“Well, she had little LJ about five weeks ago and I think she’s going to take about six months off. So she has a little under five months left.” Considering it was already October, it likely would be spring before Coral returned full-time to the community center. She wanted to spend time adjusting and enjoying parenthood before returning to work. I think if Liam could have it his way, she’d never return. But that was neither here nor there.
“Wow! That’s a long time.”
“It’ll go by quickly. And when she comes back, we can tell her about all of the different books the club has read.”
Trudy nods. “That’ll be cool. She looked really happy when she came for a visit last week with the baby. I bet she’s a really good mom.” Her voice was filled with sadness on that last sentence.
I look up from the chair I’d just turned upside down on one of the desks. I notice Trudy’s head lowered. My heart breaks a little for her. I remember the day she’s referring to. Coral had come in for an hour last Tuesday. She brought LJ and Liam with her. I’m sure it’s because Liam didn’t want either one of them out of his sight. Coral was practically glowing as the staff oohed and ahhed over the baby and congratulated her and Liam. The way she looked at LJ, anyone could see how much he meant to her.
“Yeah, she’s a really good mom,” I comment, remembering how protective my big sis has always been over me. “Now, tell me about this math test you aced in school the other day,” I encourage, changing the subject.
“It wasn’t a big deal.” She shrugs.
I stop abruptly. “Trudy.” I pause, waiting for her to look up at me. I want her to see the seriousness in my eyes. “Don’t ever short change yourself, okay?” I wait for her to nod before continuing. “There will be enough people in this world trying to bring you down and those who think you should humble yourself. Those people are wrong. Don’t let anyone, not even you downplay your accomplishments.”
Trudy’s eyes widen a bit and I see the uncertainty in them. But I remain steadfast. When she sighs and nods I break our stare off. “Okay, so now, tell me about the math test you aced.”
For the next fifteen minutes Trudy retells how she barely even prepared for the math test, but she’d paid attention in class and remembered the strategies for solving the algebraic equations. “You know, I love reading, but I really like math and science too. I checked out a book from the library a few weeks ago about careers in engineering.”
My eyebrows spike up.
“You think I could-”
“Trudy! Let’s go girl!” The yell from across the parking lot grabs our attention.
I turn to see a male figure sitting inside the beat-up car that usually comes to pick up Trudy. My body stiffens as I realize it’s Trudy’s mother’s boyfriend. I’ve barely met this man, but everything in me is telling me not to trust him.
“Hey, Trudy, have I ever given you my cell number?” I ask, still staring at the vehicle.
She looks up at me confused. She shakes her head.
Quickly, I take out my bag and pull out a Post-it note and scribble my cell and home phone numbers on it. “Use this whenever you need to. All right?” I say, handing her the sheet of paper.
“Come on, girl!” he yells.
“A’ight. Thanks, Ms. Tasha. See ya next week.” She waves before hurrying off.
The unease in my stomach refuses to die down, but all I can do is pray she’ll be okay and that she’ll use my numbers if she ever needs them.
Chapter Seventeen
Tasha
“You said it’s her mom’s boyfriend?” Jeremy asks, entering the bedroom after just brushing his teeth in the bathroom.
I look up to answer and I swear my brain short circuits. He’s completely bare from the waist up. I watch every ripple of his abdominal muscles as he walks toward the bed. The way the pajama bottoms sit low on his hips, showing off that V-cut causes me to run my tongue along my lower lip.
“LaTasha, focus,” he demands, but I hear the laughter in his voice.
“How am I supposed to focus with you looking like that?!” I wave my hand, gesturing up and down his body.
“Easy.” He grins and my pussy muscles instantly clench at that mischievous look. “If you focus right now, I’ll reward you later on,” he says before he leans down and takes my mouth with his. He reaches underneath me to grab a handful of my ass.
“Mmm…Promise?” I groan when he pulls back.
“Have I ever lied to you?”
“No.” I shake my head. “No, you never have.” That admission warms my chest just as much as his lips on mine. Blowing out a breath, I sit back against the headboard as he climbs into bed. “What was I saying? Oh yeah! I think it’s her mother’s boyfriend. I doubt they’re married.” I had opened up to Jeremy about my misgivings concerning Trudy’s home life. I don’t know why I’d brought it up at dinner, but it had been on my mind since I’d left the community center earlier today.
“And you don’t like him? Has he said anything to you?”
I smirk at the hard look Jeremy gives me at that question. I know if I say yes, Jeremy wouldn’t hesitate to find this guy. “No, he’s never said anything to me besides a few passing words. But it’s not what he says to me. It’s not even his rudeness with Trudy. It’s this look he gives her. I…” I pause. I know that look, but I don’t want to tell Jeremy how I know it. I’m not ready to share that part of my story yet.
Being as perceptive as he is, Jeremy sits up, examining me. Sometimes, like right now, I hate how exposed I feel with this man. “A look?”
“Yes. I know it sounds stupid.”
“No, it doesn’t. It’s called instincts. We all have them, but some of us are just more attuned to them than others. And whatever you’ve been through that you still refuse to share with me has helped hone your instincts.”
