Little Black Book

by Tabatha Vargo

  I could have stayed Jessica forever. I was willing to do that for him. I didn’t care what that said about me. From the second I left the club, I knew I was in love with him.

  After trying to have a semi-normal day at the mall with Trish, I called Mr. Martin and had him pick me up and take me back to my condo. Seeing as though he still answered my calls, things couldn’t have been that bad, right? If Sebastian was really done with me, would his driver still be driving me around?

  I moped around the condo for the past week, eating way too much junk food, and waiting for the sound of my phone to buzz or the elevator doors to beep. And still, there was nothing.

  I talked on the phone with Kyle a few times, and he made me feel better. I was glad to know he was having a blast and making friends at the program. At least he was happy. I just wasn’t sure his happiness would remain once Sebastian dropped me like a bad habit.

  I was approved for financial aid and got signed up for some online classes, which was a good step in the right direction, but I needed to start job searching again.

  I continued to put in applications to places within walking distance, as I waited to hear back from one them. If I had a job, maybe this whole situation wouldn’t be so bad.

  No matter how many times I told myself this, I knew that was a lie. Job or no job, I would still miss Sebastian. It was going to hurt badly when things were officially done between the two of us.

  I was coming out of a jewelry store around the corner from my condo, when I spotted Mr. Martin sitting in the car across the street, waiting. Looking both ways, I ran across the street and was a few feet away from the car, when I saw Sebastian coming from a large unmarked building.

  He was wearing a black suit, fit to perfection, and a pair of dark aviator glasses. He looked so sexy I almost fell to my knees and begged him not to leave me. I closed my eyes and thought about the way he’d touched me—the things he did to my body.

  When I opened my eyes again, he was standing frozen next to the car, with his shades off and his hand holding onto the handle. He was staring at me, an angry expression on his face.

  I held up my hand and sent him an awkward smile. It was a stupid thing to do, but I was so happy to see him, I didn’t want to hide it. I was done hiding the way I felt.

  He continued to stare for a while longer, until he slipped his shades back into place, and disappeared into the car.

  I stood there in total shock as the car pulled away from the curb and disappeared into the traffic.

  My heart ached. It was just too much. I barely held back the tears on the walk back to the condo, breaking down as soon as I stepped off the elevator.

  Spending the night alone, I ate ice cream and watched old movies. There was a brief debate on whether or not to call Trish, but I didn’t feel like explaining the condo or anything else. It was better if she stayed in the dark about my life, especially because it involved her boss.

  I stared down at my cell phone, willing him to text or call, but there was nothing. I fell asleep on the couch with my phone in my hand, an empty ice cream carton on the table, puffy eyes, and the TV on.

  The sound of gunshots woke me and I sat straight up in bed. It was a horrible sound. It hurt my ears and made a strange ache twist in my stomach. I gripped my sheets with sweaty palms and that’s when I heard the firm footfalls on the hardwood outside my bedroom. Whoever it was, they were running. The sounds of them running down the stairs and out the back door, echoed in my room.

  Kyle’s loud crying sounded from his nursery and filled the deadly silence of the night. I was too afraid to get up, but once his cries got louder, I tiptoed to my bedroom door. Pulling the door open slowly so it didn’t squeak, I tried to listen for any strange sounds.

  The area outside my room was pitch-black. On silent feet, I ran across the hall to Kyle’s nursery, but my eyes glanced into my parent’s room and I froze. Terror was a punch to my chest, when lying there on the floor, in the light shining from their bathroom, was my father. He was in a puddle of blood, and his eyes were wide open, staring back at me. He wasn’t moving, he wasn’t breathing.

  In shock, I turned away from Kyle’s room and started toward my dad. It was then I saw my mother’s body. I gasped when I saw her killer still standing above her.

  My eyes dropped to my mother’s lifeless body and I made an involuntary move toward her, but her killer jumped to his feet and I froze, not taking another step.

