“What is this place?” I asked, breaking our spell of silence.
Jaime gazed at the ocean and a melancholic smile splayed on his face. There was a Zen-like quality to him that I’d never seen before. A whole different side of him exposed. “This is my property.”
My eyes widened. “You own all this?”
“Yup…all the way down to the beach. There’s five hundred feet of oceanfront land.”
I gazed down at the white sandy beach. Seagulls stalked the shoreline in search of food, and dolphins danced in the distance. The ebb and flow of the crashing waves was like music in my ears. We were standing on a piece of heaven on earth.
He continued. “I bought it with the proceeds from the sale of my mother’s Bel Air mansion. It’s one of the last private enclaves along the coast.”
“It’s amazing,” I said, truly meaning it.
“Thanks. I’m really lucky to own it. My father loved the ocean. When I was little, he used to take me here and paint. Whenever I’m here, I think of him.”
My mind flashed back to the paintings in his office. Many of them were seascapes that resembled this spot. The foliage now was more abundant and overgrown. The image of a beautiful, carefree little boy frolicking in this rustic haven as his father painted filled my head and almost brought tears to my eyes.
Jaime kicked at a rock; it flew off the edge, disappearing into the shimmering sand below. He squeezed my hand. “One day, I’m going to build a house here and carve steps into the cliffside that lead down to the ocean.”
“You’re going to move here from New York?” I glanced down at his toi et moi ring. The intertwining heart-shaped diamonds glistened in the sun.
“I want to. Many of my clients are based in California and Asia. It would be more convenient. I’m actually looking for office space while I’m out of here.”
The thought of Jaime moving to Los Angeles both unnerved and thrilled me. “Won’t you be lonely living all the way out here in a big house all by yourself?”
He remained silent for a long time, staring out to the sea. Then, without warning, he spun me around so that we were face-to-face, just a breath apart. He lifted his sunglasses on top of his head, and his blue gray eyes, the color of the late afternoon sea, gazed deep into mine. My heart hammered as he tipped up my chin.
“I don’t plan on living here alone. I’m tired of living in a hotel where people come and go. I’m looking for someone special to share my life with…and I may have found her.”
My skin prickled. I said nothing. Words were trapped in my throat.
“Gloria, I’ve never had a relationship before. I’ve fucked a lot of women, but none of them has meant a thing to me. They’re just mindless, faceless fucks. You’re different, angel. I can never get your face out of my head. When I’m away from you, all I want is to be with you. And when I’m with you, I can’t get enough of you. I want to breathe the air you breathe and kiss the ground you walk on. I want to go to sleep with you in my arms and wake up to you on my chest. And I want to fuck you everyway I know how. Make you fall apart and then put you back together again. Over and over. There will never be enough ways to show you how I feel about you. Or words to tell you.”
He paused and inhaled deeply. My blood was ringing in my ears as he exhaled and softly said, “Gloria, you make me fall apart too.”
This was all too much for me. My emotions were in turmoil, and my mind was in meltdown. I gripped his shoulders before my knees gave out. Tears were forming in my eyes. “Jaime, are you saying you want a real relationship with me?” You love me?
He nervously played with my braid. “Yeah, angel, that’s what I’m trying to say. I guess it’s not my best pitch. I don’t do relationships well.”
I flashed a little smile. “Neither do I.”
He looked straight into my eyes. “Do you want to give it a try?”
My fingers toyed with his toi et moi ring. “An official you and me?”
“Yeah…Well?”
My mind was spinning and my heart was thudding. Jesus Christ. Was I ready for a relationship with this beautiful, romantic, sexy god? Could I handle it? The timing couldn’t be worse with the stock crisis and my job at stake. It might work. It might not. And there was still the long distance factor to deal with. Skyping sex did not make for a relationship. Was I just setting myself up to get hurt? He had a fucked a lot of women. And I was just one of them. I mean, he didn’t even say he loved me. And hell, I’d only known him for a little over a week though it felt like a lifetime.
Jaime’s sultry voice brought my mental ramblings to a halt. He tugged on my braid. “Come on, angel. The suspense is killing me.”
