growing at the sounds it made as I sucked him.
I felt his balls quiver and seize beneath my chin and I got ready to take what he would give. But Jack had more self-control than I had when I was on top of him. He groaned and shifted, stepping back while he kept my head in his hands. He slid out of my mouth as I looked up at him.
“Not yet,” he said. “God. You feel so good, Tora. Come here.”
Jack reached down and scooped me up until he cradled me in his arms. He was so much bigger than me it was easier for him to do it. I nuzzled against his strong chest as Jack reached down and ripped at the bedspread. We slipped beneath the covers together and I brought Jack’s lips back to mine, enveloping him in long slow kisses.
We had all night. I wanted forever. I could lose myself in Jack’s touch. Forget who and what I was; it was everything that I needed.
Jack gathered my wrists in one of his hands and pinned them up over my head. He lay alongside me, drawing me close against his body so he could explore me with his free hand. He drew lazy circles around my nipples, making them stand in hard peaks for his pleasure and inspection. Then, he ran a finger in a line between my breasts, over the flat plane of my stomach, over my belly button and down the trail ending between my legs. Jack felt me shudder as he dipped into my wetness and a devilish twinkle lit his eyes.
“Fuck me, Tora,” he said.
Jack let go of my wrists and helped guide me above him. Slowly, I lowered myself down over him, seating myself until I had taken him in as far as he could go. I sat there for a moment, savoring the feel of his hard dick rooted deep inside me. Jack smiled as he lifted his arms and hooked them behind his head.
