by S. H. Kolee
"I was just about to head back to see if you were done," Jackson said, pulling me into his arms. I squealed as droplets from his wet hair splattered against me.
"You're all wet!"
"And you're wearing too many clothes."
I shook my head in exasperation, but I obliged as I pulled my t-shirt over my head and shimmied out of my shorts. Jackson's eyes darkened as his gaze traveled down my body and then up again. He quirked his mouth as he met my eyes.
"Am I supposed to be able to control myself with you in that bikini?"
"Shh," I whispered, looking past him at Nathan and Mia. Mia had opened her eyes and waved at me, but Nathan seemed to be fast asleep.
Jackson rested his hands on my hips, just above the strings of my bikini bottom, his grip tightening. He smiled, but I could tell he only had one thing on his mind.
"I think we need to go into the water and cool you off," I said wryly. I grabbed him by his hand and guided him to the water. The beach was crowded, as well as the water, but we were able to navigate toward a deserted spot. Once the water was deep enough to reach Jackson's chest, he pulled me against him, his eyes gleaming.
I rationalized that we had relative privacy since we were pretty far out in the water and no one was around us. I wrapped my legs around his waist, the buoyancy of the water making it easy. Jackson supported me with his hands splayed against my back and he wasted no time in plundering my mouth with his. I forgot about the sun above us and the warm water lapping against us. I just clung to Jackson, our mouths doing what the rest of our bodies couldn't do since we were in public.
"This is torture," Jackson groaned when we pulled apart. "I'm rock hard for all the world to see."
I wasn't able to suppress a laugh at Jackson's expression of pained indignation. His eyes gleamed as he watched me.
"This is funny to you, huh?"
I nodded, a wide smile stretching across my face.
"Sweetheart, I wouldn't laugh if I were you. I'm not the only one that's obvious right now."
Jackson looked down at my chest and I followed his gaze. My nipples were erect and pushing against the fabric of my bikini top, clearly showing their state of arousal.
I crossed my arms against my chest and gave Jackson a triumphant smile. "Problem solved. What's your solution?"
"My ideal solution is sliding into you right now, but I think we'd both end up drowning."
"What's your other solution then?" I asked with a smug smile.
"Distracting myself."
With that, Jackson cupped his hand and skimmed it across the water, splashing me.
"Hey!" I exclaimed, trying to act outraged, but it was hard since Jackson had taken care not to splash my face so really all he had done was splash water on my already wet body. I decided not to be so considerate.
I grabbed his hands and pulled him underneath the water with me. Instead of resisting, he went down easily and pulled me closer to him. He cocked an eyebrow and then reached over, pulling the fabric covering one of my breasts to the side, exposing my nipple and tugging it between his fingers. Even underwater, I felt an arrow of desire shoot through me.
I pushed myself up above the surface and Jackson followed suit.
"No fair!" I said breathlessly as I quickly adjusted my bikini top back in place, water streaming off of us. "I was just trying to cool you off."
Jackson looked at me innocently. "I was just trying to help you out too. I didn't want your nipples to look so obvious so I thought touching them would help." He waggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly, reaching towards me. "Maybe my problem was that I didn't use my mouth."
I squealed and swam away with Jackson in pursuit. We spent the rest of the afternoon acting silly in the water interspersed with lying out on the beach. Nathan produced a Frisbee from his bag so we also spent a good portion of the day lazily throwing it around. For all of Mia's athletic abilities, she seemed unable to catch the Frisbee and we couldn't help bursting into laughter every time she looked bewildered when she made a grab for the Frisbee and it just whizzed past her.
It was already starting to get dark when we got back to the house. Claire was still in her room, the shopping apparently having really worn her out.
"I need to take a shower," I announced when we got back to our room.
"Not so fast," Jackson said, grabbing my hand. "I need to see you in that bikini again now that we're in private."
I purposely took my time taking off my shorts and t-shirt, trying to tease him. I hooked my thumbs into the strings of my bikini bottom, looking up at him coyly.
"Should I take this off or do you want to fuck me while I'm still wearing it?" I asked innocently. Jackson practically growled as he threw me on top of the bed and climbed up, hovering over me. He pulled down my bikini top, exposing my nipples that were still wet from my damp bathing suit. I lost my train of thought as Jackson flicked his tongue against a hard nipple and then sucked on it, pulling it forcefully in his mouth.
"Harder," I moaned, needing to feel Jackson brand me with his touch. "Suck me harder."
Jackson obliged, sucking hard and abrading my nipple with his teeth. His fingers were twisting my other nipple as I felt wetness rush between my legs. Jackson kissed his way down my body, pushing aside the thin strip of my bikini bottom between my legs, moving it out of the way so that I was totally exposed. He latched his mouth onto my engorged bud, slipping two fingers deep inside of me. I cried out in pleasure but it wasn't enough. I needed him inside of me.
"Please," I begged. "I need you inside of me."
Jackson made a guttural noise as he flipped me on my stomach.
"Get on your knees, sweetheart. I want to fuck you from behind."
