by Pj Fiala
“You’re such a fucking man. Big, fucking deal your big ‘If you bring her, you take care of her’ bullshit.” She used finger quotes. “She’s still going to be working there, with you, every day. She’ll just be trying to hatch out another plan of attack. She spent the whole fucking afternoon whining about how much she loves you and doesn’t want us to get married. How fucking dense are you?”
She pulled away and slipped out of bed. She walked over to the window and stared out at the night sky. He rubbed his forehead and stared at the ceiling. After a few moments, she walked over and climbed back in bed. She turned her back to Jeremiah and closed her eyes.
Jeremiah rubbed his eyes and got up to get undressed. He jumped in the shower to wash this day away. He quietly padded back to bed and slipped in without waking Joci. He wasn’t going to get a lot of sleep tonight. Fucking LuAnn.
The next morning, Joci woke up hot and sweaty. She couldn’t breathe. She opened her eyes and looked around. She was in the hotel. She looked down, and Jeremiah was practically lying on top of her. His head was on her chest; his arm wrapped around her, and he was lying on one of her legs. She tried to take a deep breath and was able to get half a breath in. She closed her eyes and attempted to clear her head. She hadn’t wanted to go to bed mad last night. She was just so damn sick of this shit. This morning, her eyes felt all puffy and swollen from crying in the shower and lack of sleep. Great.
She had to pee, but when she struggled to get up, his arm wrapped around her tighter. She pulled an arm from under the covers and pushed gently on his shoulder.
“Jeremiah, please get off me. I’ve got to pee.”
He squeezed her tighter and mumbled. She pushed at him again, and he opened his eyes.
“I have to pee,” she said, slightly exasperated.
“Sorry, babe.” He rolled over onto his back.
She rolled out of bed and went to the bathroom. A short while later, she walked into the room and started pulling clothes out of her bag to wear for the day.
“We need to talk, Joci.”
Her shoulders sagged. He was right, but she wasn’t going to tell him that. She slowly turned to look at him.
“Okay,” she whispered.
He pushed himself up against the headboard and patted the mattress. “Come sit here with me.”
She walked over and perched herself on the edge of the mattress, her back rigid. He leaned forward and wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back against him.
“I’m sorry. About everything. If I could change it, I would. I can’t. It won’t happen again. What more can I say to you?”
She closed her eyes. “Okay. Is that it?”
He let out a snort. “‘Okay, is that it?’ You don’t have anything else?”
“I simply don’t know what to say, Jeremiah. I feel like we’ve been down this road, but nothing seems to change. I’ve just had enough of it. LuAnn pulls crap. You apologize and tell me it won’t happen again. It happens again, you apologize and tell me it won’t happen again and on and on. What do you want me to say?”
She could feel his chest rise with the induction of air and slowly release. He squeezed her and placed his head on hers. They sat quietly. Not knowing what else to say, he chuckled. “Gunnar called me Dad last night.”
Joci closed her eyes and let a tear fall. Gunnar. It wasn’t just about her and Jeremiah; Gunnar was also involved. Ryder and JT, too. Shit.
She wiped her eyes and started to pull away. She pushed her hands through her hair and held them there.
“I just can’t do this anymore. I’ve reached my limit. I don’t want a life of constantly having to deal with a woman who thinks she’s in love with my husband. Especially when my husband won’t do anything to change the situation. It’s really that simple.”
“Please give me another chance, Joci. I mean it. LuAnn will be made to learn that she can never bother us again.”
“Why, Jeremiah? Why do you keep putting me through this?”
She got up and began dressing, put on a little makeup and threw a bandana on her head to protect her forehead.
He lifted himself out of bed and dressed as well. As soon as they were ready to go down for breakfast, Jeremiah walked up to her and hugged her.
“I love you, Joci. I love you crazy. This hurts so badly right now. This distance. I hate it.”
“I don’t know what else to do, Jeremiah. I keep getting hurt. I don’t want to hurt anymore.”
