by J. P. Comeau
Yet, if I told him that I never wanted to see him again, I knew that I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
I took off my clothes and eased myself into the whirlpool bath, closed my eyes, and rested my head against the headrest. As I laid there feeling the ripples of the water droplets trickling from the faucet, I made the conscious decision to keep seeing Jake. He was showing that he had the ability to not be a womanizer, that he was good with kids, and it was the second time we had seen each other but didn’t end up having sex.
Even though I knew I had the potential of having my heart broken yet again, I would continue seeing Jake. After everything I’d been through with Cam, didn’t I deserve to be happy for just a little while?
14
Jake
It had been so long since Julianna and I had been alone, and it was hard to believe that a full two months had gone by since we first started seeing each other. I had been working remotely so we could spend almost every spare minute together, and most of the time, Caley was with us. On the one hand, I didn’t mind. In fact, I loved it because I absolutely adored her daughter.
Yet, on the other hand, the man in me desperately needed some alone time with Julianna. Just a night where the two of us could chat as adults without having to censor ourselves.
I dried myself off and slid on my favorite Gucci suit, along with matching loafers, and a white button-up underneath. After applying some of my Versace Eros cologne, I grabbed my keys and went into Richard’s mansion.
“Going out again, I see,” Richard said, working on his laptop at the kitchen counter.
“And you’re spending another night working, I see.”
He eyed me up and down as I grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator. “Gucci, nice. So, have you decided how you’re going to propose to her yet? Have the waiter bury the ring in her food, or maybe get down on one knee as everyone watches?”
I threw the cap to my water bottle right at his face, but he caught it in his hand. “Would you stop it."
“You are so smitten with her,” he said. “Why can’t you just admit that you have feelings? You’re an adult, dude. It’s okay.”
“Why do you assume things that aren’t true?” I leaned across the counter and challenged him, even though deep down, I knew he was right.
“Because you’re pulling out all the stops, especially tonight. Your outfit screams ‘marry me,’ not ‘brief fling.’”
I smirked. “Not that it’s any of your business, but we just haven’t had a lot of alone time lately. You’re a man. You understand.”
“So… what you’re saying is that you two haven’t had sex in a while. That doesn’t mean you have to go all formal on her. Just admit that you’re in love.”
I stared at him for a few moments in silence. Yes, I was falling in love with Julianna. Richard didn’t have to know that, though. “Her sister is babysitting, which means that we can spend a lot of time between the sheets this evening. Okay? Women are like cars. You can’t just walk in and expect it to happen. They need to be warmed up and lubricated.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Richard said, scrolling on his laptop. “I wish they could be more like us. Just get it on then go about your day.”
“You haven’t met someone like Julianna,” I told him. “Trust me. Once you do, you’ll appreciate the time and effort that’s needed for sex to happen.”
“So, you’re telling me that even if you two don’t hook up tonight, you’ll still be happy?”
I gave him a long, don’t-push-me look with my eyes before heading for the door. “Whatever. Don’t stay up for me, Mr. Workaholic.”
“By the way,” he said before I left. “Do you think she’ll take your last name? Because Julianna Truman does have a nice ring to it.”
“Just for that, I’m taking one of your cars.” I grabbed the keys to his 1988 Jaguar Convertible.
“Be careful, and don’t—”
I slammed the door shut before he finished his sentence.
When I pulled up to Julianna’s house a few of her neighbors eyed the car. Even though she lived in a nice neighborhood, it wasn’t precisely vintage-luxury-car nice.
Caley’s face was in the window before I even put my finger on the doorbell, which I didn’t have to do because I heard her yelling. “Aunt Annie, he’s here! Jakey’s here!”
Annie came to the door a few minutes later and let me inside.
I bent down in front of Caley, who came running enthusiastically toward me. “How was your day, Caley?”
“It was okay, but now I’m sad.” She folded her arms across her chest and made a pouty face.
“Why’s that?” I asked.
“Because you and Mommy are gonna go out without me. I’m gonna be all alone.” She buried her face against Annie’s leg.
Annie put her hand down and patted her head, then smiled at me. “Now, Caley, you and I are going to have a lot of fun tonight. I brought a puzzle, we’re going to make a pizza and then watch one of your favorite movies.”
“Make a pizza? Oh, wow, Caley. I’m kind of jealous of you. I haven’t made a pizza in a long time.” She started to smile as she looked at me, the same kind of smile she had when she told me about her gummy worm sundae.
“Aunt Annie lets me put olives and peppers on it so that it looks like a face!” She then put her hands up to her ears and tried to scare me, which I played along with by jumping up in the air.
Just then, Julianna came downstairs.
“Wow,” I breathed. “You look amazing.”
She was wearing another one of her wrap dresses, this one was black, and her cleavage seemed a bit more voluptuous. She was also wearing the same pair of high heels with the red bottoms.
“Thank you, so do you.” She walked over to Caley. “What do you two have planned for tonight?”
“Scary face pizza, Mommy!” She jumped up, and Julianna wrapped Caley's little legs around her waist.
