by M. Clarke
“I already told you and counted five first things with me. So here is the rest. Number six, first time getting a turtle at a wedding. Number seven, first time making out in the elevator. Number eight, first time eating bagel and cream cheese while fucking. Number nine, wearing my shirt while fucking. And number ten, which will happen today, will be making love five times in one day. There. I counted ten.” Jax spat out these words so fast I wouldn’t put it past him if he had already thought of these ahead of time. His smirk after his long speech tempted me to lick that off his face.
“How do you know if any of those were the first with you?”
Jax gave me huge frown. “If I’m not your first there is nothing I can do about your past, but just humor me.”
“Okay. I’ll be honest. You were first on all of those numbers, but I don’t know about the five times in one day. You have that kind of energy?”
Seeing Jax’s dimple dip into his skin showed me that he was more than satisfied with my answer. “With you, anything is possible.”
“But I think the last five need to be really significant. Something more meaningful than those you mentioned.”
“Hmmm. Maybe I can convince you instead.” He started kissing that tender area in my neck.
“Speaking of jobs….” I pulled back and ran my finger along the arch of his brow. “You still haven’t told me.”
Jax’s chest rumbled with laughter. “I know, but instead of telling you, I need to show you.”
“Hmm, are you a stripper? ‘Cause I would love to see you take off your clothes.” I ran my finger down his nose to his lips.
“I’d much rather see you strip for me.” Jax nipped my finger.
“Ouch,” I sulked.
Seizing my finger with his lips, he began to suck it, sending tingles straight down. Releasing my finger, he propped me on top of him. “Where were we? Back to us.” Jax ran his hands up my legs. “I want there to be us. I want you to want me as much as I want you. What do you think?” Jax pressed his lips together, seemingly anticipating what I was about to say.
I let my hair dangle on his face, creating a tunnel. All I could see were his soulful eyes staring back at me. “I’m all yours,” I stated with conviction, planting a kiss on his lips. “After you tell me your secret, I’ll tell you mine.” I wanted to tell him I was moving to Los Angeles, but decided to wait.
“You’ve made me the happiest person in the galaxy, Rachel Miller.” He squeezed my ass.
Yelping with delight, I asked, “Just the galaxy?”
“The whole universe.”
“Much better.”
“I don’t want to, but I’m going to have to leave soon.”
“I know.” My bottom lip curled down and my heart pierced with sadness. I already missed him before he was even out of my sight.
“But I’ll call you and I’ll arrange a time to come see you so we can talk about how we can work this out.” Jax ran his finger across my lips. “I’m going to miss kissing you. I have to get as much of you as I can today, enough to last me for a week.”
“Maybe I’ll come see you,” I suggested, running my hands over his muscular chest, over his shoulder, and down the curves of his biceps.
“Really? I would love that, but let’s talk about it closer to the weekend.”
“Sounds like a plan, Jackson Clark.” Just the sound of his name made butterflies dance in my stomach, fluttering happily with every flap. Though it was way too early, I thought about how it would feel to be called Rachel Clark. It had a nice ring to it.
My thoughts were broken when Jax lifted me up and anchored me to his hips. While nipping my lips, he started walking toward the other bedroom.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked between sucking his lips back.
“I’m going to take you, own you, and fuck you in every inch of this place. I need to fulfill number ten.”
Jax wasn’t kidding. In the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the other bedrooms, then back to the living room, and in every space, we created a memory. He licked me, sucked me, touched me, and loved me, fulfilling my need, my hunger, and my heart.
“Stacey, I’m really going to miss you.” Hugging her tightly, I couldn’t help the tears I tried to hold back. Standing by the door of our hotel room, I watched Hendrix place the last piece of luggage down.
“You’ve been the best roommate I’ve ever had,” she sniffed.
“I’ve been your only roommate.” Our bodies shook as we shared a laugh. Releasing me, she wiped her tears and turned to Hendrix.
“Don’t worry, Rachel. I’ll take good care of her.” He slipped his arms around her.
“I know you will, because you’ll have to deal with Matthew, Becky, and me.” I coughed a short laugh.
Hendrix nodded in understanding. He was so sweet to play along with our humor. “I know. But we’d better get going if we’re going to catch our flight. I’m glad you and Jax got to spend some time together. He sounded happy on the phone when he called to let me know he was leaving last night.”
“It was good to see him,” I said, recalling the things Jax and I had done yesterday.
“Are you leaving tomorrow?”
“Yes. I’m having lunch with my parents, Matthew’s parents, Jenna’s family, and Becky and Matthew of course.”
Hendrix hugged me and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Congratulations on your new job. Stacey told me Jax doesn’t know that you’re moving to Los Angeles?”
“I wanted it to be a surprise. We’re planning to get together this coming weekend. He said he’ll meet me in New York, but I told him that I would meet him in Los Angeles instead. I’ll let him know then.”
“He’ll love that news. Don’t worry. I won’t tell him. I’m good with holding secrets.”
“Yes, you are.”
When the doorbell chimed, I knew it was the bellboy. Hendrix had called the front desk, asking them to pick up the luggage. Stacey opened the door and my hunch was confirmed.
