by Roxy Wilson
Sitting up quickly, gracelessly, he grabbed her under her arms and hauled her up his body. Using one hand to flick up her skirt and pull aside the lace edge of her panties, he clamped his mouth to hers and caught her scream as he impaled his rod into her already slick sheath. Her folds celebrated, sending quivers of passion outward and lighting her inner walls. Her body warmed to the invasion and welcomed Brett home. Still dressed, she couldn’t believe how incredibly filled she now felt. She swore he swelled even more inside her core. Stroking places she’d never been touched before with each thrust of his hips. She rocked a top him to a rough rhythm born of necessity and not finesse. Not even skill. This was primal, animalistic, and impulsive. This was what she had needed. Brett was what she needed. A cool ocean wave cascaded over them, and the sand felt soft but gritty – but she was way past the point of caring about anything. The salty sea air hit her nostrils, and she sucked in a deep breath of air.
With a roar fitting her ride to ecstasy, she came. He came seconds later while her body was still shaking and pulsing. Milking every last bit from his body, she fell boneless to the sand. He rolled to trap her beneath him. With his staff deep within, only slightly withered, he rotated his hips into her softness.
“Again.”
****
Brett opened her apartment door and slipped the bag inside. He held the door for her as she swept inside, Melissa in her arms. They’d gone out for dinner, and the child had fallen into sleep in the car. Jamie took Melissa inside. He heard her muttering softly as she tucked the toddler in her bed. Ten minutes later, she came out.
“She’s sleeping already.”
He held her hand and pulled her forward. “I don’t feel like leaving.”
“So stay.”
He shook his head, a wry smile on his face. “Wish I could, but I’ve an early morning meeting for which I’ve to prepare. If I stay here, you and I both know what we’ll end up doing.”
She chuckled. “Alright then. I’ll see you tomorrow at the park.”
“I may be going out of town for a week.” He toyed with her hair as he spoke. “I’ve already locked a script and am going to scout some locations for it. If I decide to leave the day after tomorrow, I may not come to the park as I’ll be busy packing. I’ll call you.”
“Alright.” She pulled away. “Well, then, bon voyage.”
“I’m missing you already.” He kissed her on the lips. Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. “Listen, I’ve got this award thing two weeks from now in Los Angeles. Why don’t you and Melissa come with me? It will be fun. We’ll get a sitter for her. It’s only a two hours’ function. Won’t take long. The rest of the weekend we could roam around, have fun.”
“Award function? Not THE award function. The Global Film awards?”
“Yep! That’s the one. So are you game for it?”
She stepped away. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. There’s bound to be lots of media coverage at these functions and I don’t want to see my picture slapped on the first page of a newspaper with a raunchy headline.”
“I don’t think I’m bound to get that much attention.”
“Still, I would rather not risk it.”
He tugged at her hand, pulling her forward again. He’d gotten so used to the idea of being in the limelight that Brett didn’t think much about it. He didn’t read the gossip columns, stayed away from LA where all the usual hype was, and minded his own business. Sure, he was disappointed that she wasn’t ready as yet to make their relationship public, but it was early days yet. He was willing to give her some time. “Come on, Jamie. It’s going to be fun.”
“Okay. Let me think about it for a bit,” she promised.
He sighed. “I guess I can live with that for now. Let me go and kiss Melissa goodnight.” He stepped inside his daughter’s room. She was fast asleep. He pushed the hair off her forehead, his fingers gentle on her soft skin. She looked so innocent, so cute, that his heart welled with love.
It wasn’t even a year since he met her, but he couldn't imagine a life without her or Jamie. This was it. He’d found his bliss.
Chapter Eleven
Jamie concentrated hard as she tied Mellie’s hair in a ponytail. Once she was done, she picked up the mirror and showed the toddler her face. “Isn’t that nice?”
“Nice,” agreed Mellie. “Play?”