See, what I mean? He has absolutely no qualms about calling me out when I hold back. He’s not shaming or guilt tripping me for not opening up. He’s just calling it what it is.
“How can you be so sure of that?”
The faint lines around his eyes deepen as his eyes crinkle from his smile. “I’m a marine.”
I throw my head back and laugh.
“No, but seriously, my service and even my life before joining the marines honed my instincts. Living in five foster homes in a year and a half will teach you about who you can and cannot trust real quick. I’m betting it’s similar to the way your instincts were honed.” He pauses as if waiting for me to interject, either confirm or deny his suspicions. I remain silent, again not ready to go into the full detail of my history.
He continues. “If a look this guy is giving off bothers you, I don’t trust him either. Watch out for him. I can have a guy I know look into him if you want.”
I wave him off. “No, that’s not necessary. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Don’t be so sure. Promise me you’ll never be alone with this guy and if anything happens, you’ll let me know first.” His fingers grip my chin, so I‘m forced to look directly in his eyes. I realize that he won’t let this go until I’ve said what he wants.
“I promise,” I finally say, thinking it wouldn’t ever come to that. I’m sure I’m overreacting.
“Good. Now, how’s the writing going?”
I grin at the swift change in subject matter. I moan. “I’ve entered the editing stage. This is that part of the writing phase where I rethink my entire career as an author and think that maybe going into something like… I don’t know. Maybe real estate would be a better option.”
Jeremy’s chest expands as he lets out a laugh. “Real estate, doll?”
I quickly nod. “Yeah. I mean, who doesn’t like real estate. Everyone needs a place to live or run their business, right?” I joke.
“I know a thing or two about real estate.”
“Oh right. I forgot I was talking to the hotel magnet.”
“Apparently,” he quips. “Trust me. You don’t want any parts of this busine
ss. Besides, I need to know what happens to Danica, and you’re the only person who can tell me. And considering where we’re headed in a few days, you’re pretty good at this writing thing.”
I groan. Just when I’d forgotten for a little while, he brings it up. The Awards dinner is in three days.
“Speaking of that, I don’t know why you want to leave so early. The ceremony isn’t for another three days.” Although the dinner is still three days away Jeremy has us scheduled to leave tomorrow.
“Because, doll. We’re not going to New York first.”
That surprises me. “Where’re we going then?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises.”
“Oh no?”
I don’t even get the chance to register his questions before I’m squealing as I’m flipped over onto my belly and my waist is being pulled up. Then a pillow is placed under me.
“Mmm…” I moan as his fingers make contact with my bare pussy.
“It seems your pussy likes surprises.” He merely laughs when I wiggle, kick my leg, back, but miss him. “Now, now, doll. I was just about to reward you for focusing earlier, but I can make this into a punishment if you want,” he warns.
I squeeze my eyes shut against the feeling of his fingers still massaging my labia and the memory of his last punishment. I was forced to wear those damn Ben-Wa balls all day as I ran errands. That night I was so wet I swore I could’ve cum from just one look, but he fucked me until I could hardly walk, refusing to let me cum. I refused to talk to him for half of the next day. It was all because I had forgotten to eat lunch and dinner the day before. It’s not my fault I was in the writing zone.
“Ah, so you do remember your last punishment,” he says against my whimpers. “No punishment tonight,” he growls as he slowly pushes his way into me. I feel the usual sensations of ecstasy of having him inside me. The pleasure short circuits my brain and the previous conversation is all but forgotten as he takes me to the skies.
*****
“When can I take this dang thing off?” I question anxiously, resisting the urge to pull the blindfold off. After a very short plane ride, Jeremy insisted I put a blindfold on before we stepped off the plane. He still won’t tell me where we are. I have my suspicions. I could feel the heat of the sun beating down on us as soon as we stepped off the plane.
“Patience, doll,” he croons low in my ear.
I choose to ignore the shiver that runs down my spine. I feel his hand at my lower back.
“We’re taking a twenty minute ride to our final destination. You think you’ll be okay with this blindfold for another twenty minutes?”
I can hear the smirk in his voice. He knows I can last more than twenty minutes. “I don’t know. You tell me.”
“Watch it, love,” he growls low so only I can hear him.
I hear voices in the background and realize we’re not alone. I hear more scuffling and I assume whoever is with us is putting our suitcases into a vehicle. “I’ll be fine for twenty minutes,” I say as Jeremy grips my fingers, leading me to what I assume is a waiting vehicle. When I hear the door open and he directs me to duck my head and step up to get in, I know I’m correct. I feel the coolness of the leather seats against my bare legs and Jeremy’s presence behind me, urging me to scoot over. Once seated, I hear doors shutting, and minutes later, we’re pulling off. Jeremy is in the backseat next to me. Typically, this type of thing would be freaking me out. But I’ve come to trust Jeremy implicitly in such a short period of time. His grip on my hand tightens, tugging me closer to his side. He leans away from me for a second, raising his arm to wrap around my shoulders, pulling me into his chest. I inhale deeply, taking in his favorite cologne and his natural scent. I recline into his embrace, sigh, and relax. I’m still not all that excited about heading to New York in two days, and in fact, I had difficulty sleeping the previous night. I tossed and turned so much that Jeremy woke me up with his head between my thighs. He gave me not one but two incredible orgasms in such quick succession that I could do nothing but fall into a deep sleep afterwards. I guess that was his way of letting us both get some rest before leaving early this morning.
