My Favorite Distraction (Distraction series)

by Stephanie Jean

  “I like it.” He nibbled again on my ear and the sensation sent more wetness to my already soaked shorts. His fingers still played at the skin right above my mound and I heard him groan in my ear, before he moved his hand away.

  “I am so glad you brought me here.”

  “I used to visit here when I was young. When the incident with Jared happened, I came here and hid for two days.” His embrace became tighter.

  “What happened?”

  “My grandfather paid an obscene amount of money for people to find me. I am positive he saved me. I came here and fell asleep. When they found me, I was dehydrated, and I had bug bites all over.” I tensed against him just thinking about it. “Funny thing is, a few years before that day, he would have never cared to find me. I was lucky he was into saving people at all costs. I moved in with him after that.” I lay against him trying not to think about my grandfather. I began thinking about last night, and Bettina popped into my head.

  “Will you tell me about her, the girl you were in love with? Bettina mentioned her last night. She said you will always be in love with her.” He was stiff behind me and went completely quiet. “I’ll take anything, her name, when she died, how you met. Anything. I want to know the girl who stole your heart.”

  He was still quiet. I felt his head in my hair. I heard him inhale and then exhale.

  “I met her at church. I was thirteen years old, and she was the prettiest girl I had ever seen. We were just always together outside of school and sports. I was going to marry her after high school. She wanted to wait to have sex until we got married. I was so in love with her, I agreed. She was my forever. I only knew her and from an early age she was everything. When she died something broke, snapped. I found out the hard way there was no such thing as forever. I guess I guarded myself after that and put a block of ice around my heart. It made sense if I couldn’t have forever with her, I didn’t want forever with anyone. We were together five years. She died two weeks after her eighteenth birthday.”

  He was quiet after that. I knew he had finished. I picked up his hand that I was squeezing tight and kissed his palm. “I am so sorry for your loss.” I kept his hand next to my face and closed my eyes again. I wanted so desperately to take away his pain.

  We had a long moment of silence before we started to head back to the Jeep. He kept his questioning light like the walk to the waterfall and asked about things I didn’t like. I answered all his questions, flattered that he was so curious about me. He stayed away from anything more personal. I did the same when asking him similar questions. I could tell he enjoyed the conversation and didn’t want me to stop talking.

  * * * *

  We stopped for an Italian dinner and by the time we got home, it was after 8:00 p.m. We were tired. I checked my phone before I crawled into bed. It had been two days since I checked my phone, four days for my e-mails. My phone had fifteen texts and twenty voice messages. They were all from Heather. She was having problems with Jared. I felt really bad for abandoning my friend, I left the bedroom and went downstairs to make a phone call.

  “Hi, Heather, what’s going on? Everything OK?”

  Heather was crying on the other end.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  She was still crying.

  “Heather, do you want me to come stay with you?”

  She was quiet.

  “I am on my way.”

  She finally stopped crying. “No, Kat, I’m OK. We just got in a fight, but we’re all right now. He said that you and he had sex, Kat. He said you were his first love. Why wouldn’t you tell me?”

  “He wasn’t my first love, I promise.” I spun around and saw Jason grabbing a water bottle and resting against the counter, listening. “Heather, I can explain everything, but I need to talk to you in person, not over the phone. I never said anything about him because I know how important he is to you.”

  “He said he came and talked to you on Friday, and he was really upset after. That was when we got into the fight.” She was still really emotional. I could hear it.

  “Yes, he came and saw me on Friday, but I told him to leave and asked him not to see me again without you. Listen, Heather, I have never lied to you, and I never will. You have done way too much for me. I will come stay with you tomorrow night. We’ll do girls’ night. We’ll watch Bachelorette. We’ll catch up and have chicken, and I will tell you whatever you want to know. You have my word.”

  She agreed, and we got off the phone. Jason’s cool expression gave me goose bumps. He handed me a water bottle, and I drank it down.

  “So he saw you on Friday?”

  I almost choked on the last bit of water I was swallowing. He didn’t react to me choking, just studied me. He was obviously irritated by the lack of forthcoming information.

