by Jillian Dodd
“Still, it must have been tough to take.”
She nods. “Your daughters seem so happy. It’s hard to believe they lost their mom.”
“The first few months were really hard on them. And me.”
She brushes her fingers through my hair and kisses me. “Probably hardest on you. Is that why you wished for forgiveness? Do you feel like it was your fault?”
“Let’s talk about happier things,” I say, changing the subject. The last thing I want to talk about when I’m in bed with a beautiful woman is the mess Whitney left me with. “Like these,” I say, trailing my finger across her nipples.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6th
Captive Films - Santa Monica
RILEY
I walk in my office mid-morning on Monday to find Dawson telling Dallas about how happy he is that his girls got along so well with Vanessa this weekend.
“How’s the hand?” Dallas asks me.
I hold my cast up and shrug. “Dawson, you’re supposed to fuck Vanessa, not fall in love with her and introduce her to the girls. You haven’t even been here a week yet. And Vanessa is a freaking man eater. She chews guys up and spits them out.”
“It won’t be that way with me.”
“You didn’t listen to us when we told you not to marry Whitney. Listen to me now.”
“Riley, I did listen. I knew life with Whitney wouldn’t be what I dreamed of. I knew our relationship wasn’t going to be the true love, happily ever after stuff in the movies you make. But I knew I wanted to be a part of Ava’s life. Once I held her in my arms, I was willing to forgo my own happiness for her. And it was the right decision, Riley. I have two amazing daughters. And I’d go through everything I went through with Whitney again, because of them. What you aren’t seeing is what Vanessa does to me. How she makes me feel.”
“How does she make you feel?”
“Like I’m eighteen again and the world is full of options. But, this time, I’m smart enough not to let her go.”
“What do you mean, this time?”
“Remember Keatyn’s eighteenth birthday party?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you remember about it?”
“Ariela’s tight red dress. Drinking. Dancing all night.”
“Do you know what I did at the party, Riley?”
“I remember what I did.” Dallas interjects. “Met, danced, and made out with RiAnne all night. Now look at us, married with four kids and another on the way.”
“We know the story, Dallas,” I say. Then I turn back to my brother. “I’m assuming you danced and partied too?”
“Yes, but with who?”
“Everyone?”
“Wrong. Vanessa. We danced and kissed all night too. It was one of the best nights of my life, and I didn’t even get laid.”
“I did,” Dallas coughs.
Dawson laughs.
“So, Dawson, why didn’t you stay in contact with her if it was so amazing?”
“She was still in high school here, and I was looking forward to college in New York. But, that doesn’t mean I ever forgot her. Just like you’ve never forgotten Ariela.”
“Point for Dawson,” Dallas quips.
It’s not that you haven’t moved on,” Dawson continues, “or that you haven’t had other relationships. It’s just that she’s always been in the back of your mind.”
“Keatyn would say that’s true love,” Dallas says.
“Yes, she would,” Keatyn says from behind us. She pats Dawson’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I’m so happy for you. I had no idea about you and Vanessa. I remember you kissed at my party but neither one of you ever said much about it.”
“Seeing her again wasn’t even something I thought about when I took this job, but it certainly has made me want to stay.”
“You want to stay? Really?” Keatyn says, happily.
“I think so. The girls seem open to it. They’re coming here on Friday and we’ll tour the school. When I called about it, they said there was a wait list, but Dallas thinks he can pull strings to get them in.”
“I’m on the school board and donate a lot of money, Dawson.” Dallas says. “I will get them in.”
“You know you have my full support on that,” Keatyn says to Dallas, implying that Captive would make a donation to make it happen if need be.
I sigh. “I’m sorry, Dawson. If Vanessa is the right girl for you, don’t let her go.”
“Thanks, Riley.”
“I second that motion,” Keatyn says, enthusiastically.
“Me three,” Dallas says.
Vanessa’s Estate, Guest house - Holmby Hills
ARIELA
I’m sitting on the couch typing wedding plans into a detailed timeline when my phone rings.
Riley says, “My dinner meeting just ended. Wanna hang out?”
“I just put my pajamas on,” I say, looking down at the T-shirt and boxers I'm wearing.
“Leave them on. I don't mind. We’ll just sit and talk a little.”
“Um, okay,” I say, already running into the bathroom and powdering my face. “How long will you be?”
“Twenty minutes.”
“Perfect,” I say and hang up.
I quickly do my makeup—purposely doing it soft and subtle, so it doesn’t look like I just got ready. I shave my legs, spritz on perfume, and brush my teeth in near record time.
“What am I going to wear?” I ask myself, looking into the closet and pulling out something very sexy. “I can’t wear this—” I’m saying when a memory hits me, stopping me in my tracks.
Should I?
Yes.
No.
Yes.
No.
Shit.
I glance at the clock.
Not much time.
I decide to go for it.
What’s the worst thing that could happen?
I mean, besides rejection.
Vanessa’s Estate, Guest house - Holmby Hills
RILEY
When she answers the door, I gulp, taking in the little pink nightie she’s wearing. “I thought you were in your pajamas?”