If only I could consult Madame Paulette. I pondered—what would she say? Her husky voice sounded in my head. “Ma chérie, no risque no gain…It eez better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Her last words to me whirled around in my head. Come on, who was I fooling? I was madly in love with this man. I wanted him more than he wanted me. I had to take a chance, regardless of the consequences.
“Yes,” I finally breathed. “But there’s got to be rules. Like—”
Cupping my face, he cut me off. “Gloria, there’s only one rule. Don’t ever leave me. The rest are meant to be broken.” On the loud crash of a wave, his lips crashed onto mine. Every part of me melted into this man as he wrapped me in his arms. Oh, the power of a kiss! The power of this man! Nothing else existed. Our tongues twirled and swirled, dancing in unison to the music of the sea. His hard body pressed into mine, arousing every erotic fiber of my being.
I wanted him. All of him. As he clung to my mouth, I tore at his tee and kept contact, biting right through the fabric as I pulled it over his head. Once it was off, my mouth was greedily back on his.
“Oh, angel,” he moaned as I frantically untied his drawstring pants and let them drop to his ankles. There was nothing between them and his flesh. Kicking off his topsiders, he stepped out of the crumpled linen heap. Without delay, I kicked off my flip-flops and yanked off my sweats. His huge erection brushed against my belly.
It wasn’t enough. I wanted to feel all of him—every taut muscle, every fine hair, every square inch of his magnificent body. Delirious with lust, I struggled to get my tight tank top over my head.
“Let me help you,” he breathed into my ear. In one seamless movement, he lifted the top over my head and pulled me down to the ground. I was sprawled on his naked gorgeousness, my legs straddling him. Face-to-face, we were a tangle of tongues and arms. Our chests rose and fell together. His heavy erection pulsed beneath me.
“I want to make love to you here,” I managed on a brief reprieve.
He groaned with pleasure. “Angel, take all of me. You know what to do.”
His words sent a wave of wetness to my core, already an erotic sea waiting for him take the plunge. I leveraged myself on the palm of one hand, and with my other, I gripped his thick length and slipped the tip into my opening. His cock dove inside me. My muscles flexed, feverishly drawing him in. He let out a delicious groan. Once he was submerged, his fullness divine, I set my hand down and lowered myself to my elbows so that I was anchored just a little above him. His beautiful face was in mine, our breaths almost one.
“Fuck me!” I cried out.
“No, fuck me!”
I clenched my pussy around him, then lifted myself off his cock and slid back down until the crown hit my womb.
“Oh, Angel!” he groaned with my moan and started pounding away.
Oh, God. Being on top felt so amazing. So empowering. My undulating hips met his every thrust, the penetration as deep as it could get. And as good as it could get with his magnificent cock rubbing against my throbbing clit and hitting my G-spot with each long, hard stroke. His warm hands groped my breasts, squeezing and kneading. I kissed him everywhere I could until my hungry lips latched back onto his mouth, welcoming the invasion of his skillful tongue. Desperate groans escaped my throat. There was no stopping me now.
“Oh, angel, you do know what do you,” he moaned into my mouth. “You make me feel so fucking good.”
“The same,” I moaned back as the pressure inside me built to climax. My nails dug into the hard earth; I wanted to hold off, not fall off the cliff, and feel his orgasm before mine. To experience my own power to send him over the edge. That fierce sexual power he had unleashed inside me.
I whimpered as I deepened my own thrusts while his plundering accelerated. In and out. Faster and harder. I knew he was close to coming. Sweat was beading on his forehead with each heavy breath, and his cock was pulsating.
“Oh, Gloria!” he roared as his cock convulsed, spurting its hot seed deep inside me. As he rode out his orgasm, I came hard, shuddering in thunderous waves of ecstasy around him. Gasping for air, I collapsed my head onto his sweat-drenched chest. His contoured pecs brushed against my cheekbones as my ears took in his rapid breaths and heartbeat that drummed with mine. His long fingers threaded through my scalp while I just lay there limp and motionless, my mind and body blown to pieces. I had just made outrageous, passionate love to my man on his heavenly turf. Fucked him where he’d once frolicked and sent him flying over the cliff with me right behind him.