He tightened his arms around her and stood with her in his arms, swaying back and forth. She heard him swallow a lump in his throat and take a deep breath.
“I won’t hurt you anymore. I’m so fucking sorry I ever did. You’re the last person I want to hurt, ever.”
She stepped back and looked into his eyes, not as green today as usual, and filled with sadness. With a heavy sigh, she said, “I know you don’t mean to. But you do.”
She turned and walked out the door. He followed her down the hall to the elevator. They rode in silence to the lobby and walked to the room where the continental breakfast was served without saying a word to one another. The others were all sitting around tables pushed together, talking and laughing. The only people missing were Chase and LuAnn.
Joci walked over to the table. “Have you eaten yet?”
“No, we were waiting for you two,” Sandi said.
“Okay, well, let’s eat, shall we?” She walked to the buffet and began filling her plate. She wasn’t hungry at all, but she was going to do her best not to ruin anyone else’s weekend.
While they ate, the conversation went on around them. She nodded once in a while and pushed her food around her plate. They talked about where they wanted to go today, and plans were made to head downtown to party on the streets.
Once downtown, they found spots to park along the street and found a nice little bar where a local band was playing. They pulled tables together and listened to the music for a while. Joci found a seat and plopped down. Jackie and Sandi sat on either side of her, and they were quiet for a long time.
“Joci, honey, are you okay? You look so sad and lost. You’re breaking my heart,” Sandi said, rubbing Joci’s shoulder.
“I don’t know, Sandi. I just can’t snap out of this funk. I feel broken or something. It’s like it was the last straw for me. I’m so sick of dealing with LuAnn and her bullshit. It drives me crazy that Jeremiah hangs on to her for some ridiculous, perceived obligation. He would never tolerate the same situation in the reverse. And on top of her, we have Deborah still hanging out there, too.”
Jackie put her arm around Joci and sat there for a while. Staci, Erin, and Angie came over and joined them. Joci was grateful for the camaraderie and change in topic.
After they had eaten dinner, they went back to the hotel and sat by the pool. The boys entertained them most of the evening by playing a mean game of water volleyball and then acting silly when a group of hot babes started paying attention to them.
The Rolling Thunder group headed home late Monday morning. The weekend had been a turning point in their relationship. Which way the turns went, Joci wasn’t sure.
“I love you, Jeremiah, but we have to do something about this. I know some of my frustration with this situation is from my past. That said, I also know it isn’t healthy for you to feel this responsibility to LuAnn when all she wants is what’s best for her, not you.”
He pulled her in for a hug and kneaded his fingers into her tense shoulders. For the first time in a day and a half, she let Jeremiah kiss her. God, she missed his touch, his lips, his warmth. She couldn’t help the tears that leaked out of her eyes. She hoped this was the last time she had to spend time away from this man—emotionally and physically.
32
The Video
“My bike isn’t running right, Jeremiah. It was sputtering a lot yesterday. Do you think Gunnar can take a look at it? Probably the plugs, but I’m not sure. Since we won’t be riding this weekend because of the staff party, this wil
l be a good week to have it at the shop. Do you mind?” Joci asked.
“Of course, I don’t mind. One of the perks of owning a bike shop is you can have your bike worked on anytime you want.”
She chuckled. “I don’t own a bike shop; I just sleep with a man who does.”
“Once we’re married, you’ll be part owner of a bike shop.”
She leaned back and looked into his eyes, her brows furrowed. “Jeremiah, I don’t want to take anything away from JT and Ryder. They are the rightful owners after you.”
“It’s my business. They’re fine. But while we’re on the subject, what do you think of me adopting Gunnar? He would legally be my son. He could change his name if he wanted, and for all intents and purposes, be entitled to anything JT and Ryder were entitled to. I want us all to be a family, with the same last name. What do you think?” He had been thinking about this for a while, but it seemed silly until he’d spoken to his attorney and found out you can adopt anyone you want. As long as they are competent to make the decision on their own.
