“Well you’re welcome to come and visit,” she said suggestively, “Maybe we can pick up where we left off last time.”
“Well now you’re going to ruin all my plans for the evening,” he said.
“What plans are those?” she asked, a tinge of giddiness coloring her words.
“Well, this time I planned far enough ahead to get us a table at Nobu,” he said. “After that, feel free to ravish me at will.”
Natalie laughed again. This was going to be a fun week.
JAKE
Jake looked across the table at Natalie as her eyes explored the exotic decor and chic diners surrounding them. She felt his eyes on her and she turned back to him with a smile. She had a gleam of excitement in her eyes.
Jake enjoyed watching her excitement. It was the beginning of what promised to be a fun week, ending with the awards dinner that he had originally been reluctant to go to. Fancy, dress-up dinners weren’t his usual thing. With Natalie by his side it was worth it, especially since it was the lure that had brought her out to New York.
At this point it would have been stupid of him to reveal that he was in fact the one footing the bill on this pricey little trip. Hopefully his assurances about pressuring Wright had convinced her. He probably should have told her the truth back in L.A., or at least during one of their many phone conversations. Now it was best to let her go on thinking it wasn’t him. It certainly hadn’t been cheap: the first class ticket; the car service; the hotel. Of course it was a minor blip on Jake’s bank account statement. Looking at the woman across from him, it had been worth it.
She had her suspicions of course. What company pays for the girlfriend of someone to fly out and stay at a luxury hotel?
He thought about that word. It had slipped so easily into his mind, that it was only on reflection he realized the gravity of that term. Girlfriend. Was she his girlfriend? It sounded slightly...high school-ish. He smiled to himself; Natalie and Jake, going steady.
But seriously, what were they? It had only been three weeks since their—very spectacular—reunion. It was a bit early to start making these sorts of determinations. After all, most of this—relationship—had been over the phone. On the other hand, it gave Jake a spasm of pure jealously to think that she might be open to seeing other people while they figured it out. He certainly couldn’t imagine having eyes for anyone else.
Perhaps this week would be the test. How would Jake and Natalie work out after spending every day together for the next seven days? He decided he would just let it happen naturally, no pressure.
So far the night had gone well. Natalie had ordered some frou frou martini. Now they were sharing a bottle of sake. The conversation was just as easy in person as it had been over the phone. When he’d first met her at the hotel today, there had only been one second of awkwardness between them. Then they had embraced and…well, those lips made him feel right at home.
“These scallops are amazing,” Natalie said as her chopsticks clamped around another one, and brought it up to her mouth. Jake watched her lips open and surround the plump piece of meat. It was a tantalizing display and he had to keep from thinking about what he would be doing with those lips later on tonight.
“So the movie is a go then?” Natalie asked.
“Yep,” Jake said, “It was pretty much a done deal once Martha came into the picture.”
“She sounds intimidating,” she said.
“Nah,” Jake replied. “Tough exterior, but gooey center.”
Natalie chuckled at that. “So you were really going to pass on it if they didn’t make Naomi black?”
“Why not?” he responded. “They were going to tear it apart anyway. I might as well insist on keeping the most important part.” Jake gave her an intentional look as he said this.
Natalie stared back at him before self-consciously looking back down at her scallops.
“Anyway, I’m actually flying out to London in two months to meet with some more big wigs and have ‘very important meetings,’ ” he laughed.
Natalie looked at him with sudden interest. “When will you be there?” she asked.
“I think it’s from the 14th to the 27th,” he said. “Why?”
She looked down at her plate thoughtfully. “Nothing,” she said softly, then perked up and looked back at him with a bright smile, “Nothing.”
“No, what is it?” he prodded.
She paused, before rolling her eyes as if it really wasn’t a big deal. “I was just thinking that’s when Denise’s wedding is, on the 20th.”
Shit! Jake hadn’t even thought of that. Of course he knew about the wedding. What with Natalie being a bridesmaid and the wedding being somewhat close, it had often been a topic of discussion during their late night calls. “Hey,” he said leaning in towards her. “Did you want me to go? It’s just, you never hinted at that and, well….”
Natalie looked at him smiling as though he was being absurd. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she said. “First of all, it’s stupid of you to fly all the way from London to Los Angeles for one wedding. Second, I’m going to be in the wedding party so I won’t even be able to spend that much time with you. Third, you don’t even know anyone at the wedding.
“No, don’t even think about it,” she said with finality shaking her head adamantly.
“I’m serious, Natalie,” he said, “Say the word, I’m there.”
She looked up at him meaningfully. The reassuring smile looked genuine but Jake could sense that maybe he’d fucked up here somewhere. “I mean it, Jake,” she said, putting her hands on top of his across the table. “Go to your meeting. Make sure they cast Kerry Washington as Naomi,” she laughed.
Jake sat back smiling, but still uncertain.
“So,” she said eagerly, in an obvious attempt to change the topic, “are we doing dessert, or what?”