The longer I looked at the two of them, the more I realized that I was, in fact, in love with Julianna.
“And what about you two?” Annie took Caley from her mother, directing her question to me.
“I actually want to surprise Julianna tonight,” I said with a smile.
She grabbed her purse and gave Caley a kiss on the cheek. “You be good, okay, Sweetie?”
I walked out behind Julianna, giving Caley a silly face as they watched us leave. Then I held the door to the car open, and she slid in, admiring my brother's toy. “I recognize this from your brother’s garage. He certainly loves his cars, doesn’t he?”
“Yes, to say the least.”
I held her hand all the way to our destination, which was a piece of land that my father owned. And at the top of the hill was a quaint old cabin. Inside, I had set out a table for two with candles across from the stone fireplace.
As we approached, Julianna stared out the window in awe. She pointed to the top of the hill where the land evened out. “Is that a cottage?”
“Yes,” I said as we pulled up the driveway. “It’s just you and me tonight, all night.”
I got out of the car and opened her door, tucking her arm in mine as she picked her way carefully along the stone path in her heels. As we approached the cottage, Julianna was caught off guard by the pond that was initially hidden from view. She immediately looked at it and grinned.
“Oh, wow, this place is so unique and truly amazing,” she said, walking closer.
Julianna bent down to look into the pond as if searching for fish or anything else that might be beneath the surface. Then we walked back toward the little cottage — that wasn’t really that little.
It was light blue with white shutters, two floors, and plenty of windows to let in the light. None of the blinds or shades were drawn inside of the house. Up there on this hill, there was no need to block out such a beautiful view. She put her hands around her eyes and peeked inside through a window.
For a few moments, I slid my hands inside my pocket
s and admired Julianna. She looked so beautiful as she went from window to window, eager to see inside almost like I imagined Caley would do. “Let’s go in so you can see my surprise.”
She turned back around and slid her arm through mine as we walked through the door and headed for the table I had arranged a few hours earlier.
I pulled out her chair, and she sat down. Her long, delicate hair brushed against my hands and caused my heart to beat faster. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d seen a woman so utterly beautiful.
After lighting the two candles in the middle of the table, I brought out our dinner on plates that had been warming in the oven. Earlier, I had ordered takeout from a local, five-star restaurant and hoped she would enjoy it.
I poured us both a glass of wine, and we began to eat our food.
“This is absolutely delicious,” she said.
All I could focus on were her red lips, which perfectly melted into the red sauce on the lasagna.
“Well, I can’t exactly take credit for it. It’s from Mangenelli’s.”
“I can’t believe you went to all of this trouble,” she said, looking into my eyes.
I suddenly found it hard to speak. She was so gorgeous.
“I would do just about anything for you, Julianna.” I stretched my arm across the table and held her hand.
“Caley is simply crazy about you,” she said. “She was so sad that she couldn’t come with us tonight, but I’m happy that it’s just the two of us.”
“Something tells me she’ll be just fine tonight,” I said. “She sounded really excited about making pizza.”
Julianna laughed while taking another sip of wine. “She’ll either grow up to be an artist, model, or a chef. Or all three.”
“Does she have one of those kiddie ovens?”
She shook her head, no. “Are you kidding me? I have a hard enough time getting her to not eat so much sugar, the last thing I need is for her to have an endless supply.”
We both started laughing, and I thought about how cute Caley was when I took us all out for ice cream.
“Well, maybe we’ll steer her away from becoming a pastry chef then.”
Julianna tilted her head and looked at me a bit more intensely. “We?”
I blushed, realizing what I’d said. I shrugged my shoulders and gave her a smile, letting her know that I was head over heels for her.
“Speaking of sugar,” I said while clearing our plates, “I hope you enjoy the tiramisu.”
“Mmm,” she moaned. “That’s my favorite dessert!”
“It’s hard to believe how far we’ve come,” I said while putting our dessert plates down and refilling the wine glasses.
Julianna nodded.
“I always had a crush on you,” she whispered. “But you were also my best friend, and I didn’t want to lose you.”
I paused, grinning. “Now, you have me.”
We spent the time eating our dessert, talking about all of the things we’d done together over the last two months. Our outings with Caley, ice cream trips, movie nights at her house, and even random drives through our hometown. She even ran her foot up and down my leg a few times, getting dangerously close to my private area up north.
“Hey now,” I said, massaging her leg underneath the table. “Will you dance with me?”
“Yes, but I don’t think my feet can take these shoes anymore.”
Both of us laughed, and I took off her shoes. I then spent a few minutes just massaging her feet. I not only wanted them to feel better but also because her moans drove me absolutely crazy. So that she wasn’t the only one dancing without shoes, I took mine off as well.
As the moon rose over the lake, I reached into my pocket and pressed an app on my phone that started playing music on the hidden speakers. It was just the two of us in that very moment, looking into each other's eyes as the sounds of a piano played in the background. Eventually, the crickets began to chirp, creating the perfect ambiance. Her body melted into mine.
