The Scale (Martha's Way)

by Mika Jolie

  All heads turned toward her sister approaching them with Claire and Rita not too far behind. When she finally reached them, she settled into Blake’s waiting arms.

  “That was more than one hour,” she screeched.

  Blake tightened his arms around her and placed a kiss on her head. He grinned from ear to ear, enjoying the situation. Minka shifted her weight from one leg to the other.

  Jason glanced at his watch. “Barely over one hour,” he responded, completely unaffected by Keely’s anger. He turned his attention to Minka. “I’ll pick you up in a few hours.” His lips touched hers as he turned on his heels to his Jeep.

  “Oh, Jason,” Rita’s voice followed. “Can you give me a ride to town?”

  His body came to a stop. Minka caught her breath as he turned to look at Rita. If the other woman noticed the frustration in his eyes, she didn’t show it. Instead she smiled invitingly at him.

  “Where’s your car?”

  “By West Chop,” she explained, referring to a popular restaurant in town. “I met Claire and Keely there to discuss flower arrangements and we drove here together.”

  “Rita, I…” his voice trailed off. He looked at Minka.

  The pretty woman chuckled, shook her head. “A ride and a drink for old time’s sake, Jay.” she purred. “I promise I’ll be good and maybe we can forget about the other night.” She turned to Claire and Keely, and grinned. “Jason stopped by and I kicked him out. We haven’t talked since.”

  Keely crossed her arms over her chest and smiled back at Rita. “Oh, when was that?”

  Rita shrugged. “Saturday night. We got into a little tiff, but…”

  “Rita, stop,” Jason interrupted, cutting her off.

  Minka remained still by his side. The words burned her to her very core. She was smart enough to know the other woman was trying to get under her skin. That fact did not make the pain less arduous.

  He was watching her. She felt his stare on every inch of her body. Instead of meeting him head-on, she stepped away from the group. “I need to leave.”

  “Minka,” he called out.

  There was something in his voice. Remorse, she thought. He reached for her, she took another step back, distancing herself a little more from him.

  “I have to go.” But damn it, her car was back at the hotel.

  It was Blake who reached into his pocket and pulled out a set of keys. “Keely and I will pick up the car later,” he said gently. But she recognized the sympathy in his voice. It was similar to the first time they met.

  She took the keys and started to walk toward Blake’s SUV. As she drove past Jason’s Jeep, she noticed Rita easing her slim body into the spot she had been only minutes ago, the same place where Jason had made love to her. She also noticed her sister in Blake’s arms and the joy in his face. A man obviously in love. He lowered his head to take possession of Keely’s lips.

  Minka blocked the images out of her mind’s eye and turned the car on the main road toward Edgartown. Warm tears flowed down her cheeks. She didn’t bother to brush them away. Instead she cried away the bedlam Jason brought into her life. The realization she had merely been a substitute because someone else turned him down for physical pleasure was disheartening. A little voice reminded her that in some ways she was doing the same to Jason, using him to get over someone who was out of her reach. Therefore, the realization he had done the same to her shouldn’t crush her as it did, but it did, and she had no control over it.

  The admission of her hypocrisy failed to bring her any comfort. If anything, it only expanded the wound. It might have started that way, but her attraction to him ran deeper. Jason Montgomery could never be a substitute, at least not on a physical level. She doubted emotionally as well, if he ever chose to give himself completely to someone.

  With a swipe to her cheek, she dried the tears. It would be so easy to get on the next ferry and run where no one else could follow her, run to a place where she could find calm from the wreckage her life was quickly becoming. A place where she would not have to deal with the torment she felt standing between Blake and Jason. A place where she didn’t have to figure out exactly why it didn’t bother her as much to watch Keely in the arms of her fiancé as it did seeing Rita getting into Jason’s Jeep.

  * * * *

  “I’m excited,” Lily exclaimed on the other end of the phone.