“These are my pajamas. I was going to change but you told me not to,” she says, like it’s no big deal that’s she’s wearing sexy ass lingerie.
“That's because I didn't . . .” My voice fades off. I’m fucking speechless.
“Come, sit,” she says walking over to the couch, sitting down, and patting the seat next to her.
I sit down feeling helpless, like a man who’s been hypnotized and is made to do stupid things in front of a crowd.
I remind myself of what I said in the car on the way over. Do not kiss her again until she is divorced.
The pale pink silk of her gown is slightly see-through, allowing me to see the outline of her breast, the edges of her nipples.
I feel blood rushing toward my dick, causing me to grow harder every second.
How long do divorces take?
I've got to stop it. I came over here to talk to her about Homecoming, not to just stare at her gorgeous eyes. Her long brown hair is pushed over one shoulder but the other is forward and blocking my view of her other breast. I reach out and slide her hair up and over her shoulder.
She doesn’t say anything, just smiles at me.
But then she shifts, leaning back a little and sliding one leg under her, getting comfortable.
But when she does it, I see a flash of skin.
“You used to wear underwear to sleep in,” I say, locking my jaw.
“Not when you came over, Riley.”
I bite my lip, trying to hurt myself and wishing I had another tree to punch. That kind of pain is the only thing that could make the raging boner I have stand down.
“You wanted to talk about old times, Riley, so here's what I remember. I remember you liked when I did this.” She splays her hand across her chest then pushes it under the triangle of silk covering her breast. She runs a finger in a circular motion and w
hen she removes her hand I can see her hardened nipple raising the pale pink silk.
Her eyes are half closed when slides her hand into her cleavage, down her stomach, and under the silk between her legs.
“You used to like when I did this too, Riley. Do you still like it?”
She tilts her hips towards her fingers, and I can practically feel her warm pussy against my own fingers.
She filed, right? Isn’t that close enough?
“Do you remember what you used to do?” she taunts.
I can't take much more. I grab her hand and suck her wet fingers into my mouth. “I wanted to taste you.”
And it's exactly as I remember, sweet perfection.
A man of principle can only handle so much temptation.
I slide my fingers between her legs, finding the moistness between the folds of her lips. She's so fucking wet, and I'm about to explode.
She leans her head back and moves her hips in unison with my fingers.
“Can you feel how much I want you, Riley?”
“You never used to say that. You were too shy. You only did this because you knew how much it turned me on.”
Her lips graze my neck on the way to my ear. “I said can you feel how much I want you, Riley?”
“Yes, Ariela. Fuck, yes.”
She shoves her hand down my pants.
I can handle this, I tell myself. I can.
Until her lips touch mine.
There's no turning back now.
I devour her lips, reveling in the taste of her tongue, the urgency of her hips moving against mine. There’s only so much I can take. I move on top of her. She quickly parts her legs, making room for me, and pushes my pants off with her feet.
Moments later, I’m inside her and out of control. Pounding into her over and over, going deeper and deeper the harder I get, fucking her like there’s no tomorrow. I’m going to do this all fucking night.
“Oh, Riley. My god,” she says, panting in pleasure.
And that causes me to lose it. A few more thrusts and I’m moaning myself.
I get rid of the condom in the bathroom and walk back out, figuring it's about time to wake up from this dream. But she’s lying on the floor, naked, on top of a fluffy white rug.
And she’s fucking beautiful.
I take a moment to study her.
“You look beautiful,” I tell her, lying on my side next to her and brushing my hand across her chest. “You look the same. You feel the same.” I glide my hand across her curves from the side of her breast, down the valley to her waist, up a slender hip, and across her thigh.
I never allowed myself to think about her during the days since she left, but she often invades my dreams at night when I'm defenseless.
She doesn’t bother with a condom this time, just sees that I’m hard again, pushes me into the rug, then lowers herself on top of me.
I sit up, wrapping my arms around her in a hug, kissing her shoulder.
It’s like I’ve never had sex before. This becomes my new ultimate. The feel of her hands running across my back, the smell of her hair, the way her hips feel in my hands, the perfect little motions, and the way she seems to be controlling my body.
But then she starts moving faster, riding me harder and throwing her head back, moaning.
That simple vision of seeing her in the heat of passion makes me lose myself. I grab her hips, forcing her up and down on top of me until I explode inside her.
I lay my head on her shoulder in exhaustion. Her mouth is at my neck, layering on sweet kisses. I kiss her shoulder and hold her tightly, still afraid I’m going to wake up to find this isn’t real. This, this is why no one has ever compared. Ariela is the only girl I can truly say I’ve ever made love to.
“You look the same, but you're different,” I observe. “More confident in yourself during sex.”
“Who me?” she says surprised. “No, I don't really like sex much anymore,” she blurts out, then realizing what she admitted, immediately lowers her head in embarrassment.
“You didn’t like that?” I ask, shocked.