  The intruder’s breathing became louder, and mine seemed to stop completely. The stranger’s eyes connected with mine. Time stopped as we stared at each other. Fear laced his expression and it confused me.

  The harsh sound of his panting filled the room. It looked like he was debating his next move. His eyes moved to the door behind me. Shifting on his feet, the light caught something in his hand. It was my mother’s locket, which had pictures of me and Kyle inside. It wasn’t worth much, which made it strange that the guy was taking it, but then I looked around the room and saw their TV was missing.

  The killer left my mother, necklace in hand, and ran toward me. I stopped breathing and dropped to my knees. Just when he got close to me and I was sure he was going to kill me too, he ran past me and down the stairs. The back door slammed. And then, even though I could hear Kyle crying, it was eerily silent.

  I woke up in bed, with my pajamas on and a blanket draped over me. The sun from the windows blinded me when I opened my eyes.

  A sound from inside the condo startled me and I reached over to my bedside table. Still in a sleep-induced haze, I pulled open the drawer, and grabbed the gun Sebastian bought me.

  Walking toward the noise on quiet feet, I raised the gun, ready to shoot. Making it to the corner of the kitchen, I took a deep breath and tried to steel my nerves.

  When I stepped around the corner, I came face to chest with a large man. Without thought, I pulled the trigger.

  Nothing happened.

  I looked up and Sebastian was standing before me, looking down with wild eyes. He reached out and took the gun from me.

  “Holy shit. You could have killed me, Roz.” He set the gun on the counter beside us. “Thank God you had the safety on. Speaking of which, you have to make sure the safety is off before you use it.”

  He turned and walked away from me, and back to the stove where he was cooking. I’m not sure how I missed the smell of bacon wafting all around.

  “You’re here,” I stated the obvious.

  “Yes I am,” he grinned at me, as if I hadn’t just tried to kill him. “A ‘good morning’ would be nice.”

  I was still in shock by the fact that I’d almost blown a hole in his chest.

  “Good morning,” I said slowly.

  “Come sit down and eat some breakfast,” he said, setting a plate on the counter full of bacon and eggs.

  “You made me breakfast?”

  “It was the least I could do.”

  I had a million questions I wanted to ask, but I didn’t want to jinx the moment. Instead, I sat on the stool in front of my plate and started to pick at the bacon.

  “Eat. We have a lot to talk about,” he said, taking a big bite of bacon and chewing with a smile on his face.

  I couldn’t wait.

  “I’m sorry, Sebastian. I didn’t think. It just came out,” I said.

  “I didn’t come here to talk about that.”

  “Oh.” Maybe I had jumped the gun, thinking he was actually back.

  “I came here today hoping you’d tell me your whole name.”

  “No,” I said sternly. “I don’t want you to push me away. I’ll stay your Jessica.”

  There I’d said it. I showed my desperation and while I should have been completely embarrassed by it, I wasn’t.

  “So you’re perfectly okay sleeping with a man who calls you by another woman’s name forever?”

  “Well maybe not forever, but…” I stopped. “What do you mean forever?”

  Sebastian never said the word forever. I seriousl
y doubted he even thought about the following week when it came to his girls.

  “I mean, I went a week without you, and I’m not sure I ever want to go that long again.”

  He moved around the counter and stood next to me.

  “Are you saying what I think you’re saying, Mr. Black?” I asked playfully.

  He looked down at me with a soft expression, before pressing his lips to mine. “Tell me your name,” he said against my lips.

  Pulling back, I let my eyes devour his face. If it was possibly going to be the last time I saw him, I wanted to take it all in.

  “Rosslyn. My name’s Rosslyn Harris.”

  He closed his eyes and swallowed hard before pulling me closer. “A beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

  “You think I’m beautiful?” I asked as I batted my lashes at him.

  “You know I do, smartass. And what makes it even better, you’re all mine.”

  “Again, are you saying what I think you’re saying, Mr. Black?”