Jamie picked her up from the chair and deposited her on the floor. “Alright, off you go. I’ll join you in a minute.”
After Mellie marched off towards her room, Jamie picked up the newspaper she’d been reading. It was play time, then lunch, and finally a nap for Mellie. When the child was sleeping, Jamie planned to put a solid three hours of work on her laptop. She had a couple of projects that were about due and she needed to give a final push and send them to the client.
Brett was away, scouting for a new location. She hoped he hadn’t been able to tell that she’d been shocked by his casual announcement. While she’d been spinning castles in the air, he’d been planning his next movie. His work would soon take him away from New York, away from Mellie and her, but he’d been so flippant about it as if it wasn’t the most earth-shattering thing he’d uttered.
She’d thought he was serious about her, about his daughter, but clearly work came first. A new movie production could take eight months to a year, even longer. Wouldn’t he forget about her in that time? Would he expect her to wait?
Could she wait?
Maybe she was panicking for no reason. They could probably work out a solution if they both wanted it. Mellie was young. She hadn’t started school yet. Jamie could take her to visit Brett on the location. It was a good thing that she was working from home. She would continue to finish her projects anywhere. It didn’t matter where they were. As long as they were happy and together, it was all she wanted.
It would certainly be chaotic and difficult, but nothing was impossible. It would be wonderful to bring up Mellie in a stable, loving, family environment. She would have a father and mother, and Jamie would have someone she could rely on, depend upon, love.
Jamie felt her heart racing as she thought about the various possibilities. She forced herself to calm down. Nothing good would come out of this needless anxiety. Whatever was meant to happen would happen, and her worrying wouldn’t change a thing.
The door bell rang. Happy for the interruption that cleaved into her thoughts, she went to the door. She was surprised to find the same man who’d delivered the lawyer’s notice before.
What the hell was he doing here?
“What now?” she asked.
“It’s a notice.” He handed her an envelope. “Please, sign for it.”
After she signed the form, Jamie ripped open the envelope. Taking out the two pieces of papers, she quickly scanned them. “What the hell is this?” An unnatural heaviness settled in the pit of her stomach.
Is this a mistake?
“Mr. Brett Carrington is filing for custody for his daughter,” he told her. “The preliminary meeting has already been set between you and his lawyer. The date is given on the paper.”
“What does this mean?” A sudden coldness raced through her body with lightning speed. How could Brett do this to her?
“It’s a notice from Mr. Carrington’s lawyer,” the man explained as if she were a little child who was incapable of understanding anything. “If you can’t make it to the meeting on that date, please inform the office. You may call the number which has been provided on the notice. They’ll change the date. But if you fail to show for the meeting, this matter will go straight to court.”
She watched him leave. After he left, she stood at the door for a full one minute, still not quite able to believe that she had just been served with this particular notice. The conniving, scheming, manipulative son of a bitch had initiated a battle to win her daughter. While she’d been daydreaming about moving in with him and contemplating her life with him, he’d been plotting and planning his next move.
“The bastard! The jerk! I’m going to kill him,” she muttered as she stepped inside, slammed the door, and leaned against it. How dare he use her in such callous a manner?
She’d been a fool, a complete and utter idiot. While she’d been planning her life around him, he’d been devising schemes to snatch her daughter away. How he must have laughed with his lawyer? How he must have been amused at the evidence of her gullibility?
She’d never met a man so devious, so shrewd, so ruthless. Brandi had been right in her opinion. She’d warned Jamie to keep Melissa away from Brett, but Jamie had been taken in by his sweet words and his reassuring promises.
And now, in the end, he’d dashed all her hopes and dreams. He’d proven that he was a man who didn’t deserve her love or her respect. Did he think that she’d crumble at this brutal and merciless attack? Did he think that she’d be so devastated by his plans that she’d give in easily?