“Have a safe flight.” I hugged both of them.
“You, too,” Stacey said with one last long glance to me before she took a step out the door. Officially, we were no longer roommates.
Chapter 28
Rachel
I had worked for Knight Fashion Magazine for a little over a week, and all I kept saying to myself was, ‘Why didn’t I take the offer sooner?’ The first week was all about getting my feet wet and becoming familiar with the studio and their clients. On the second week, I shadowed Lyla, one of the photographers during photo shoots.
The company took up several floors of this massively tall building in downtown Los Angeles, but I had no idea how many employees they had; not to mention all of the high-end models and fashion designers they worked with blew me away. Hearing about it was one thing, but seeing it in person was another.
While Matthew and Becky were on their honeymoon, I was well taken care of by the director of the photography department. There were about five of us and several interns. I even had my own office, which was three times the size of the one I’d had before. As excitement settled through me, I couldn’t wait to be on my first assignment today. However, nothing was more exciting than getting a text from Jax. Every day since we’d been apart, he had sent me a text, letting me know he was thinking of me and couldn’t wait to get together real soon. Since his work schedule took longer than he thought, we had to wait another week to meet.
A soft knock on the door interrupted me from gazing out of the window. Having this beautiful view of downtown LA, it was hard to look away. I was sure that after I got used to my surroundings, I would ignore it.
“Come in.” I swung my chair to face the front and planted my arms on my table, looking as professional as I could.
The door swung open and Matthew walked in. “Hey, Rachel. How are you doing? Are you all settled in?” No matter what Matthew wore, he always looked debonair, just like Max. Wearing a dark gray suit, light purple top, and a perfect tie to coordinate his outfit,
he appeared all business and confident.
“Matthew, how was the honeymoon?” I asked, ignoring his question, which I was planning to answer. Getting out of my seat, I embraced him, then second guessed what I had done. He was my brother-in-law, but I didn’t want others to think I was getting special treatment. “Please sit down.”
Matthew waited until I sat back down before he did the same. Such a gentleman! “It was great. It wasn’t much of a honeymoon, though. We had Addison with us. We decided at the last minute to have her stay with us and have the nanny watch her when Becky and I wanted to have alone time together. But it’s difficult when you have a child. We missed her too much even during dinner, so we ended up going back to the hotel.” Matthew shrugged.
“I understand. Anyway, going back to your question. Everything is wonderful. You have an amazing company and the employees adore you.”
My words seemed to have curled his lips even higher. “We do what we can. Max and I are very proud of our company. If you treat your employees with respect, they’ll return it right back. So, you ready for your first assignment?”
“More than ready.” I gazed to the door when I spotted a body from the corner of my eye. “Hi, Max.” I was surprised to get a visit from him.
“Is my brother bothering you?” Max leaned against the door, looking cool and collected. He had no idea how hot he was posing like that.
“Speak for yourself.” Matthew tried to hold in his laughter.
“Am I bothering you, Rachel?” Max asked. I didn’t expect that at all.
“No, of course not.”
“See.” Max gave his brother an “I’m always right” kind of stare. “I came by to see Rachel last week, to welcome her to our company. I actually stopped by to see you, to welcome you back from your honeymoon, but your secretary told me you were here.”
“My secretary ratted me out. I had specifically told her not to let a particular brother named Max know my whereabouts. How did you swoon her to go against me?” Matthew winked at me. I was thoroughly enjoying the humor between them.
“Oh, the usual. I just let her gaze upon my handsome face and flexed my muscles. The wink and my charming smile works, too.”
“I doubt that. Or maybe she’s just worried she’ll lose her job. That would do it for me.”
“I don’t think that’s it,” Max chuckled. “Anyway, I’d better get going. I have a lunch meeting with Jenna…and here she is.”
“Hi, Rachel.” Jenna stood beside Max. “I’m so happy you work here. Becky is trying to arrange a lunch date with the three of us.”
“I would love that.”
“We can’t come?” Matthew frowned, sounding like a pouty child.
“Not unless you cut off your dick and change your gender.”
Matthew seemed shocked by Jenna’s words. Releasing a short chuckle, he replied, “No, thanks. I like my dick where it’s at.”
“Then that settles that. Would you like to go to lunch with us, Rachel?” Jenna asked.
“Not today, maybe next time. I have some things to take care of.”
“Okay. I’ll kick out the boys for you so you can work in peace. They have nothing to do. Out, out, out.” She giggled.
“Yes, boss.” Matthew stood, obeying Jenna’s command.
“I can find plenty of things to do with you, babe.” Max slid in that comment, making Jenna blush.
Shortly, the three of them were out the door, just in time for my daily call from Jax.
“Hi, beautiful.” I loved to hear the rumble in Jax’s husky voice.
“Hi, mystery man.”
“Mystery man?” His grunt traveled through the phone.
“You’re still a mystery until you tell me what I want to know.”
“I promised, this week. You’re flying down Saturday, right?”
“Yes,” I fibbed, wanting to surprise him. Accidently running into him would ruin the surprise, but knowing he was in London, I knew there was no chance that would happen.