  “Yes, he was my last patient on Friday. I cleaned his teeth, but I don’t think he was there to see me. His teeth were really messed up. It looked like someone cleaned the floor with his face, if you know what I mean.” A smile broke across my face at my words. Jason looked at me and I could see the anger boiling inside him. He was trying to intimidate me, but it wouldn’t work.

  “He told Heather about the two of you?” He was sticking to the topic.

  “No, he told her he was in love with me and we had sex. I was his first love, to be exact.”

  “Do you want me to talk with him?” His jaw clenched and his lips formed a straight line. Damn. He was sexy when he was protective.

  “I love the way you want to protect me, Jason, but leave him alone. He is only going to cause us more problems. If you care about me like I know you do, don’t go near Jared, for me.”

  He turned around rolling his head on his shoulders in the process. I slipped my fingers through his, and we walked upstairs together. We brushed our teeth and flossed, and I raced him to bed. He set the clock and turned off the lights. I heard whispering before I felt his body wrapped around mine, and I fell fast asleep.

  * * * *

  I woke once when there was movement on the bed. I heard the shower running in the bathroom and started giggling. I rolled over and grabbed a condom and hopped out of bed. I stepped into the shower, but Jason didn’t notice me. His eyes were closed, suds in his hair, and soap was all over his hard body. He was so beautiful, all man and muscle. He opened his eyes and flashed me a big smile.

  “Hello, blue eyes.” His voice was raspy, and it sounded sexy.

  “I have wondered lately what goes on in here.” He winked at me.

  “I couldn’t sleep, and a shower sounded good.”

  “Everything OK?” I looked down, and he finished rinsing off and stepped toward me.

  “I just couldn’t sleep. That is all.” I stepped under the hot water and let him watch me clean myself, spending extra time on my breast and private area. I finished, stepped away, and turned off the water.

  We didn’t talk, just dried off, and I put my pajamas back on. He sat on the edge of the bathtub and watched me blow-dry my hair. When I finished, I cleaned up my mess and walked back to bed. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched him stop in the bathroom doorway and look at me. We stayed that way for minutes, but it felt like time had slowed and we were in a duel or a face-off. I knew this game well, and I always won.

  I lay down while he watched me, closed my eyes, and I woke later when the alarm went off. Jason was not there. I got dressed and went downstairs. He was in the backyard, sitting in the chairs on the deck. I sat next to him and listened to the birds sing before he started to talk.

  “So you are not going to be here tonight?”

  I stared at him and wondered if this was the reason for the lack of sleep.

  “No, I am going to stay with Heather. She needs me. I can’t say no to her, Jason. She has been there for me for too long.”

  “OK, will you call me?”

  I nodded my head, and he got out of his chair and walked upstairs.

  Bo came over to greet me, and I sat there and pet him while enjoying th
e colors of the morning. I got up and fixed breakfast and placed the food on the counter, then went upstairs to find Jason. I found him in the bathroom, hair wet, freshly shaven. His green eyes found mine, and he smiled. I watched him in the mirror brush his teeth, and then I disappeared into the closet to get my stuff ready to take with me. I got my laptop and small bag ready and came out of the closet.

  “I made breakfast downstairs. I thought I would eat fast and still make it to the coffeehouse to check my e-mails.”

  Jason was standing in the doorway to the bedroom, and I gave him a quick kiss as I walked past him. He put both arms around me and held me tight and began kissing me. I felt warmth spread all over and a sudden sensitivity to his touch. I pulled away this time.

  “I have to go.” I looked at him, not sure I wanted this to end. I licked my lips and stared into his eyes. “You make me feel things I didn’t know it was possible to feel. I have a heartbeat in my crotch now, thanks to you.”

  He laughed, and I smiled at the sound. I walked behind him downstairs to our spots at the counter. He waited for me to sit down. Then, his thigh touching my thigh, we ate in peace. When I was done, I got down and cleaned up our mess. He handed me his plate, and we made our way to our cars.