Well, if he’d thought along these lines, he was going to be proven wrong. Jamie wasn’t ready to surrender her child to him—not now, not ever. She’d taken care of Melissa after her mother’s death. She’d wiped the girl’s tears, cuddled, and loved her, and now the toddler was as important, as dear, to her as her own biological child would have been.
Brett could go to the devil himself and seek his help, but Jamie was ready to fight a bitter battle to make sure that her child stayed with her. He could spend thousands of dollars, play a hundred more tricks, if he was so inclined to do, but she wasn’t going to let him get away with it.
Mellie was hers and would always remain so.
“Mama? Play?” Mellie came out of her room, carrying her doll sue in her hands. “Sue. Bath.”
Jamie wiped the tears from her eyes. She wasn’t going to allow Melissa to get upset. “I’m coming, darling.”
She followed the girl into her bedroom and sat on the bed as she watched Melissa plonk Sue in a pink doll bathtub. She pretended to throw water on Sue and then rubbed make-believe soap. “Bath.” She giggled. “Sue happy. Mama happy?”
“Yes, baby. Mama’s very happy.” Jamie snatched the child in her arms and buried her head in the curve of her shoulder. She took in a deep breath, feeling reassured as the familiar sweet, baby smell hit her nostrils. No one was going to take Mellie away.
She wouldn’t let anyone rip them apart.
****
Brett pointed at another box of rings in the display case. “Could you show me those, please?”
“Certainly, sir.” The sales assistant, a young girl in her mid-twenties, took out the case and placed it in front of him.
Brett took out the one that beckoned to him. “This one looks perfect.”
“It’s a white, princess cut diamond, sir. If I may say so, it’s an excellent choice.”
“Thank you,” said Brett absent-mindedly, as he tried to imagine the ring on Jamie’s finger. Somehow he couldn’t see it. Back to square one. Brett put it back as he looked into the case once more. He wanted this ring to be perfect. He wanted this engagement to be perfect. Only once before had he gotten engaged, and that had ended in a disaster when he was forced to break it off. But Jamie wasn’t Brandi. They were poles apart in personality and their thinking. While Brandi had been more enamoured by his fame and prestige, Jamie saw him as a person who had his flaws but also his strengths. She didn’t put him up on a pedestal. Instead, she expected him to pull his weight in a relationship.
True, he lusted after her body and found her attractive. But, most importantly, he loved her: her attitude, her spunk, her guts, her maturity. What better combination could a man want?
Brett was planning to pop the question when he went back from Virginia where he’d been scouting locations for his next movie. It looked like he would have to shoot half the movie in Virginia and the other half in Spain. Although he’d loved to travel due to his work, Brett now found he was resentful of the time he’d have to spend apart from the two most important people in his life. Maybe he could convince Jamie to join him for at least half the shoot.
His eyes detected another ring that immediately caught his fancy. “Could I see that one, please?” He pointed at the display case.
The sales assistant pulled out the case that only held three rings. “These are the best we’ve got. Extremely expensive, but well worth the price.”
Brett took out a pink, three-carat diamond solitaire ring that shone with unmatched brilliance. “What is it?” He didn't have much idea about diamonds and was going by his gut rather than knowledge.
“It’s Fancy Vivid Pink, princess-cut diamond, sort. Extremely rare and absolutely priceless.”
Brett checked the tag and whistled. He wanted to give Jamie something to commensurate this next stage of their relationship, something valuable and meaningful. It would be a milestone in their relationship and he didn’t want price to be a factor in his decision making process. “I’ll take it.”
“Great choice, sir.” The sales assistant put the boxes back in the display case. “Would you like to take it now?”
“Could it be re-sized later if it doesn’t fit?”
“Of course, sir. We would be able to re-size it within a day.”
“Do you have a showroom in LA?” He was planning to propose to Jamie in LA when she came to attend the award function. Although she hadn’t committed to it yet, he was sure he would be able to bring her around.
“Yes, sir, we do. You could make any changes you want in any other city where we have a showroom.”
