The Scale (Martha's Way)

by Mika Jolie

  “Open your eyes Minka, look at me.”

  As his fingers stroked, her eyes slid open. The intensity she saw in his face startled her. He was slowly taking a piece of her. And every time he touched her, she belonged more and more to him.

  He removed the silky barrier and parted her legs and buried his head at her core.

  The touch of his tongue sent shocking currents through her. Her lashes batted, struggling to stay alert but eventually she closed her eyes and drifted as she felt everything he was doing to her.

  His tongue licked, his fingers stroked her to ecstasy. Her hands found his head and held it in an attempt to stop the sweet torture, but he continued the punishment until she shivered with excitement, then collapsed.

  Time meant nothing. He brought himself next to her and pulled her in his arms. It could have been seconds after their last lovemaking and she had a feeling she would still want more of him.

  “You don’t play fair, Mr. Montgomery,” she said weakly. He pulled her closer to him. She breathed in his smell and curled her fingers in his shirt.

  “On the contrary, Miss Greene, you’re too tempting.”

  “I don’t think I can move.”

  “We can skip dinner if you want.”

  As enticing as the idea was, Minka had a feeling she needed to eat. “I think I used all of my energy.”

  “I’ll cook for you.”

  “What about Adam?”

  “I’ll send him a message. Tonight I want to take you home.”

  “As long as you have food there.”

  “I promise to feed you. I’ll even draw you a warm bath.”

  She smiled, loving the smell of him. “Sounds too good not to say yes. Can we just stay here for a little while longer?”

  He didn’t answer. He didn’t need to. His body conveyed the answer she needed. Minka wrapped her arms around his tight abs. While placing her head on his chest, she allowed her lips to touch the dark ink on his chest.

  “I love your tattoos. One day you’ll tell me the story behind them.”

  “One day.”

  He kissed her once more, a gentle kiss. Unaware she was smiling, she disregarded the flutter of her heart and drifted to sleep. There was no need to start analyzing what was developing between her and Jason. They had two weeks to enjoy each other. He didn’t promise her forever. He didn’t need to. For two weeks, he was hers unconditionally.

  Chapter Fourteen

  “On a scale of one to 10, I'd rate my body confidence as a good seven. Everyone has their hang-ups, but I see my body as a training tool and I feel good about it.”

  Jessica Ennis

  The bedroom door opened just as Minka slipped into a red linen, cap-sleeve dress. Jason walked into the room drenched from his daily morning run and removed the cotton tee that clung to every bit of his lean muscles. Her eyes ran, with appreciation, over his chest and tight abs covered in sweat. Aside from the glistening evidence, he was barely out of breath.

  “How many miles did you run?”

  “Just five today, a quick workout to get my adrenaline going,” he explained as he placed a kiss on her lips.

  She smiled at his words. From spending time with Jason and his friends, she knew how active the group was. Adam raced cars in Europe when he wasn’t running his restaurants. And there were the things they claimed they did for fun such as surfing, paddle boarding, hiking and beach volleyball. The list was rather long, for Minka especially, since she couldn’t remember the last time she did anything physically demanding. There was the five mile walk-run she did with Lily as a part of their New Year’s resolution but while Lily ran it, Minka had opted to walk it.

  “I thought your calendar was free today.” Jason’s voice interrupted her thoughts.

  “I’m going to run some errands with Keely.”

  His eyes lingered over her body, and they twinkled with amusement. Frowning, she looked at him. “What? Am I not dressed properly?”

  “You might want to wear shorts. It’s supposed to be hot today on the island.”

  Shorts for her were worn in the privacy of her home. Yesterday, when Jason came to her hotel she didn’t have a chance to change, otherwise she would have put on a pair of tights. Tights covered cellulite, so did knee or floor-length dresses. Conveniently, the only pair of shorts she’d brought with her were the ones she wore yesterday. They were way too revealing.

  “I’m fine with a dress on.”

  “We can drive to the inn together.”

  “No, it’s okay. She’s coming here.” Minka grinned with excitement. “I also want to explore the island a bit. I found this farm online.”

  “Which farm is that?”

  She shrugged and reached for her phone. She had saved the page. “Herring Creek. It’s an organic farm. I figured I’d drive there.”

  He stripped out of his running shorts and stood in the room, six-foot plus with lean, tough muscles in his birthday suit with no care in the world. All his perfection made her feel unsure of herself and she smoothed down her dress as a distraction.

  “That’s Forrest’s parents’ farm.”

  “Oh,” she replied in a bit of a daze.

  And the smirk on his face told her he was enjoying torturing her. She cleared her throat and licked her bottom lip. He chuckled. Damn it.

  “It’s a great farm. We partnered up with them for food for Vapor and Martha’s Way.”

  “That’s wonderful.” The idea that Jason worked so closely with local businesses touched her. “I’m going to make you dinner tonight.”

  His lips twisted into a slight amused quirk. “You cook?”

  She wasn’t going to take the inquisition in his voice to heart. She wasn’t the best cook but the internet was filled with recipes. “Yes,” she answered a little too fast. “Well no, not really.”

  His eyes squinted, lit with humor. “Which one is it?”