They strolled back to the hotel, arm in arm, watching the tourists and native New Yorkers rush past them. Jake sensed that the earlier tension was gone, eased along by a rather tasty pineapple coconut cake. Natalie rested her head on his shoulder which made him feel that everything was alright between them. In fact, walking with her like this made him feel like everything was alright in the world.
This time in the elevator, they were at it like rabbits. Natalie initiated as soon as the doors shut. No pause, no awkward silence, just heat. Her hands ran along the fabric of his shirt, up his back as she brought her body into his. His hands were under the loose, white shirt she wore, running along the smooth skin of her back. Her hands ran up through his hair, fiercely bringing his head down to hers and pressing her lips hard against his.
By the time the doors opened, they were breathing heavily and reluctant to let go, even if only to make the two steps to get off before the doors closed on them. They practically ran down the hall to her room and struggled to open the door, giggling the whole time like a couple of naughty teenagers. Once inside, Jake had only a moment to admire the room and the flowers he had ordered, before she was on him again, ripping his shirt off.
It was amazing their clothes were still in one piece by the time they fell onto the bed, naked limbs wrapped around each other. She crawled on top of him, pushing him back on the bed as she rode him, claws digging into his chest. His eyes crawled up her naked torso, her stomach and breasts already taking on a heated sheen from their intensity. Her head was thrown back as she stroked herself with his dick.
Jake grabbed her ass firmly as he felt his own intensity building up beneath her. As soon as he felt the contractions squeezing his manhood, he let loose with his own orgasm so they could come together as one. It was a surprise there was no pounding on the walls from the noise their chorus of pleasure caused.
Natalie fell on the bed beside him, laughing. He joined her, his chest still rising and falling rapidly.
“Oh shit,” he heard her say, “we didn’t even close the curtains.”
They both laughed even louder.
So far, this week was off to a g
reat start.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
NATALIE
They had taken a long, sensual shower after the short, intense session the night before. Afterward they had snuggled into bed.
Despite all her assurances, she had been slightly disappointed that Jake wouldn’t be able to make Denise’s wedding. It was true, she had never once hinted that he should come. She was waiting to see if there was still chemistry between them in person. This whole whirlwind relationship of theirs, meeting for heated one-night stands then rushing off to their own separate lives. It was definitely not invite-to-a-wedding material. Now, she certainly didn’t want him making a flight all the way back from London for it. That would have been silly.
She had thrust all her romantic feelings to the back burner, allowing the overwhelming lust she had for him to take over. It had been a fun and crazy ride. Now here they were lying in bed watching the morning sun light up the city. They had never bothered to draw the curtains on the windows which made this morning in his arms all the more enjoyable. It was a nice way to start the day. For once, neither of them had to rush off somewhere. Natalie was in her usual place in the crook of his arm, tracing a finger over the tattoo on his shoulder and chest. She could feel his skin flinch underneath the nail that curved an ess along his pec, following the lines of the coiled snake. She could have happily spent the day like this in bed. Maybe order some room service, fool around, read the paper to each other, fool around, watch a little TV, fool around….
“So, what did you want to do today?” he asked, his hand tracing lazy circles on her back.
As soon as he said it she knew what she wanted even more than staying here in bed with him.
“This is your city,” she said, “I want to see how you live in it.”
“In that case, you’re in for a bit of a snoozefest, I’m afraid,” he laughed.
“Really,” she insisted. “Your apartment, where you shop for groceries, where you eat breakfast or lunch or dinner. I want to see it all.”
He laughed and she felt him shrug underneath her. “Okay then, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
She smiled and turned her face into his chest, taking in his scent. This was nice. “Later though,” she insisted. “I like this, right here.”
“Mmm,” he agreed, “So do I.”
She closed her eyes and snuggled closer to his body. His arm tightened around her in response.
They were sitting at the table by the window of her room in fluffy hotel robes, eating breakfast that had just been brought up by room service. Natalie sat cross-legged across from him digging into her French toast, with some kind of caramel sauce on it that was most assuredly going to wreck her diet.
“So we never talk about your family,” she said. “I think you have a pretty good idea what my parents are like, and I told you about my dinner with grandma and Aunt Gloria. What about you? I know you have a sister and two nephews, but what about your parents?”
Jake bit down on the fork of his omelette that was already in his mouth. Then he looked out the window with a thoughtful expression as he chewed. The fact that this was the first time the subject had come up told her it was a touchy topic. Now Jake seemed to be pondering what to say. That was fine, she could be patient.
“Well,” he began, “my mom got some freakishly aggressive form of breast cancer when I was just 14, Janet was 12. She was a great mom, which is probably why neither of us is more screwed up than we are. Well, Janet at least,” he gave a wry smile at that. Natalie smiled in return, urging him to continue.
“Anyway, her death was quick and messy. After that, Dad just kind of checked out. No drinking, or beatings, or abuse…just completely not there. It was like he wasn’t sure what to do with us. We had food, shelter, clothes, but I was the one who had to go out and buy the Christmas tree, attend Janet’s cheerleading competitions, help her with her SATs, take prom photos, and so on. I pretty much single-handedly raised the both of us. I did a few years at a local community college, living at home until Janet went off to college, then it was off to the military. From there, well, you know the business with the C.I.A. Anyway, at some point when I was overseas I learned he was hit by a drunk driver. Didn’t even bother requesting leave to come home for the funeral.”