“I think it’s amazing! I don’t know what he’ll say.” She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Thank you, Jeremiah.”
He squeezed her tight, and she felt perfect against him. She was soft and pliable and molded to him in a way that soothed him. “No need to thank me,” he whispered. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but the other night, when he called me Dad, it cemented the whole idea.”
Clicking the save button, Joci smiled and sat back in her desk chair. The two songs she chose to add to the slide show were Roll Me Away by Bob Seger and Let’s Ride by Kid Rock. Her slideshow turned out amazing. She tried to get pictures of everyone who had participated in the Veteran’s Ride, especially the men and women who worked at Rolling Thunder. She was stunned at the number of pictures of her and Jeremiah. She wasn’t even aware of the photographers around them. There were a few pictures of LuAnn, most of them crude, with her sticking her tongue out or holding up her breasts or pulling her shirt down to show maximum cleavage. She really had zero class.
Nevertheless, there were two pictures of LuAnn, which had been taken when she wasn’t aware of the photographer, and they were nice photos of her, so Joci used them. One of the two was a picture of LuAnn looking over the crowd at Jeremiah with what she would call longing in her eyes. Joci cropped out Jeremiah and just showed LuAnn looking off into space over the crowd. She didn’t want Jeremiah and LuAnn in the same picture if she could help it. Yes, it was immature, but so what?
There were great pictures of the boys and Jeremiah’s family. There was a cool picture of all of them standing at Rolling Thunder together before the ride. Her favorite picture, though, was the one she used to end the video. It was of Joci leaning against a wall at The Barn. Jeremiah had his left forearm leaning against the wall above her head. His right hand was on her chin, and they were staring into each other’s eyes. Both had soft a smile on their face. It was a beautiful, sweet picture of them. When she looked back at it now, she could see the love in her eyes for him. The look in Jeremiah’s eyes reflected the same thing. She couldn’t wait for him to see it.
She pulled the thumb drive from her computer and called Sandi.
“Hey, there. I’m leaving for the restaurant now. Do you need directions?”
“No, I looked it up on the Internet. I’ll be walking out the door in five. See you then.”
Joci put the thumb drive into the computer they would be using to show the video on a large screen in the back party room tomorrow night.
“I want you to be honest with me, Sandi. I haven’t shown this to anyone yet. I’m so nervous. I want it to be perfect for him.”
“Okay. Start it up; I’m ready to critique.” She reached for her iced tea and sat back.
When it was over, Sandi’s eyes were bright with moisture. “Wow, Joci…that’s beautiful.”
Joci smiled at her and grabbed her best friend’s hand.
“It’s going to be a surprise for tomorrow night. He doesn’t even know I have the pictures.”
Sandi’s eyes got big, and she raised her eyebrows. “Oh. My. God. I would love to see the look on his face when he sees this. It’s really fantastic, Joci. You’re great at all this stuff. Now let’s talk about the wedding.”
They planned and talked all through lunch. Just four weeks away now. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, the trees were going to turn colors early this year because there had been a drought last year.
“After lunch, I’m going shopping for a dress for tomorrow night. Do you want to join me? We can do some preliminary wedding shopping for you and Jackie, too.”
That evening, Joci and Jeremiah stayed home. Lying on the sofa, wrapped up in each other, listening to music, they heard someone in the garage around eight o’clock, and Jeremiah jumped up. “Stay put until I know what’s going on.” She smiled at her alpha fiancé, but worry creased her brow.
Soon she heard JT, Ryder, and Gunnar laughing. And apparently, they had been drinking.
“You boys scared the shit out of us,” she heard Jeremiah admonish. “Come on in. Mom’s in the living room.”
They sat around for the remainder of the evening. She and Jeremiah giggled at the boys’ goofy antics. Then, she made them spend the night because they didn’t want them driving after they had been drinking.