I didn’t know how long we’d stayed in that dormant position when Jaime repositioned me so that I was lying on my back right beside him, my head resting on his rock-hard chest, his sculpted arm draped around me. The waves of the ocean bellowed below us, ebbing and flowing in rhythm with my own. All my troubles had washed away with the high tide. All that was in my mind was the beautiful man lying close beside me. Without even gazing at him, I could envision his hooded ocean blue eyes, those lush, kissable lips verging on that contented, cocky smile, and that dimpled chin and perfect nose pointed up at the sky. A peaceful smile splayed across my face.
He broke the long, blissful silence. “So, I guess this is no longer virgin ground.”
I laughed against his chest. “Guess not.”
He playfully twirled my straggly braid as we watched a billowy cloud roll in.
“My father used to play a game with me here.”
My eyes met his gaze. He was still staring at the cloud.
“Use your imagination. What does that cloud look like to you?”
I looked up again and studied the fluffy puff. I was awed. “It looks like a heart. What do you see?”
“I see a woman’s body inside a heart.”
I gazed at the cloud again. Oh my God. He was right. The way the pink-blue sky intercepted the cloud created that illusion. “I can see it!” I gasped.
Pleased with my vivid imagination, Jaime flicked the tip of my braid across my ticklish neck and plunked a kiss on my cheek. “Did your father ever play games with you?” he asked.
My chest tightened. My lightness of being gave way to darkness.
“I never had a father.” My voice was low and monotone.
Jaime shifted. “What do you mean?”
“My mother was a hooker. A crack whore. I was an unwelcome accident. My father could have been anyone she fucked.” Tears of shame sprang to my eyes. I had opened up to him. Shared something hidden in my past.
Skimming my breasts, he brushed away my tears. “Gloria, my angel, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. If we’re going to have a relationship, then we’ve got to be open and honest with each other. I’ve shared my scars, and you’ve got to share yours.”
He dusted the tip of my braid across my shimmering scar. “Gloria, did your mother have something to do with this?”
My body stiffened as my heart skipped a beat. How could I tell him the truth behind this scar? So much of me wanted to blurt it out to this man I now belonged to, but I knew the moment I confessed my misdoing, my secret, he would leave me in a heartbeat. I tried hard to banish the memory. As always, it was futile. That nightmarish night replayed in my head in its full gory horror. A cool ocean breeze sent a shiver all over me and brought me back to the moment.
“No, she didn’t,” I stammered. “I ran away from her.” At least, I was being truthful about my relationship with her.
“Is she still alive?”
“I don’t know. And I don’t care. I’m sure she feels the same way.”
His eyes stayed fixed on the scar, his expression somber. “Did you try to commit suicide?”
Oh, God, why couldn’t he give it a rest?
“No.” I sucked in a deep breath. “Jaime, please. I can’t go there with you yet.” And maybe never.
“Okay, Gloria, I get it. You can’t completely trust me. Maybe one day you will.”
I absorbed his words. My wishful thinking hoped he was right. Calming myself with another deep breath, I moved away from the past and jumped into the future.
“So, Mr. Imagination, how do you envision us having a long distance relationship?” With three thousand miles separating us, it wasn’t going to be easy.
He toyed with my braid again. “Like I always say, where there’s a will, there’s a way. I’m thinking we shoot the Gloria’s Secret campaign out here in some decadent Beverly Hills or Hancock Park mansion. I can also fly out here on weekends. In between, I expect to Skype you regularly. Not just in your office. I want you to take your laptop or tablet to bed every night. I’m going to go to sleep with you and wake up to you every day.”
The thought of having both virtual good-night and wake-up sex with my sexy, creative beast on a daily basis sent hot tingles to my already zinging core.
“And what about Victor?” I was pushing hard for answers.
“Fuck the bastard. He won’t be around.” I could feel every muscle in his body constrict.
Before I could probe further, his cell phone rang. With his free arm, he reached for it. It was in a pocket of his white linen pants. He put the phone to his ear and listened.