“Text me your information. I’ll come pick you up. I miss you so much. I can’t wait to see you. There’s so much we need to discuss.”
“Okay. I miss you, too.”
“Give JC a hug for me.”
“I will.” I laughed, thinking how silly and cute this was.
As excitement rushed through me, I headed to the floor below me. It would be my first shoot with professional models, and I could not wait. It was going to be on the front cover of Knight Fashion Magazine, and I could hardly contain my excitement.
The elevator could not go down fast enough as I draped the camera strap around my neck. One of the advantages of working there was that I got to use the most updated, expensive equipment. This alone could give me an orgasm.
The room was grand. Off to the left was a desk with a computer and phone. To the right were a bed, a table, and a dressing area. Against another wall was a screen and accessories for the shoot.
“Good afternoon,” I greeted.
The male model turned and offered his hand, looking delighted. “Rachel.” I loved the way he called my name in his British accent.
“Shane?” I gave him a hug.
“I didn’t know you were going to take my pictures.”
“Neither did I. I work here now.” Seeing a familiar face, my nervousness started to settle.
“That’s fantastic.” He turned his attention to the model who had just hung up the phone. “Do you know Chloe?” he asked me.
“I’ve heard of her, but I’ve never met her.” In fact, I had never seen her face before. I had quickly read the names of the models that I was scheduled to shoot, but never took the time to see what they looked like.
When Chloe turned around, there was a sense of déjà vu. Tall, thin, and beautiful, it was no wonder she was one of the top models around. She wore killer high heels, skinny jeans that shaped her nice, long legs, and a T-shirt with crystals on them.
“Chloe, this is Rachel.”
“Oh,” she stated, trying not to make it obvious she was checking me out. Her tone was cold and unfriendly. “Where’s Liz? Liz always takes my pictures.”
“She’s not here today. I’m taking over.”
“Then you must be one of the interns. I don’t work with interns.”
At this point, I wanted to give her a peace of my mind, but I had to be professional. “I’m not an intern. I was hired about two weeks ago.”
“Fine.” Giving me a terse response, she started texting.
“Never mind her. She’s not having a good day,” Shane said, placing an arm around me.
“O-kay.” I raised a brow, trying to suppress my irritation. “You ready? I will start with you first, then shoot Chloe since she’s….” Still punching away on her phone, she seemed upset. I hoped it wasn’t about working with me. “…busy. After that I’ll shoot the both of you.”
Shane nodded and stood on the mark in front of the white screen. “Shane, little to the left.” Click, click, click. “Chin up a bit…there you go.” Click, click, click. “Looking good. Give me that sexy smile.”
Shane’s smile was warm and genuine through the lens. He looked amazing, wearing jeans and a black T-shirt with bold, gold lines down the middle of his chest.
“Put yours hand inside of your pockets,” I continued as I clicked away, angling the camera in different directions. Getting more than enough pictures was better than not enough.
“How about I put my hands around your waist instead?”
Surprised by his comment, I twitched my lips and continued to ignore him. “Almost done.” Taking his pictures, I noted how I was enjoying working with professionals and how easy and quick these shooting sessions were.
“What are you doing this weekend?” he asked, changing his posture. When I didn’t answer, he stuck out his ass as if he was going to moon me.
“Shane!” I laughed out loud, looking away from the lens.
“You’re ignoring my questions. I’m going to find a way to get your a
ttention.”
“You got my attention.” I laughed, shaking my head.
“Do you have plans for this weekend?”
“I’m busy.”
“How about the next weekend?”
“I might be busy.” It was the truth. I had no idea what would happen with Jax and I after we had the talk, but I had a good feeling he would be occupying all my weekends.
“How about weekdays? We can go for lunch or dinner.”
“I’m….” I gazed down, trying to find the right words.
“You mean my accent isn’t enough to tempt you?” He frowned with droopy eyes.
I coughed out a little snort. “Your accent is too adorable, but—”
“Are you dating someone?”
“Something like that,” I murmured, giving him an apologetic expression. “And I also don’t think it’s a good idea to date coworkers.”
“I see. Technically, I don’t work here. I have a very short contract to do the fall line with Knight Fashion Magazine, and then they will have to renegotiate. I had a hunch you might be off limits, but I was hoping I was wrong. If things don’t work out with the lucky person who gets to date you, you know where to find me.”
“Want to see?” I asked, showing him the screen on the camera, changing the subject.
“No, thanks. I see myself all the time. You get sick of looking at yourself after a while. It all looks the same. Looks like Chloe left the room. She might be making a phone call. I’ll go get the wicked witch for you.” He winked and left.
After ten long minutes, Chloe and Shane came into the room. She gave me no apologies and no explanation about her whereabouts. Chloe stood in front of the white screen and started to do what she did best…pose like a bitch.
“A little to the right and look down, Chloe,” I directed. Unexpectedly, she ignored me and did the opposite. What the hell was her problem? “Turn sideways and gaze over your shoulder.”
Chloe crossed her arms, looking pissed off. “That’s not a good pose for me.”
“I understand, but I’m just taking pictures to see which one will be best for the cover. It doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll use it.”