As she slipped into bed, she giggled. “You know, they’re all cute together. I can see why the girls were paying attention to them in Milwaukee. What a handsome group of boys we have.”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Good boys, too. They work hard, they’re polite, smart, and loving. We’re lucky, yeah?”
“Yeah.” She sighed.
33
The Employee Appreciation Party
Joci closed her eyes as the warm water caressed her body. She took a long nap again today. Seemed to be a habit lately. Her body was achy, and she’d not felt like herself for a few days. All this bullshit in her life was messing with her physically as well as emotionally. She needed to get herself in a place where she could handle the baggage that seemed to follow Jeremiah. One thing she knew for sure, however; he was worth it. Her thoughts and the water washing away her worries caused her to moan as relief swirled down the drain.
“I love listening to you moan, but usually, I’m inside of you somewhere.”
She opened her eyes and smiled at the strong, virile man standing before her. A smile parted her lips. “I vaguely remember something like that.”
“Vaguely?” He stepped farther into the shower and wrapped his hands around hers. Slowly, he lifted her hands and kissed the back of each before pulling them up over her head. He pushed his body against hers and backed her up against the shower wall. His eyes blazed with sexual tension as he hooked her hands over the ledge in the wall above her head. “Keep your hands up there on the ledge. Don’t let go. Okay?”
Looking into those green eyes she loved so much, she whispered, “Yeah.”
He bowed his head and lightly pressed his lips to hers. His palms slid down her body, stopping at her breasts. He gently squeezed, then his hands continued their descent. His palms gliding easily over her wet skin, he cupped her ass and pulled her into his erection.
“You are my everything, Jocelyn James. You are the air I breathe. You’re the food that sustains me. You’re the liquid that quenches me. My heart beats for you.”
She whispered, “Jeremiah.”
Sliding his right palm along her thigh, he lifted her leg and pulled it around his waist.
“Don’t let go, baby.” Feather-light kisses rained down across Joci’s forehead, her cheeks, and across her lips as his rigid length slid inside of her.
“Oh.”
Holding her bottom in his hands, he began driving into her.
She hung on to the ledge with all her might. She wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his shoulders and hold him tightly to her. Her orgasm built like a tsunami, rolling in fast and furious. The leg she stood on began to shake
.
“Jeremiah…please.”
“Come for me, Joci. Jesus, you feel so fucking good. Your tight little pussy feels like heaven,” he husked out.
She cried out his name as her orgasm crashed through her body. When he spoke to her like that, she reacted instinctively.
“I’m with you, babe.” Two more thrusts and he poured himself into her.
An hour later, Joci walked out of the bedroom and into the living room. He was sitting on the sofa, but her perfume tickled his nostrils, and the sound of her dress swishing caught his attention. He looked over his laptop and froze. His eyes slowly traveled the length of her body. A low whistle slipped from his lips.
“I say we stay in tonight. I’m not going to be able to think of anything but getting you out of that dress.”
She smiled as he continued to stare at the slinky, red dress with a short front and a long back, a black leather yoke, and keyholes above her perfect breasts. It hugged her curves like it was painted on. The black strappy heels showed off her ankle tattoo and shaped her legs to perfection. If he hadn’t just made love to her, he’d already be ripping it from her shapely body as he pulled it over her stunning head.
She caught his eyes with hers and smirked. “I’ll be thinking about taking your clothes off, as well. I love what’s underneath so much more.”
He set his laptop aside and rose from the sofa. He took her hand and placed it on his swollen cock.
“See what you do to me?”
He ground against her as she rubbed up and down. She moved her hand and pressed her pussy against him. He groaned and slid his hand down to her ass, held her close and kissed her temple.
“God, I love you crazy, baby.”
Joci giggled. “I love you crazy, too.”
A while later, they stood around greeting the employees and their spouses or significant others. Jeremiah had worried about this event all week. LuAnn had been better at work, sufficiently chastised for her drunken behavior, but, as usual, that never lasted long. She liked making a scene, and this would be the perfect venue for a scene.