“No, god, no, Riley. That. Us. You. Was amazing. I just meant, before this.”
“Nothing has ever compared to us,” I state, knowing exactly what she means.
“That’s what I meant.”
“Hang on,” I tell her. “I’m going to roll you over, but I want to stay inside you.”
She looks like she’s going to cry, but more out of happiness. I touch her face. “I still love you, in case you couldn’t tell.”
Holding her ass to keep her close to me, I roll over, so we’re lying face to face.
“I still love you too, Riley. I never stopped.”
I push her chin up and kiss her softly.
Just softly.
Then I back away slightly. “Do you remember how you wished me luck before the homecoming game? I found you naked in my bed.”
“I wasn't completely naked,” she says with a grin. “I had my pompoms.” She grabs our underwear off the floor and holds them in front of her chest like she did the pompoms. “Go, Cougars!” she says, throwing her arms into the air and revealing her perfect breasts.
I bend down and circle one with my tongue, taking it in my mouth and sucking on it, while growing hard again.
“Riley, you're—”
“Getting hard inside you? That's what happens when you wear nothing but pompoms.”
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7th
Captive Films - Santa Monica
RILEY
“Where have you been?” Dallas says as I enter my office and go straight to my closet. “We were supposed to have a meeting twenty minutes ago. And you know I fucking hate early morning meetings.”
I grab a suit, shirt, and tie and take it into my bathroom to change.
“Wait. Are you wearing the same suit you had on yesterday?” he asks.
“Yeah, that’s why I’m changing,” I say from the bathroom.
“Must have been a hell of a business dinner last night. Who did you meet with?”
I walk out into my office buttoning my shirt. “Dave from Capital.”
“Oh,” he says, looking confused. “Then you went out?”
“I went to see Ariela. And I know I'm gonna sound like a girl when I say this but we are like magic together. She's so beautiful and I'm so ruined.”
“Oh, boy,” Dallas says, slowly sitting in the chair across from my desk.
“Oh boy is right. I'm so fucked if we don't end up together because, now that I've had her again, I don't want anyone else. I don't think I’ll ever be able to fuck anyone else.”
“True love’s fuck,” Dallas says, while I’m looking in the mirror tying my tie.
“What’s that?”
“You know how I was when I was single. My pecker always believed there was a greener pasture just beyond the fence. But it was different with RiAnne. I liked her a lot from the start. We had incredible chemistry and she was sweet and fun and all that other stuff, but when we fucked for the first time, I knew. She was the one. It was different than anything I’d experienced. Hot as fuck, but it had this power, these emotions layered on top of it. It was making love in the best sense of the word.”
I hear a sob from behind us and turn around to see Keatyn standing behind Dallas, tears streaming down her face. “That’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard. Riley, you have to write that down and use it in a movie. Everyone in the audience will be crying.”
“Uh, okay,” I say, appeasing her. She’s been awfully freaking moody lately. I wish she’d just get over her damn period already.
“Keatyn, get your ass over here,” Dallas says, motioning for her to stand in front of him.
She leans up against my desk, sniffling.
Dallas studies Keatyn like she’s going to be his next greener pasture. In fact, I’m a little shocked at how lewdly he is studying her chest and looking her up and down.
“The tabloids are saying you had a boob job. You�
�re eating like a horse and not gaining any weight. You've had the flu, fainted, haven't been drinking. The smell of Riley’s coffee makes you sick. And, now, a very male conversation about fucking has you in tears.”
“Not just any fucking. True love's fuck. I’m so happy for you, Riley,” she says, smiling at me.
“I just noticed your boobs too,” I say. “They look huge. Did you have surgery and not tell us?”
“No, I’ve been in the middle of filming, I couldn’t have—”
Dallas shakes his head. “She didn’t have a boob job, Riley. Our little Keatyn's knocked up.”
Keatyn’s eyes widen.
“Knocked up?” I say. “Is that what the quickie wedding is all about?”
“Yes and no,” she admits.
“What!? Jeez, you can't be pregnant now! We've got so much going on.”
“Aiden didn’t know I was pregnant when he proposed.”
“Is that what he meant when he said she always surprises me?”
“Probably. I told him I was pregnant after I said yes.”
Dallas gives her a hug. “I bet Aiden is happier than a coon dog on a bare leg. Your first little hoodlum. Congrats. How far along are you?”
“Just starting my eighth week, so not too far. We haven’t told our families yet. We’re supposed to have dinner with them this week.”
“When are you due? How’s that going to work with us starting Daddy’s Angel?”
“Riley, I work remotely most of the time. That's why I need you and Dallas. And part of why I’m so glad Dawson is here. I’m hoping to give him more and more responsibility.”
“And she’ll be taking off all the time she needs, right, Riley?” Dallas asks me.
I’m happy for her, but it’s such a shock and I’m trying to work out the timing of it all. “Uh, of course,” I finally say.
“And the wedding is quick because I want to be Keatyn Arrington before the baby is born.”
“And probably because you don't want to be fat when you get married,” I quip.