  Minka smiled, delighted her friend was going to be on The Vineyard at the end of the week. Looking out the window from the hotel room, the weak smile escaped her lips as she watched the vacationers strolling on the busy street. She listened to her friend as they finalized the details.

  “I booked a room at The Gosnold. A cute little cottage named after the British explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who apparently sailed to the island in 1602.”

  She knew better than to convince her friend to stay with her. To think just a few hours ago, she had agreed to give up her room and stay with Jason for the remainder of her stay on the island. “I have a few places we can go visit.”

  “What about Mr. Sexy? Where is he going to be?”

  “I…” She hesitated as her mind wandered to the scene earlier. “I’m sure he’ll be busy.”

  “Trouble in paradise?”

  Minka explained the events to her friend from the time Jason entered the room to their encounter with Rita after they returned back to the inn.

  “So, now you’re not going to stay with him?” Lily asked once Minka finished. “It’s possible he just gave her a ride. Nothing more.”

  “It’s too much.” The reality was Jason was out of her league. Whether for a night, a week or two, she needed to stay away from him.

  “I guess having fun for once could be too much.”

  Minka chose to ignore the sarcasm in friend’s voice. “It’s not that.”

  “Then what is it? You think he’s sleeping with her too?” There was a slight pause on the other end of the phone, but Minka remained quiet. “You’re looking for an excuse because you like him and he’s not Blake. Minka, you can’t feel guilty for liking someone that’s not your sister’s fiancé.”

  A silence fell between them. Although she knew there was validity to Lily’s words, Minka’s insecurity still lingered. In her eyes, Rita was better fitted for Jason. The other woman had a bigger personality, was easy-going and more sexual. Everything she lacked. The landline in her room rang. Minka asked Lily to hold and she answered the other phone.

  “Miss Greene,” the innkeeper greeted her in her usual friendly voice. “Mr. Montgomery is here to see you. Should I send him up?”

  The unexpected announcement caught her off balance. He had come to her. Her eyes lingered on his jacket and, keeping her voice leveled; she confirmed that Jason be let up to her room.

  “Jason is coming up.”

  “Well, my friend, go have some fun,” Lily teased. “I’ll see you in a couple of days. Love you.”

  After ending the conversation with Lily, she hurried to the mirror to fix her tear-stained face and inhaled a deep breath.

  She opened the door after the knock, and performed a quick survey of his appearance. He was still in his suit minus the jacket. Although still wrinkled from being with her, his shirt was now neatly tucked in and his face looked strained.

  Tension filled her. Was he here to tell her he had reconciled with Rita?

  “Invite me in,” he demanded.

  She stepped aside, allowing him entrance to her room. He stood in the room, big and badass, taking in all the details. His expression was a perfect blend of dark and stormy, revealing nothing until his gaze rested on the bed and he clenched his jaw. She widely skirted it and walked past him to the Lorraine armchair, where his jacket was neatly laid. She picked it up and handed it to him.

  “Thank you for lending it to me.”

  “I ripped your dress. The least I could have done.”

  Their fingers brushed against each other as he took the jacket from her, sending waves of electricity through her.
A reminder of the hold he had on her—at least physically. She pulled away quickly, as if his touch scorched her skin.

  For a moment, he seemed to hesitate and wanted to say something, but instead he gently placed the jacket on the bed. She remained standing by the chair with her arms crossed over her chest, keeping as much distance as possible between her and the pull of his touch.

  He stood quiet, watching her. His gaze hooded. She wished she had a poker face to hide the pain that she knew she showed. Minka tried to focus her attention on anything but the large man whose presence consumed her and the bed that lay behind him. But, she couldn’t look away as he closed the distance between them.

  He stopped inches away from her and put his arms around her, a loose grip, giving her enough room to pull out of his hold if she felt the urge to do so. She stood stiffly in his arms, afraid to relax. And she couldn’t help but wonder if his arms had just been around Rita.

  “I’m sorry about earlier. Who I am should never bring you pain.”