His mouth twitched. “Yeah, babe, I haven’t forgotten. I’ll see you there soon.” With that, he ended the call and sat up, lifting me up with him. He glanced down at his Rolex.
“Gloria, I’ve got to go. I have to meet with a client.”
“That client you call babe?” My tone was sharp. I needed to know.
“Yeah, that one. Stop worrying about her. It’s a very important meeting, but she’s nothing to me.” His brows furrowed and his face tensed. “Please trust me, Gloria.”
I still didn’t know whether to believe him. Or trust him. I fidgeted with my toi et moi ring. This was not the way to enter into a relationship.
“No problem. I’ve got a meeting too.” Vivien.
My blood was boiling. He sensed my unease. Playing with my disheveled braid, he swept the tip of it across my lower lip. “Listen, angel, I want you to call me around seven thirty. If the meeting with my client goes well and I get the information I need, we can have dinner.”
I did the math in my head. That would give me just enough time to have drinks with Vivien and then meet him; The Ivy was just a two minute drive to Shutters, if that, in fact, was where he was meeting his client. There was no need for him to know about my plans, and Vivien was one name that I wanted to keep out of our relationship. That and Victor’s.
He lifted me to my feet. The sun, a great big orange ball of fire, was setting into the ocean. It must have been close to five; I’d lost track of time. Reality set back in. It was time to face the storm and return to my office.
We both hastily donned our clothes. I pivoted toward the car, but before I could take a step, he grabbed me by the waist, flipped me around, and sent me orbiting with another long, lingering passionate kiss. I didn’t want it to end. In my heart, I hoped he’d be free for dinner…and save me for dessert. And tell me he loved me.
CHAPTER 10
Jaime managed to get me back to my office just in time for me to change back into my suit and meet Vivien at The Ivy. Truthfully, I was wiped out from the day’s events and wanted to go back to my condo and rest up, just in case Jaime was free for dinner. I thought about canceling drinks and even called Vivien on her cell phone. It rang se
veral times and then went straight to her voice mail. Damn it! I couldn’t stand her up. I was stuck having drinks with her. Just before I left my office, I checked my e-mails and messages on my cell phone, which I’d left behind while on my excursion with Jaime. Fuck! Almost all of them were from Victor. I played the first one. The tone of his voice was menacing. “Where the hell are you, Gloria? You’re not in your office, and you’re not picking up your cell. Call me!” There were several more of these messages, each one angrier than the one before, as well as numerous all-caps shouty e-mails and texts. Screw him! Let him stew. I threw my cell phone into my purse, and with my briefcase in my other hand, I waltzed out of my office, lightheaded with the thought of possibly seeing Jaime later.
On my way out of the building, I passed by numerous employees. With bright smiles, they bid me good night; some even mentioned how awesome my speech was today. A warm feeling radiated throughout me. I was blessed to have so many wonderful employees. They worked long hours and were dedicated to their jobs. And they were dedicated to me. The thought of losing them sent a ripple of sadness through me. I told myself, it was not going to happen. I wasn’t very convincing.
I made it to The Ivy at exactly six thirty. The LA rush hour traffic was the only thing I couldn’t take about this city. It was insane. Fifteen years ago when I’d moved to The City of Angels, it took only twenty minutes to get from place to place. Now, it took forty—if you were lucky. Tonight I was lucky.
I left my Porsche with the valet outside the restaurant, tipping the attendant extra to keep it parked nearby. “Time equals money,” I always preached, and with the stock crisis, every minute counted. I strode into the popular restaurant and headed straight to the tropical-themed bar. It was already packed with attractive men and women, enjoying an after-work drink or waiting for a table to dine. One of my favorite songs, Leona Lewis’s “Bleeding Love,” was playing in the background. My eyes scanned the area. Vivien, not known for her punctuality, was nowhere to be found. I immediately called her on my cell phone, wanting to know her whereabouts. No answer. I left her a message, asking to call or text me with her estimated time of arrival. And then another thought crossed my mind. Perhaps, she had reserved a table inside the restaurant. I headed back to the hostess holding court near the entrance.
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