  He walked me to my car and opened the door. I got in and threw my stuff on the passenger seat. When I turned to say good-bye, he was gone. I saw his Jeep start, and he pulled out of the driveway in front of me. I felt robbed driving to the coffeehouse. I knew I wouldn’t see him until tomorrow, and he didn’t even kiss me good-bye. I lost him on the drive when we hit the city and was sad. I couldn’t believe how much I missed him already.

  A relief hit me, when I pulled into the coffeehouse parking lot and I saw his Jeep. I giggled as I parked next to him. I got my stuff, reached into my purse for a bone for Bo, and slipped it in the window as I passed by. I entered and walked straight to the booth. Jason was sitting there reading the paper. He looked up when I sat down.

  “You are really cute, you know that?” I watched him crinkle his nose.

  “I wasn’t going for cute. I was thinking more romantic, or incredibly sexy, but not cute.”

  I got out my laptop and fired it up. “You are incredibly sexy.” I was beaming up at him. “I missed you when you drove away.”

  He smiled at me and put his paper down. He got out of his booth and moved into mine. He looked very happy. He put his hand on my thigh and slid it up and down slowly.

  “I missed you too, more than you know. Thanks for this weekend and my camera.” He slid his camera out of his pocket, and I snatched it from him.

  “You brought it.” I took the card out and began downloading the pictures on my laptop.

  “My computer is at my office. I thought I might have time to download them today.”

  We talked about his plans for the day. He had a workout and a basketball game with his friends planned after work. He said he might stay late so his dad could go home early. Jason’s mood completely changed from earlier. He was laughing and telling me stories of his dad and how much he appreciated his patience. It was obvious how much he loved his family, and I envied him. I looked at my watch and saw we had been there an hour. I panicked. I had to leave. He saw me putting everything away and scooted out of the booth before me. When I stood up, he leaned down and kissed me. I was surprised by this and pulled away a little, but he slid his hands up my body and weaved his fingers through my hair and devoured my mouth. I gave in letting him, until, he was all that mattered. Then I began kissing him back with the same passion he gave to me. He sighed when he moved away, my world was spinning. He held my arm to steady me and laughed.

  “Wow, what are you doing to me?” My breathing was erratic as I choked the words out. I began to focus more clearly and looked directly into his eyes. “You make me feel so needy.”

  He didn’t say anything, just handed me my bag. I turned and glanced at him when I reached the door and noticed his stiff movements as he sat down. He looked like he was in pain. I wondered for the first time if it was possible to keep up with this very horny man.

  * * * *

  I put the top down to the Mercedes and listened to the music on the way to work. This day was already amazing. I felt incredible. I got to work feeling energized to begin my day. I was dancing getting charts ready and firing up the computers. I did some leaps to the break room at the back of the office when I finished. I pulled out my phone to make some quick calls. I made an appointment to see a nurse practitioner at the gynecology office right down the way at lunch. Then I left a message on Heather’s phone. I was looking forward to seeing her later.

  It surprised me how I began seeing and hearing things throughout the morning, things I normally would have tuned out. I noticed the color of one patient’s shoes. It was such a happy, vibrant color, bright hot pink. It matched her purse, which was something I had never noticed either, purses. I heard laughter and snorting coming from the front desk, the kind of laughter that makes you laugh without knowing what is funny. I heard an amusing shriek, followed by more hysterical laughter, and it made me wonder how come I had never heard such amazing sounds.

  In the next room, I heard the dentist talking to a patient. The patient explained how walnuts made a certain tooth hurt. I heard the dentist say in a stern voice, “No, Ron, let Shannon hold your nuts while I look in your mouth.”

  Apparently the patient had brought the nuts in to demonstrate. I started to laugh. I couldn’t control it. Then, when the patient left, the jokes came flying about “sharing nuts,” “biting nuts,” “holding nuts with a firm hand,” all of it completely inappropriate, but it was ridiculously funny to me. It was possibly the funniest thing I had ever heard.