  She swatted at the air. “The things I cook, I do well.” But already she was regretting her decision to make dinner.

  He grabbed her wrist and pulled her against him. Her arms automatically landed on his chest. Jason lowered his head and kissed her, slow and deep. When he finally pulled back, her hand went to her parted lips.

  He winked at her and grabbed a handful of her ass for good measure. “Have I told you I love your ass?”

  He told her the first night they slept together. She was still having a hard time believing that.

  “Well, I do,” he said as if he knew she didn’t believe him. “Surprise me with dinner. As long as I get to have you for dessert, all will be well in my world.”

  Once alone in the room, she heard the sound of the water from the shower and could imagine Jason naked with water dripping over him. She wanted to join him. Only she didn’t have the guts. It was one thing to be naked between the sheets in throes of passion but anything else required an amount of strength she didn’t possess.

  Minka heaved a dejected sigh and walked out of the room.

  * * * *

  Jason recognized his father’s sporty Mercedes as soon as he pulled up to the inn. With a groan, he stepped out of the car and made his way inside. He found his father in the sunroom with Blake and Keely. Claire was in his arms, laughing over something he said. “Why aren’t you staying at the house while you’re here?” Charles was asking Claire.

  Jason looked at her. She loved his father. He understood that because his father helped raise her.

  “I’m going there tomorrow. I spoke to Mom. Keely needs my help for a couple of days.”

  His father bowed at Keely and came to shake Blake’s hands. “Congratulations on your wedding. I’m sure my son will see that you have a beautiful wedding here at the inn.”

  Keely smiled, but Jason noticed she looked strained. Not because she didn’t like his father but he guessed she felt torn between her loyalty to him and the obvious fact that she liked his father. Most people did, his father was charismatic and personable. He was just incapable of keeping his goods t
o himself.

  “I’m sure we will,” Keely said with a warm smile. “Jason has been a great host.”

  His father turned to glance at him.

  “What’s brought you to my humble chateau?” he asked walking toward the group.

  “You left rather abruptly yesterday. We need to talk.”

  Jason glanced at the Rolex around his wrist. He had a few minutes to spare. “You have fifteen minutes.”

  As he walked out of the room, he heard his father mention something to Blake about law, congratulated the couple once again and promised to see them on the wedding day. It was something Jason couldn’t control. Blake did forewarn him an invitation was issued to his father. Like it or not, Jason couldn’t tell his friend who to invite to his wedding.

  “I love you,” he heard Claire say to the older man. “I love both of you. I miss my family.” He didn’t wait for his father’s response. Instead, he quickened his steps down the hall into the large room he used as his office.

  Within seconds, the office door swung open. Jason kept his attention on the wedding checklist on his desk. The tent had to be installed after a few minor repairs. Tonight he would speak to Adam’s chef to confirm a time for him to meet to finalize the menu. Both Keely and Blake had given carte blanche on the dinner preparation, even though he always confirmed everything with them.

  “You’ve put a lot of work into this place.”

  He raised his head to look at his father. “Why are you here? You know you’re not welcome.”

  “We need to discuss my divorce to Agnes. She’s going to request to look into your finances.”

  Jason shrugged. “I don’t care. She can do whatever she wants.”

  “I need you to come up with a strategy.”

  “To do what? Prove that she’s mentally ill?” A slight chuckle escaped his throat. “You’re out of luck, Dad. I told you this lawyer is no longer for hire.” Coming to his feet, he walked past his father to grab a book on the filled bookshelf. “Did she catch you with your pants down like I did or Mom did, for that matter?”

  The question hung in the air. He waited for his father to admit his infidelity. To his surprise, his father let out a deep sigh before walking over to sit behind his desk. Once seated, he reached for the only picture Jason had of them as a family.

  “I didn’t cheat on Agnes. It’s the other way around. I walked in on her.”

  A part of him felt compelled to ask his father if the discovery was as painful for him as it had been for his mother. Did he finally understand how it felt to be betrayed? For so long, he’d carried so much anger toward the older man and wanted to remind him how he had destroyed a life. But, as he looked at the other man, he saw someone broken, tired, and alone.

  “What do you need me to do?”

  His father glanced up at him. “Had I been the one to fuck up, I would have given her whatever she wanted.”

  “Your offer is pretty generous,” he said with sincerity.

  “She wants more. She’s angry.”

  “Why?”

  His father shrugged and let out a short dry laugh. “I couldn’t tell you. I want to finalize this divorce by next week. I was able to obtain a court date.”

  Jason wasn’t surprised by that fact. His father was rich and had donated a lot of money to help others. And his charm had a way of getting people to do what he wanted. “I will come by tomorrow.”

  “Let’s do dinner tonight.”

  His mind went to Minka in her little shorts. “I have plans. We can do lunch tomorrow.”

  “What’s her name?” his father asked with a smile.

  “Dad, this isn’t a reunion,” he reminded his father. Agreeing to help was more of an obligation. “Minka,” he answered nonetheless. “She’s Keely’s sister.”

  “That explains the strong resemblance. You’re dining with her?”

  Jason nodded.