I immediately obliged, pushing my bottom towards him eagerly, desperate for him to slide into me. I whimpered as he pushed into me, stretching me to my limit. He guided my hands onto the headboard of the bed.
"Hold on, baby. I'm going to fuck you senseless."
Jackson thrust into me again and again and I clung onto the headboard, each plunge of his erection bringing me closer and closer to screaming. I cried out when the sensations overtook me, hearing Jackson yell out behind me as he shot into me, holding my hips in place so that I didn't lose a drop of him.
We collapsed on the bed, Jackson pulling me close. He kissed me softly, as much reverence in his kiss as there had been ferocity during our lovemaking.
"I love you," he said softly. I snuggled in close to him, believing that I would never feel happier than I did in this moment.
"I love you too."
We lay in bed until it was time to get ready. We took a shower together, enjoying the simple feel of our hands sliding over each other's bodies. I put on a white summer dress and sandals, pulling my hair up on the sides with barrettes. Jackson looked casually handsome in a pair of khaki shorts and a green polo that made his eyes seem even brighter. We were dressing casually since we were going to an outdoor party on the beach.
Jackson fingered the diamond pendant around my neck, something that I never took off.
"Pretty soon, I'm going to put a diamond on your finger."
I held my breath, not expecting those words from Jackson. I knew we loved each other and we had promised to spend the rest of our lives together, but we had never actually talked about marriage. As much I loved Jackson, it seemed too soon to talk about getting married. I couldn't forget that I had just recently broken an engagement and taken another man's ring off my finger. I knew that I eventually wanted to marry Jackson, but not until the time was right.
I didn't say these things to Jackson, because I didn't want him to think I wasn't committed. I was. I was also scared that everything would change once we got engaged.
"I'm happy whether or not I have a ring on my finger."
Jackson smiled, brushing my lips with his. "I'll be even happier when I know you're mine forever."
I gazed at Jackson, my love for him shining out of my eyes. "I already am."
"W
e better get out of here before I'm tempted to get you naked again," Jackson said huskily.
I grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the bedroom door. "Let's go. One more round with you and I'm not going to be able to walk straight."
The lobster bake was only a few houses down from us so we had the luxury of walking to the party. When we got there, the party was already in full swing with people milling on the beach while others were stretched out on blankets. There was a huge fire pit with dozens of large pots, which Jackson explained were full of lobsters.
We mingled amongst the crowd socializing and Mia introduced us to the hostess, a woman in her mid-thirties who looked like she had stepped out of a fashion magazine.
After a while, Jackson and Nathan spread out a blanket that they had brought from the house and went to get plates of food while Mia, Claire and I settled down. We cheered when they came back with plates heaped with lobsters, boiled potatoes and ears of corn. The food was amazing, tasting even better because we were eating them outside with the salt of the ocean in the air.
Jackson reached over with a particularly large chunk of lobster, putting it in front of my mouth. I took it with relish, resisting the temptation to lick the butter off his fingers since we weren't alone. Jackson grinned as he watched me eat but I had gotten used to his gaze on me. I wasn't one to judge since I always seemed to be lusting after him.
After we finished eating, Nathan, Mia and Claire went to mingle, but Jackson and I stayed on the blanket. I settled in between his legs that were drawn up, resting my back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around me, cradling me close, and we just watched the waves break in the ocean, content with being silent in each other's company.
"Right now, life is perfect," Jackson said softly, breaking the silence.
I nodded, although I felt a flicker of fear that things would change if Jackson got the part in the movie.
"Let's remember what this feels like right now," I whispered. "Whatever happens, let's remember this moment. It's ours and no one can take it away."
Jackson stilled, and then gently lifted my face up by my chin so he could see into my eyes.
"What do you mean, whatever happens?"
"I just mean that we should remember this moment, even during the bad times. We're bound to have a few in the future, especially since you're incorrigible." I smiled to gentle my words, hoping that my lie sounded convincing.
Jackson grinned, tightening his arms around me. "Don't worry, I'll always let you win our fights if we have make-up sex afterwards."
The rest of the weekend flew by as we spent lazy afternoons on the beach and nights out at parties. I was relieved to receive a call from Janet on Sunday evening, because I had been worried that I hadn't gotten an email back from her confirming that she had received the presentation.
"I'm sorry I haven't gotten a chance to look at the presentation you sent me," Janet said, sounding harried.
"Is everything okay?" I was concerned because I had never heard Janet sound so distracted.
"My mother gave us a scare this weekend," she replied, sighing heavily. "She collapsed on Saturday and she didn't wake up until today. The doctors think she's having a heart valve failure but they're not sure."
"I'm so sorry to hear that." My throat tightened in sympathy. It was impossible not to think about my father anytime I heard about someone having heart problems. "Will you still be in the office on Tuesday?"
"Yes, she's stabilized and they're transferring her to a hospital in New York, so I'll be in. I don't think I'm going to have a chance to look at your presentation before the meeting. Everything is updated, right?"
"Absolutely. I triple-checked everything so it should be good to go for your meeting."
"Thanks, Emma. It's a relief to have one less thing I have to worry about. I'll see you on Tuesday."
"See you Tuesday."