  His voice was tense and held a level of sincerity. Her body folded in his arms and her head lowered to his chest. He tightened his embrace. Stillness filled the room.

  “Rita and I slept together on and off for a while,” he murmured. “She wanted something I couldn’t give her.”

  His voice was very matter-of-fact with little emotion. She processed the words and tried not to think of Jason tangled up with Rita. No, she wouldn’t allow herself to think about him with another woman, to compare. A little bit of pain pulled the strings of her heart and squeezed around it. Things like that shouldn’t bother her; just like Rita or the kiss at Vapor shouldn’t have bothered her.

  With measured steps, she pulled out of his arms and met his gaze. “A relationship,” she spoke the words softly. That realization left a void inside of her.

  “That’s not who I am, Minka.” He ran a hand through his hair with exasperation. “I hurt her, I guess, and for that I apologized today. But I needed to come here to let you know I am not sleeping with her. I don’t want her. I want you.”

  She rubbed her hands over her arms, fighting back the tears that threatened to run down her cheeks.

  “I would never lie to you.” His voice was steady, solid, and genuine.

  She believed him. But honesty couldn’t expunge pain or heartache. And often it was the hardest thing to digest.

  She was twenty years old all over again. Drunk with Phil, the football star on campus. She had given herself to him in a moment of impulse. He wouldn’t even talk to her the next day.

  She swallowed away the images of the past. The tears of rejection that flew so freely on her cheeks earlier threatened to come back. Blinking rapidly, she turned away from Jason.

  But, standing there in her room, she was all too aware of him. “The other night, the first time we slept together…”

  His body pressed against her back, but his hands didn’t touch her. Minka closed her eyes, fighting the desire to lean her weight on his hard chest. “You weren’t a substitute. I was having a tough day, and I admit I did go visit Rita. Quite frankly, I went to see her because she was familiar and…accessible.”

  “I get it. It’s fine,” she replied, and hoped her voice sounded indifferent.

  “We didn’t sleep together. She kicked me out, actually,” he admitted. “By the time I made it to Vapor, sex was the last thing on my mind. I just wanted to kill some time, relax, and have a drink.”

  She nodded. “It shouldn’t bother me.”

  “It would bother me if I found out the same night I slept with you there was someone else.”

  His admission caught her off-guard. “It would?”

  “Yes,” he answered without a beat.

  Confusion clouded her brain. She turned to face him again. “I want to believe you, Jason.”

  One finger traced her face. “If I wanted sex that badly, Rita wasn’t my only option.”

  Ouch. The words stung. “Sure,” she responded, trying to cover her pain.

  “God, Minka that came out wrong.” He stepped away and turned his back to her, thrusting his hands in his pockets.

  He let out a deep breath then turned to face her. His blue eyes sparkled with something she couldn’t explain.

  “I want you,” he added softly. “It blows my mind how much I want you. It scares me because I’ve never wanted anyone this much and you’re only here until next week. But I want your two weeks here with me, every free second of it, to be with me.”

  Her body shook with the reality of what Jason was presenting to her. The physical need scared her enough. He was too intense sexually, too emotionally removed—and her desire for him was too excessive. Two weeks at his house would not lessen it. If anything, she guessed her yearning would only increase, leaving her broken and shattered once more.

  “Jason, I…” She hesitated, paralyzed with fear.

  He smiled, took her hands. “Let’s talk. Let’s clear the air before we move forward. This is new to me so I’m not very good at it.”

  “I feel used,” she whispered in a shaken tone.

  His eyes bore into hers, her pain reflecting in his. He sighed but didn’t let go of her hands. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way. After we talk, I’ll leave if you want. Although I’d much rather you go for option B, check out and come home with me.”

  “Are you two still sleeping together?”

  A smile touched the corner of his lips. “I wouldn’t be here if Rita and I were still sleeping together. For the next two weeks, it’s just you and me. I want to give you all of me. You must believe that.”