Jake turned to look at her with a somber expression, raising his eyebrow as if to say that about summed it up.
It explained a lot, namely why he wasn’t married yet. Natalie wondered if he was even interested in a family after an upbringing like that. From the way he talked about her, his sister seemed well adjusted, with a husband and kids. Neither of them had discussed marriage or kids yet. It was still early. All the same, she was here with him and she did care about him.
“That’s awful, Jake,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”
Natalie uncrossed her legs to reach across the table and take his hand. She squeezed it in sympathy and he in turn pulled her toward him. She was lifted out of her chair and he brought her around to sit in his lap. She looked down at him and gave him a serious look. He smiled reassuringly at her.
“It’s in the past,” he said. “Plenty of people had it far worse than I did.”
Natalie just continued to look at him.
He gave her another smile and squeezed her into him. “Let’s not ruin today thinking about that. This is your trip.”
“Well, I do want to get to know you,” she said. “This is a part of who you are.”
“I suppose,” he smiled. “I like to think that I’ve overcome it, grown into a responsible, well-adjusted adult.”
Natalie decided to broach the subject. “So…do you think it affected…whether or not you would want to have kids of your own?”
He looked up at her with surprise, then gave a laugh. “Has my sister been talking to you?” he said with a smile. “She keeps hinting around the topic as well.”
“Well?” Natalie prodded, looking down at him.
Jake turned to look out the window pondering it. “I think about it occasionally. I wonder what kind of dad I’d make though. Sure, I pretty much helped Janet along all on my own, but she was already practically a teenager by then.” He looked at Natalie in his lap. “I just don’t want to end up like my dad.”
Natalie let that sit for a while as she looked out at Central Park below them.
“Hey,” he said, taking her chin in his hand, “are we okay?”
She gave him a reassuring smile and nodded.
Inside, she was torn. The reality of their relationship was setting in and Jake was revealing who he truly was. She knew he wasn’t perfect, no man was. But she also knew what she wanted, a man who would be there for her and was certain about wanting the same things in life.
She looked at him. That handsome face though. She decided then and there to just enjoy the week with him. He was fun after all, and they had at least one thing they were good at together. Hopefully there would be more of that.
JAKE
They were in the taxi headed to his apartment. Natalie was curled up at his side, seemingly enjoying herself. This morning’s conversation had taken an unexpectedly deep turn and he wasn’t sure that he hadn’t basically ruined things between them.
All the same, he felt he owed it to her to be honest. Did he want kids? Janet made it seem so ideal, and if she could manage to create a family that seemed functional and happy maybe he could too. He thought of Sam and Kenny and smiled.
Honestly, if any woman could bring him around, it was probably the one sitting next to him right now. At some point he should probably make that clear, but he wanted to be sure first. This was the most time they had spent around each other since they’d met and it seemed silly to think about getting serious this soon.
They at least had one thing going for them, as last night had proven. It was a good start. A great start.
They pulled up to the building his loft was in and he paid the fare and opened the door, taking Natalie’s hand and bringing her out with him. She looked up at
the slick, updated, industrial building with curiosity.
He unlocked the entrance and grabbed her hand as they headed to the elevator. He had chosen the building because it offered a certain degree of privacy and wasn’t too fussy in terms of bells and whistles. No doorman. Few neighbors. Distanced from major streets, but close to certain conveniences. A stark interior that let him create the space that he wanted instead of some architect’s cookie cutter layout.
It was only when he was leading her down the hall to his front door that he began to feel a bit nervous. What would she think of his place? Would she make certain assumptions from his rather minimalist, and decidedly bachelor-esque living situation?
He unlocked the door and opened it, letting her walk in first. He watched the look on her face as she had her first impression of the place. He was relieved to see a slight smile creep up in the look of wonder as she caught her first glimpse.
The loft inside was as industrial looking as the exterior, with a more comfortable feel. Two brick walls faced each other across a 1000 sq ft expanse. The back wall housed, on one side, the modern kitchen of bamboo cabinets and steel appliances and counter tops. Next to that was supposed to be a dining area, but Jake had turned it into an office area, with a large desk and computer set up. He spent most of his time eating at his desk, at the kitchen counter, or on the sofa watching football anyway. The wall leading away from the desk had floor to ceiling bookshelves. The ceiling-high bookshelves curved around to create a wall between the desk area and the king sized bed on the other side closer to the window.
Natalie made her way to the bookcases as he predicted she would. He smiled at their mutual bibliophilist tendencies. That was one more item to add to the list of things they had in common. Of course the books that lined his shelves, mostly spy novels, military non-fiction, political biographies, and books on current world events were probably slightly different than those that she lined her shelves with. But he had to admit, the display was impressive.
One Night: A BWWM Interracial Romance Page 15