  “I don’t know, Miss Rosslyn Harris. What is it you think I’m saying?”

  It felt good to hear him say my name. After being called Jessica for so long, it was nice to finally be acknowledged as myself.

  “It sounds to me like you’re saying you’re prepared to throw away you’re little black book.”

  He threw his head back and laughed out loud before leaning down and kissing me softly. I lost my fingers in the soft hair that touched the back of his neck and he filled his hands with my hips. Pulling away, he smiled down at me before kissing the tip of my nose sweetly.

  “What black book? I own no such thing,” he grinned.

  Twenty-Five

  Sebastian

  It was official. I was the most stupid motherfucker alive. I should have stayed away from her. I should have stayed off her register and cared for her from afar. It was the least I could do for her. But then I’d seen her and my resolve crumbled.

  She had been standing there, across the street, looking at me with that fucking smile I loved so much. I wanted to go to her. I wanted to take her in my arms, put her in the back seat, and spend the rest of the day in bed with her. But I didn’t. I blew her off, got in the car, and drove away.

  I was in my office for the rest of the day and most of the night, doing everything but handcuffing myself to stay there. I hadn’t seen Vick all day, even though I knew she was downstairs when the club opened for the night. She knew it was best to stay away from me.

  It was about midnight when I broke. Grabbing my jacket, I left my office, marched down the stairs and through the busy club, and went straight to Rosslyn. I’d deal with the consequences later, if there even were any.

  After thinking on it all night, I decided I could be with her. She’d never need to know anything about me and Vick. I could make her happy—give her back the life we’d taken away from her. I would give her anything she wanted.

  When I got to condo, she was sleeping sweetly on the couch, clutching her phone. I sat beside her. Pushing the hair from her face, I watched her sleep for a bit, before taking her to bed. I spent the rest of the night staring out at the New York skyline and making plans.

  “Let’s go somewhere,” I said.

  She was lying beside me naked, her skin flush with mine.

  “Where?”

  “Some place tropical. I’m talking white sandy beaches, palm trees, and fruity drinks with umbrellas in them. I want to see you in a two piece with a big floppy hat.”

  She considered my offer and became serious. “There’s one problem, though.”

  “Oh yeah? And what is that?”

  “I don’t do floppy,” she said, grabbing my dick.

  We broke down laughing and I kissed her nose. “You’re right. Very poor choice of words.“

  “But you definitely had me at white sandy beaches. When do we leave?”

  Two days later, we were on a plane leaving New York. The flight to Barbados wasn’t terrible, at least for me it wasn’t. I’d never seen Rosslyn drink, but she drank like a fish on the plane. She waited until it was time to board to let me know she’d never flown before.

  By the time we landed, I still didn’t have full circulation in my fingers, and she was slurring and leaning against me. It was adorable to see her so carefree and giggly. Making our way outside, I let her use my body as wall.

  A car picked us up at the airport and took us to our destination. It was a five-star hotel with all the amenities, and we had one of the large suites at the very top.

  The elevator ride up to the room was the longest ride in the history of elevator rides. The only thing keeping me from fucking Rosslyn right there, was the elderly couple who smiled politely at us from the other side.

  “Are you two on your honeymoon?” the lady asked.

  Rosslyn smiled drunkenly up at me, waiting to see how I’d respond. A million smart-ass responses came to mind, but instead I smiled down at Rosslyn and pretended just a little while that a happily ever after existed between us.

  “Yes,” I whispered, never taking my eyes off of her. “She’s definitely the one.”

  “How sweet,” the lady said.

  The elevator chimed and the doors opened to let the couple off on their floor. Reaching across the elevator, I pushed the button to the top floor rapidly before anyone else could get on. I was definitely not in the mood for anymore company.

  “It’s about time,” Rosslyn chuckled, pushing me against the wall.

  She rubbed against me, moving her lips over mine. I smiled and grabbed her ass, lifting her until she could wrap her legs around my waist.