I was looking forward to having her to myself all night long for some undeniable reasons. Yet the more we danced, the more I realized that I needed her for emotional reasons too. I was absolutely smitten by Julianna, by the way she talked and laughed, even the way she walked. I didn’t want to imagine what my life would be like without her.
Even after the playlist came to an end, we continued dancing long after the candles had melted away and gone out. As the pale light from the moon seeped in through the windows casting long shadows of us dancing, I traced kisses along the nape of her neck.
15
Julianna
That night with Jake was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Cam had never gone to such great lengths to impress me, but Jake had gone above and beyond. It was just us with a cabin all to ourselves. The way he held me close to his chest while we were dancing made me feel like I was protected with a bullet-proof shield.
He kept sneaking in little kisses throughout the night, too. Some of them were on my cheek, others on my lips, and even a few under my hair against the sensitive skin on my neck. I never expected such a masculine, former womanizer to be so romantic and playful. I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, my life would have a fairytale ending.
After dancing for what seemed to be an eternity, Jake led me to the couch while he turned on the gas logs in the fireplace. It felt nice since it was beginning to get cool inside. It wasn’t until then that I realized the design of the quaint cabin was similar to his brother’s guest house only on a much smaller scale.
I sat down on the couch, warming myself. Soon Jake disappeared into the kitchen and returned a few minutes later, holding two glasses of champagne. We clinked glasses, and I nestled into his chest, both of us just gazing at the fire.
“Are you trying to get me drunk again?” I looked up at him and ran my hands along his chin.
“What do you mean by ‘again,’ exactly?”
“I mean the first night you and I, well, you know.” I sipped my champagne and thought about that fateful night when I had consumed a few too many Pina Coladas.
“That was your own doing,” he said with a laugh.
I wrapped my arm around his shoulder, feeling it move up and down with his breathing. “I didn’t plan on drinking so much. I was just a little nervous about seeing you.”
“How do you think I felt?”
We both laughed a little bit. I looked over to the staircase and squinted my eyes.
“Are those roses?” I was able to see rose petals all over each of the steps that led upstairs.
Jake leaned into my ear and whispered. “Yes.”
He put his hands on my back and began rubbing my shoulders. I couldn’t help but moan and roll my head back. When I did, he leaned forward and gave me a long, deep, and passionate kiss.
I turned around and laid down on my back, feeling the soft couch cushions beneath me. I assumed it would be just like our first night together. Instead, he started rubbing my feet, making it clear that he wouldn’t be working his way up my legs.
“Soon,” he said.
He massaged me that way for a good half hour or so, and I completely sank into his hands. Eventually, my whole body was relaxed.
Finally, he scooped me up, carrying me upstairs in his arms.
At the end of the hallway, which was also scattered with rose petals, was the master bedroom. As he laid me down on the bed, I felt dozens of them against my skin. Looking up, I saw a skylight, which allowed me to see the stars in the heavens above.
“Jake,” I whispered as he took off his blazer and began to unbutton his shirt.
The site of his rock hard, chiseled abs made my loins burn with desire. He undid his belt and let his pants slide to the floor, revealing a tight pair of black boxer briefs. His hard cock, pressing against the fabric.
As he slid them off, I instinctively began to untie my dress. I wanted nothing more than to feel him inside of me.
“No,” he whispered, wal
king over to me, his arousal now inches away from my body. “Let me.”
Jake climbed on top of the bed and untied my dress, exposing my plump, delicate breasts that begged for his touch from beneath my red satin bra. He ran his hands along my curves, all the while slowly sliding off my matching red lace G-string. The heat between our bodies was thicker than it had ever been as he caressed the tender flesh of the inside of my thighs.
“Jake,” I moaned his name even louder than before as his mouth found my swollen folds.
Cam had never performed oral sex on me, and my entire body began to shake with pleasure. My hips instinctively began to roll against him, my thighs wrapping over his shoulders, pulling his mouth even harder against my sensitive clit. Jake’s tongue felt as if it were made just for my pleasure, and selfishly, I wanted him to stay right there.
The fingers of one of my hands grasped the blanket, balling it into knots, sending dozens of rose petals cascading to the floor. I wanted to scream but covered my mouth instead. That was until he wrapped his fingers in my hair and pulled me into another passionate kiss. Opening my eyes, I looked up through the skylight at the stars as he continued to tantalize my wet pulsing mound with his fingers.
As I paced my body with every flicker of his tongue, I felt a long, passionate orgasm about to overcome me. My entire body began to stiffen, and my back arched. As it exploded from within, I screamed out, hearing my voice echoing out of the cabin into the night.
“Again,” he growled, rolling his lips over my throbbing clit.
My eyes went wide as the sensations sent shivers through me. Before that orgasm could even finish, my cup was filling all over again. My body lifted up, but he pushed me down. As his tongue moved faster, I screamed out, the explosion almost blinding the world from me.
By the time he slowed, and my body relaxed back into the bed, I had thrown out the wish of him staying there all night. I needed a very different part of him inside of me — right now.