  He leaned his big body a little closer to her and kissed the corner of her lips, sending her mind into a tailspin. Two weeks wasn’t forever, which worked out fine because Minka didn’t believe in forever, at least not for her and especially not with someone like Jason. He was dangerous, lethal. Women flocked to him, beautiful women. He was too edgy, intense and too sexual. She was walking into unfamiliar territory and risked the chance of getting her heart wounded. Yet the desire to live and jump off the bridge outweighed any reservation she had.

  “I do believe you, Jason. I’m just not used to this.” She signaled her hands between them. “I’m not experienced enough for you. I’ve only been with one other man.”

  “I know it’s pretty selfish and pretty hypocritical, but I like that your experience is limited.”

  “But, you’ve been with lots of women.”

  His eyes glimmered and the smile tugging his lips broke into a grin, completely enveloping his face. “Come lie down with me. No sex,” he added.

  Minka was quickly learning Jason was her kryptonite. She allowed him to lead her to the large bed. Without letting go of her hand, he lowered himself beside her and turned to face her and looked deeply into her hazel eyes. His large hands ran down her curvaceous body. He wasn’t playing fair. She had a feeling he knew that.

  “I’m not a saint, if that’s what you’re wondering. If you want a saint, then you should be in Blake’s arms, not mine. He’s the saint out of the group,” he said with a smile. “Well, as close to a saint as one can get.”

  “He’s with Keely.” The words were spoken before they could be processed. She noticed him studying her and she quickly smiled at him. “He’s good for Keely because she has no manners,” she joked and hoped her voice carried enough humor for him not to notice how uncomfortable his words had made her.

  To her relief, he didn’t press the topic. Instead, he reached for her hand. She nestled her body close to his and closed her eyes, wishing she could take the words back. He was a lawyer, suspicious by nature, but he didn’t probe further and for that she was grateful.

  “Jason,” she whispered his name, her face tucked into his neck.

  “Hmm?”

  “I’m glad you came back here.”

  She felt him smile. “How glad?”

  Minka chuckled and playfully poked his rib.

  “Anything else we should clear the air on?” />
  Let’s see. I thought I was in love with your best friend but the last few days with you have me thinking otherwise.

  She shook her head. She was tired of playing it safe. For once she wanted to take that leap. For now, things were fine. She hoped at the end of next week her heart would be okay. It surprised Minka her heart was now in question. The physical attraction she could handle, but she wasn’t sure her heart was ready to deal with what Jason had to offer. Not wanting to dwell on the impossible, she leaned in to kiss him as passionately as she could. No matter what happened, she wanted to enjoy this moment.

  Two weeks, she thought. Enjoy this for two weeks.

  His hands came to rest on her hips. “You should take off these shorts.” His voice was husky, wicked and filled with promises.

  “I thought you said…” Her hands went to rest on the hem of the shorts she’d slipped into when she got back to the hotel.

  He nodded, confirming her words. “No sex. I don’t have any condoms on me. And like you said, you don’t have any.” He grinned, his fingers coming to the waist of her shorts. “One day, you’re going to tell me how and why your sexual experience is so limited.” His large body came to lean over hers with one hand on her side carrying his weight. He placed light butterfly kisses on her neck, her shoulders. “I don’t understand it.” He lifted her blouse to place kisses on her stomach, then his hands found her breasts and he groaned. “You should never wear a bra for the next two weeks. I want easy access to these.” On his knees, he sat before her and she lifted her hips from the bed, as she did, he slipped the shorts off her body. His hands ran over her legs, her thighs. “You’re beautiful.”

  The words made her feel good. But she closed her eyes, blocking away his probing look. She felt the weight of his hands gently spread her legs open for him. Then his fingers were caressing her over the silky material of her panties. Minka pulled her legs closed in response.

  This was too intimate. Having crazy sex in a Jeep was one thing, but being fully exposed to Jason was another. “Jason, I’m…I…ah…” She was unable to finish her thought process. He slipped a finger inside her. Minka automatically grabbed the closest pillow.