“That would be great. Could you pack it for me? Here’s my card.” He dug into his wallet and gave her the credit card.
“Thank you, sir.” She went off while Brett took out his phone to check his messages. He noticed that he’d missed a call, so he called his assistant back. “Yes, Caine. Any news?”
“We’ve gotten permissions to shoot in Barcelona, sir. All the locations that you’d chosen are available. We’ll file the actual dates with the relevant authorities once the production schedule is locked.”
“Good job, Caine.” He’d left the location scouting in Barcelona to his assistant director and cinematographer. He’d known what he wanted and he trusted their judgement in pinning down the exact places. “I’ll schedule a trip to Barcelona for next month in order to put things in place. I’m running into some hassles on our local locations but the lawyer assured me that he’d be able work something out.”
After he hung up, Brett chalked down his plan for the next month. He’d beg, plead, and convince Jamie to join him in Barcelona. It would be fun to travel with Melissa. He wanted his daughter to explore the world, witness the various cultures, and become a true global citizen. And although he’d seen many parts of the world, he looked forward to seeing them again with Jamie.
There was so much he wanted to show and experience with her.
“Here you go, sir.” The sales assistant handed him the package along with his credit card. “And if I may add, sir, I loved your last movie. I heard you’ve been nominated in the category of Best Director. I hope you win, sir.”
He smiled as he pocketed the ring. “Thank you. It’s kind of you to say so.”
“She must be one special lady, the one you’re buying the ring for?”
Brett was used to being questioned on the most personal details of his life. It was part of the territory. He’d learnt to evade these queries, but today, he felt like shouting at the top of his voice. “Yes indeed, she’s special,” he said, instead.
As he walked out, Brett fingered the package in his pocket. He couldn’t wait to slip it on to Jamie’s finger and watch her reaction.
The thought that she might say no never even occurred to him. He was determined to make her his, and nothing would stand in his way.
Chapter Twelve
Jamie cleaned the kitchen table, and then wiped it one last time. She took the sponge to wash it in the sink. Once done, she shuck off her gloves, washed them, and marched out of the kitchen. Mellie had been asleep for two hours. Jamie ha
d already finished her work, but unable to relax, she was still keyed-up and anxious. She’d talked to her lawyer and had a meeting scheduled with him. She’d expected to be reassured after her initial consultation with him, but instead, his concerns raised her anxiety levels.
Legally, she had no right over Mellie. Brandi had only passed her the guardianship, but it didn’t exclude rights of her biological father. If Brett fought in the court, there was a good chance he would win the custody battle simply because he was related to Melissa by blood. Her only chance was to convince the judge that she was a better parent and it was in the child’s best interest to stay with her. The chances of that were low. The best outcome she could expect was to gain partial custody.
Jamie sat on the couch and buried her face in her hands. She couldn’t believe that she’d been so ensnared by Brett’s lies that she’d failed to see his true intentions regarding Melissa. How could she have been such a blind fool?
When the doorbell rang, she stood. Who could it be? It was late, and she hadn’t been expecting any visitors. When she opened the door, Jamie was shocked to see Brett. He wore a big grin on his face. “Surprise. I came back a day early. Couldn’t wait to see you both.”
When he hugged her, she was too shell-shocked to say anything. It was only when he stepped inside the apartment that she began to recover some of her senses.
“How dare you?”
“What? Sorry. I should have called before coming, but I was too excited.” He turned to face her. His eyebrows rose as if he detected the furious, vicious expression on her face. “What? Is Melissa okay?”
“You bastard!” She strode up to him and poked her finger on his chest. “How dare you show your face to me?”
If she didn’t know what an accomplished liar and actor he was, Jamie would’ve been flabbergasted by his shocked expression. But now she knew that everything he’d said and done was an act. His true intentions had always been to snatch Mellie away from her. Maybe he’d slept with her in order to soften her up for the big blow. But if he thought that would break her, he’d been strongly mistaken in his assessment.