“We’re here,” A voice that sounds far away announces.
I feel my shoulder being massaged as I come to. “I fell asleep?” I ask wearily, looking around, only to remember I’m still blindfolded.
“Yup. You’re a lousy road trip partner,” he teases, chuckling at his own joke.
I snort and sit up straight, blinking a few times although my eyes are still covered by the blindfold.
“Just a few more minutes,” he says as his fingers adjust the blindfold around my head.
“A few more minutes? I thought we were here,” I protest.
“We are, but you still have to wait.”
I feel the weight of the car shift as he exits and then pulls me toward the door to assist me as I get out. Again, I feel the warmth of the sun and dry air. My suspicion heightens as Jeremy helps me up what I assume is a walkway. He pauses for a moment before I hear a door open. He guides me over a threshold where we are immediately surrounded by the cool air from an air conditioner.
“Put those in the bedroom please,” he instructs someone.
Impatiently, I begin to tap my foot, hating how anxious I feel in this moment.
“Okay, doll. I know the suspense is killing you. Let us take care of that.” He releases the blindfold, finally allowing it to fall from my face.
I open my eyes and immediately shut them again against the brightness of the sun shining through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. But the small glimpse of my surroundings intrigues me and I struggle to make my eyes cooperate. I blink continuously until they finally adjust to the brightness. I gasp at the scene before me. We’re standing in the middle of a huge living room in front of glass doors and windows that lead to the most majestic view of desert mountains.
“Arizona?” I question, still drinking in the sight before me.
“The spa I’ve been working on for the past year. You, doll, are our first guest before it officially opens next month.”
My eyes scan the view before me. There’s a fireplace along the far right stone wall. There are low sitting, tan loveseats forming a U in front of the fireplace. To my left is a huge kitchen and dining area. All of the colors coordinate with the desert theme in light tans and earth tones. But my eyes are immediately pulled back to the view of the mountains.
“Later we’ll take a horseback ride up that way to give you a much better view of the desert,” Jeremy says, gripping my fingers. He pulls me. “Let me show you the rest of the villa.”
“We’re staying in a villa?” My head whips around, still looking at the surrounding scene.
He laughs. “Of course.” We continue down a hallway. “To the right is the bathroom with the garden tub with spa features. There’s a separate shower with a waterfall showerhead.” He grins mischievously. I blush slightly, knowing that he’s referring to how in love I am with his waterfall shower at his home.
Next, we venture into the massive bedroom with a king size canopy bed, another fireplace, and a few chairs set on the sides of the bed. There are more huge windows, which give us another great view of the mountains.
“It’s still early, so the staff will be delivering our breakfast soon. After that we have a ten o’clock appointment to do a two-hour horseback ride along one of the trails. I knew you wouldn’t be able to take your eyes off the mountains, so that was one of the first things I thought would be fun to—”
I take his face between my hands and bring his mouth down to mine with a passionate kiss, cutting him off. I pull back. “I usually hate surprises, but this one was perfect. Thank you.”
“Oh, don’t worry. You’re going to thank me properly later on,” he says, squeezing my ass.
Even as I giggle, the warmth low in my belly causes me to feel flushed. I look up into his eyes and become warmer than I was as we stand out in the A
rizona sun. Just as he begins to lean down to take my lips again, there’s a knock on the door.
“That’s breakfast.”
I nod, disappointed as my hunger for something else is extinguished. We return to the living room where Jeremy lets the room service attendant in to deliver our breakfast. The table is soon covered with an assortment of breakfast foods. There’s steaming hot sausages, eggs, Belgian waffles, three flavors of syrup, a delicious-looking fruit salad, and bacon. There are also three different types of toasted bread, scones, and muffins.
“I may have gone a little overboard with ordering all your fave breakfast foods.” He grins.
“I’m not complaining,” I respond, my stomach growling as the delicious aromas intermingle and float to my nostrils.
As we eat, Jeremy fills me in on the details of the spa. His company bought it about a year ago after its previous owners wanted to retire. The spa had been going downhill for years because the owners were getting too old to properly take care of and promote it. Jeremy’s Bennett Industries purchased the company and took the last year to revamp and remodel the estate, update all the facilities, and get the necessary licensing to operate the different services.
“It has taken a little over a year to get everything completed, but she’s just about ready. The grand opening is a month from now, but we’re having a soft opening next week. I want to bring you back for the grand opening,” he says, grabbing my hand as I attempt to do the dishes in the sink after our breakfast. “Don’t worry about those. Will you be up for coming back?” he questions.
“If you make it worth my while,” I tease as he escorts me outside. He looks back at me with a steamy look, silently conveying he intends to make it worth it. I look over and am surprised to see three horses and a man standing beside them. “Horseback riding!”
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