That was the only damper on a glorious weekend and I was sad to leave the Hamptons on Monday evening when we drove back to New York. I stayed at Jackson's apartment since we weren't going to see each other for a week even though he was leaving on an early morning flight. That night, Jackson made love to me as if he was trying to brand me with his touch, and I eagerly matched his intensity.
"Good luck," I said with a quick kiss the next morning on the sidewalk in front of Jackson's apartment. We hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Jackson had been anxious about the audition and I had been anxious about everything, from Janet's presentation to what would happen once Jackson got on that plane.
"Thanks. I'll call you tonight, although I'm not sure what time since I don't know what my schedule will be like."
"No problem. Just text me when you land so that I know you got there safely."
Jackson pulled me in for a longer kiss, his lips soft and gentle on mine.
"I love you."
"I love you too, Jackson."
Jackson hailed a cab for me and I waved as the cabbie drove away. I turned to look through the rearview window and saw Jackson hail his own cab to take to the airport. I turned back and sighed. It was going to be hard not having Jackson around all week, but maybe it was good to get used to it in case we had to have a long distance relationship.
I pushed thoughts of Jackson out of my head when I got to work. I was surprised that I had beaten Janet to the office since she was always there before me, but it was understandable with everything going on with her mother.
"How was your weekend?" Celeste asked. We had a routine where I would tell her about my weekend and then she would complain about her husband. It was funny, because I knew that regardless of what she said, Celeste doted on her husband. I routinely overheard her conversations with her husband on the phone since she sat right next to me and they were positively lovey-dovey.
"It was good. The Hamptons was amazing. And I think I ate my body weight in lobster."
"All I did was sit around a hot apartment and watch my husband clip his toenails on the coffee table," Celeste complained loudly. I stifled a laugh at the image her words conjured up.
I started to get nervous when it was ten-thirty and Janet still hadn't arrived. Her meeting was at eleven o'clock and although Canonfield's office wasn't very far away, it was still cutting it close. Especially with traffic.
I was debating whether to call Janet on her cell phone when she rushed in, looking harried and stressed.
"Emma, can you come into my office?" she said as she walked quickly past me and into her office. I grabbed the disk with the presentation and followed her.
"I didn't think I was going to make it on time," Janet said, pushing her hair out of her face and grabbing a file folder from her desk. She kept her bag with her laptop inside slung over her shoulder, clearly not intending to sit down before rushing over to Canonfield's office.
"Do you have the presentation on disk? I don't want to have to wait to download it from my email."
"Here you go," I said, handing it to her.
"Great. I have to get out of here. Wish me luck!"
I was barely able to get out "Good luck" before she was gone. I prayed that she would make the meeting on time since I knew her superiors were watching her closely with this account.
I tried to busy myself with work, but my mind kept drifting to Jackson. It was a five-hour flight to L.A. so he was still in the air, but I couldn't help wondering how he was feeling. I was hoping he wasn't too nervous. No matter what my reservations were about what the distance would do to us, I fiercely hoped that Jackson got the part. I wanted him to be happy, even if it meant that my happiness was dimmed.
It was almost one o'clock and I was discussing lunch options with Celeste when Janet returned. She had an unreadable look on her face as she approached me and I couldn't tell if the meeting had been a success.
"Emma, come into my office."
Her tone was odd and I tensed, hoping nothing had gone wrong. Celeste raised her eyebrows at me, clearly hearing Janet's odd tone as well.
I followed
Janet into her office, closing the door behind me and sitting down. We usually kept the office door open but I had a feeling that Janet wanted it closed today.
She sat down heavily in her chair and propped her elbows on her desk, folding her hands in front of her.
"Emma, when I opened the presentation, none of the changes had been made."
I froze, looking at her disbelievingly. I had checked the presentation over and over again, making sure every detail had been perfect. I couldn't accept what Janet was telling me now.
"There has to be some mistake," I said, shaking my head. "Janet, I checked and rechecked the presentation. I know I made all the changes."
Janet sighed heavily, looking more disappointed than angry. Her disappointment in me hurt more than anything else.
"The meeting was a disaster. The points I was making didn't match up to the presentation. I didn't realize the changes hadn't been made until I was a third into the presentation. Those last minute revisions were because Canonfield made some changes in the direction they were going with their new products. Now it looks like Mass Comm didn't listen."
I clenched my hands into fists on my lap, not knowing what to say or do. It felt insufficient to keep protesting that I had made the changes. Worse, it sounded like I was calling Janet a liar.
"I don't know what to say, Janet. I could have sworn I made all the changes."
Janet leaned back in her chair, looking tired and worn out. I remembered that a failed presentation wasn't the only thing on her mind.
"I can't tell you how disappointed I am, Emma. I really trusted you. You were doing so well and I really thought this was the right place for you."
I could feel my eyes filling with tears and I desperately tried to keep them at bay. The last thing I needed was to humiliate myself by bawling.
"I wish I didn't have to do this, but I have no choice. I have to let you go."
I nodded jerkily, shocked by her words. I took a deep breath, willing my tears to subside. I spoke when I was in control of my emotions again.