  “I look forward to getting to know her.”

  A soft knock on the door reminded Jason it was time for his meeting for the photo shoot of the inn. “I have a meeting. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He turned on his heels to exit the room.

  “Jason,” his father’s voice called and he stopped at the door. “Don’t break her heart like I did your mom’s.”

  He turned to look at his father. “It’s different, and I’m not a cheater.”

  “When was the last time you committed to a woman?”

  “I’m committed to her until next week. She understands that.” With that, he walked out of the room, leaving his father with the only picture he had of them with his mother in his hands.

  He found Lisa walking through the foyer inspecting the place. Dressed in a short skirt and a fitted jacket with her blonde hair pulled into a bun, Jason decided she was more attractive in person. The pictures he’d seen of her from the popular magazine where she was the chief editor didn’t do her justice. Three days ago, he would have amped his charms and flirted with her but today he only extended his hand to her as he introduced himself, setting a professional tone.

  “You have a wonderful place here, Jason. This is a hidden charm. No wonder it’s so popular. We will do your inn justice.”

  Jason nodded. Lisa was the chief editor for the famous Harbor magazine based in Massachusetts. The magazine often did features on inns in the states, particularly the Capes. He had been surprised when she contacted him and expressed her desire to do a story on Martha’s Way.

  “I understand you have a wedding here soon.”

  “Next weekend.”

  “Can we cover it?”

  A frown crossed his face. He might not be the next in line to promise forever to a woman, but he believed in the sanctity of marriage and felt the presence of a reporter and a photographer not hired by the bride and groom might be intrusive. “Why don’t you ask the bride and groom? I, myself would say no, but this is their wedding. I’ll take you to them and you can discuss it. I have to leave.”

  “Hot date?” she asked with a smile.

  He read the hidden message behind Lisa’s words and the inviting smile. That was his usual cue to dive in or provide a vague answer to let her know he was available. Instead, he thought of Minka. “Something like that.”

  By the time he pulled into his driveway, he was physically exhausted and mentally drained. He checked his watch. He was a half hour later than the agreed time, but he did text Minka to let her know he was running behind. The meeting with Lisa took longer than he’d anticipated. But in the end, they did agree to do the photo shoot the day before the wedding. He also spent time with his friends finalizing the layout as Keely wanted the place to be. He had been grateful when Blake and Keely politely declined Lisa’s offer to cover their wedding.

  He made his way to the kitchen. The familiar smell of a fresh-baked pie greeted him. Jason smiled, remembering the many pies his mother used to bake. Between the doorways, he came to a halt at the image before him. Minka was slicing what looked like peaches with her headset in her ears, her body swaying from side to side to whatever tune she was listening to, her wild curls loose around her face. She looked relaxed. Mesmerized, he stood back and took in the sight.

  A look of uncertainty crossed over her pretty face when she looked in his direction, then she smiled—a sweet, beautiful smile that left him short of breath. He walked into the room, reached over to touch her cheek and brushed aside a little bit of flour.

  “You had flour on your face.”

  “Oh…”

  Her hands went to the spot. He took them into his.

  “Bad day,” she said as if reading his mind.

  “Long day,” he admitted.

  “In need of some TLC.”

  He studied her, a little surprised by the suggestive tone of her voice. “I’m dying to find out what you have in mind. I’ve missed you all day. I’m going to kiss you now.”

  Jason pulled her closer to him, loving the way she felt against him as he took ownership of her lips. Once again, he couldn’t control hi
s desire. The kiss was rough with need. She wrapped her arms around his neck to welcome him with equal desire. When he finally pulled himself away, he watched her walk to the oven where she removed the pie and placed it on the counter.

  “I don’t think a woman has ever made me a pie before.”

  A ghost of a smile touched her lips. “I cheated. I got it from the farm.” He took the pie from her and placed it on the granite counter. “Did you meet Luc and Marjorie then?”

  “No. The owners were making a delivery.”

  “They are Forrest’s parents. They were good friends of my mother.”

  “Oh. Do they know your father?” she asked in obvious surprise.

  “They are friends as well,” he muttered. As much as the thought unsettled him, he couldn’t tell anyone who to pick as friends. He sighed, exhaled deeply and drew her closer, burying his face in her hair. “Do we go straight to the pie or lovemaking?”

  She chuckled. The sound was music to his ears. “I’m starving. So, Mr. Montgomery, let’s eat first.”

  The tension from the day left his body. “Then we eat pie and make love.”

  A soft laugh generated from her throat. “I’m getting a feeling you only want me in your bed doing your bidding.”

  He grinned and tapped his watch. “Can you blame me? Time is not on our side.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Don’t give the scale more power than it has earned.”

  Steve Maraboli

  Chewing her bottom lip, Minka counted to ten before looking at the number on the scale. It couldn’t be. She stepped off the scale and stepped back on, the same three digits glared back at her. Once again, her weight hadn’t budged. Not even half a pound. In fact, if she shifted a little more to the right, she had actually gained a pound. She shook her head in disbelief. How much more could she do to get the scale to start working in her favor? Oh yes, let’s not forget her nightly consumption of wine with a certain sexy man.