  “Our honeymoon, huh?” she taunted. “Sebastian Black married. That’s kind of funny.”

  “Five more minutes.” I nipped at her chin.

  “Five more minutes?” she asked confused.

  “Yes.” I looked up as the red light lit up for our floor and the doors opened. “Now it’s four, and then you can put that beautiful smart mouth to better use.”

  “Sebastian,” she pushed playfully at my chest and giggled.

  I didn’t put her down when I walked out of the elevator, nor did I bat an eyelash at the couple who nearly jumped out of the way trying to get into the elevator after us.

  “Excuse us,” Rosslyn said as I pushed the key card into the door.

  The night was a blur of crazy, out of control, wild sex. Everything was put to use, our hands, mouths, tongues and every body part possible. We invented new positions and enjoyed old ones. I didn’t give her time to catch her breath, and in return, she didn’t show me any mercy. It was fucking beautiful.

  When we were both exhausted and couldn’t keep our eyes open any longer, we fell asleep in the massive king-sized bed. Before I let my eyes close, I realized sleeping with Rosslyn in my arms was something I never wanted to give up. She could never find out my secret. I just wouldn’t let it happen.

  “Can you rub some of this on me?” Rosslyn asked, holding out a bottle of sunblock.

  “As if you’d have to ask me to rub your body,” I teased. Taking the bottle, I squeezed a generous amount into my palm and rubbed it on her soft skin.

  We were planning on spending a while on the beach because Rosslyn had never been to one before. And the last thing either of us wanted, was to ruin our mini vacation with a sunburn.

  She looked amazing in a green and yellow bikini. Her long, shapely legs stretched out as she laid on her stomach, with her arms tucked under her face. I ran my fingers across the arch in her back, blending in the sunblock.

  “This is heaven,” she sighed, closing her eyes and breathing in deeply.

  Leaning over her, I placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “The perfect place for my angel,” I whispered in her ear.

  A smile tugged at her plump lips and I had to control the urge to kiss her again and again. The heat from the sun, mixed with the heat I was feeling just looking at her, was too much.

  “So I’ve been curious about something,” she said, keeping her eyes
closed.

  “What?”

  “What was the whole deal with the name Jessica? Where did it come from?”

  The dreaded question. I didn’t like to revisit my childhood very much, and I hated talking about it. But for Rosslyn, I’d do it.

  “I didn’t have a typical childhood, and was raised in multiple foster homes. Bad things happened around me, and to me, that I didn’t want to think about. When I wanted to escape, I watched cartoons.”

  She opened her eyes and looked over at me.

  I hated the look she was giving me—pity. “Please don’t look at me like that. Going through hard times makes you who you are. Anyway, I named all the girls in my book after cartoon characters.”

  “The girls were your escape,” she said.

  She understood me like no other. It only made my heart swell more for her.

  I let my fingers linger over her spine, as I looked away and explained. “Yes, but I reserved my favorite character, Jessica Rabbit, for the most special woman of all. When you walked into my club that first night, I knew you were my Jessica.”

  I could feel her eyes on me, but she didn’t speak right away.

  “Does that make you my rabbit? Can I call you Roger?”

  A grin lifted my cheeks until they hurt. She was definitely the one. No pushing buttons or asking questions that made me uncomfortable. She let me come around in my own way, on my own time. Plus, she knew all about Roger Rabbit, my favorite cartoon character.

  I was met with her sweet smile when I finally looked her in the face. She really was the most amazing woman. Leaning closer, I kissed her beneath her ear and inhaled her sweet scent, mixed with the coconut scented sunblock. She shivered and it gave me the satisfaction I’d been going after.

  “You can call me anything you’d like. I’ll be your rabbit all night long, baby.”

  “And keep going, and going, and going…”

  I laid on top of her and tickled her sides. Laughing, I spoke in her ear. "Wrong rabbit, you minx.”