  My morning flew by. The laughing made me very hungry, and by lunch, my stomach was growling. I hadn’t brought my lunch like I normally do, so I had nothing to munch on. I went to my appointment and left with just enough time to get a quick sandwich at the café next door. I checked my phone before I went back to work and noticed a text message from Jason.

  Jason: I love all the pictures…thanks again

  I sent him a quick text before returning to work:

  Katarina: It was my pleasure…let’s call it a trade for all the pleasure you have given me ;) PS I miss u

  I went back to work and smiled at the memory of the weekend. This breathtaking man made feel me so lucky. When my last patient left, I stayed to help the girls. We talked and laughed about the weekend, and for the first time, I had a story to tell. I told the girls everything, leaving out the sex club and the abduction. Those were two big red flags, if I wanted to be honest with myself. I certainly didn’t need to hear it. I had them all listening while we cleaned. They seemed very interested, and I found it a little powerful to hold their attention. They cut in with questions and comments and gave me some great advice regarding men, which was both funny and truthful. We walked out of the office laughing. I was grateful and felt fortunate to be surrounded by such wonderful people.

  I got to the apartment after six thirty, and Heather was waiting in the kitchen. She looked different, but I couldn’t place it. We went about our routine. I made the salad, and she cooked the chicken. When she finished, she came and stood next to me and put her head on my shoulder. I turned toward her, and she hugged me.

  “I missed you when you were gone.”

  I hugged her back, and I heard her wince.

  “I hate fighting with you.” I stepped back and looked at her face. She looked tired and fragile.

  “Let’s talk in here.” She waved toward the living room. I got a bottled water on the way and sat next to her on the couch.

  “Have you been sleeping OK?” I asked and looked straight in her eyes. She shook her head no, and I saw a tear in her eye.

  “Red has been different lately…more aggressive. He is stressed from work, and I think he has stuff on his mind.” She began crying, and I started to rub her back. I heard her wince again. I knew she’d been hit.

&
nbsp; “What’s wrong?” I stopped touching her and sat back on the couch.

  “He likes it a little rough.” She stopped and used a tissue to clean the makeup under her eyes. “I really like him and how he makes me feel. I am just sore…He told me he’s sorry. He just gets carried away.” She sat back and looked at me. “He was angry that you moved in with Jason. When I asked why, he told me about you and him. I think he might still have feelings for you, Katie. He was ballistic when I told him you left.”

  “He doesn’t love me, Heather. He cared for me once, and I think he might have thought he was in love. He woke me up one night and was on me, and…I trusted him but, he went too far.” I closed my eyes, and she knew it was a topic I didn’t want to talk about. “Listen, Heather, you’re my best friend, and I will support you always, but I don’t like him, and I will never trust him again. Jared’s delusional if he thinks he was my first love. We were young and I didn’t allow very many people to get close to me. Heather, he took advantage of that. I accept the blame for not setting him straight before that night. We both know confrontation is not my thing. When he was on me that night I found my voice and I begged him to stop, but he didn’t, wouldn’t. My brother made him stop.” I took a deep breath. “Don’t you think it’s weird he’s dating you? You’re my roommate and my best friend, and he chose you.”

  She wasn’t listening anymore. She didn’t want to think anyone was using her. In her mind, she was the only one with the power to use people. She wiped her eyes with a fresh tissue and started her ‘if I knew him as well as she did, I would understand him better,’ rant. And I was pathetic because I felt sorry for her…like I always did.

  I let her talk about Red, and I listened and kept my mouth shut. The way she talked about him was the same way I felt about Jason. She was furious at him, but only talked about the sweet things he did. She talked about the crazy sex they had and how much she enjoyed it. She talked about bondage and whips, and I watched her eyes light up. I had never seen her like this and wanted so bad for everything to work out for her, but something was sketchy, and it didn’t sit right. I wasn’t an expert, but I didn’t have a good feeling about it. It was amusing to me that I found her love with Jared dark and the love I had with Jason very bright and full of life. She never questioned me about Jason, and I didn’t include him in the conversation although, my mind was glued on his breathtaking body and all the things he could do with it. Heather talked about her job and more about Red, and we ate dinner.