“I don’t want a drink, I want to go home,” I say a little more forcefully.
“We’re not going anywhere yet, so just stop being so rude,” Charles says before turning away from me and continuing his conversation with the blond.
That’s it.
That is the final straw.
I have had it with him.
I whirl around on my heels and march towards the entrance hall, where I ask the butler if he would kindly call me a taxi. He says that he will, and he goes off to fulfil my request.
I am so mad at Charles right now. He has done nothing but humiliate me and make me look stupid all evening.
I can feel my blood pressure rising, and I can’t wait to get out of this place and put tonight behind me.
I stand by the front doors and tap my foot impatiently as I wait for the butler to confirm he has ordered me a taxi.
Whilst I am waiting, I can sense Jake approaching me. I look in his direction as he exits the Great Ballroom.
Oh God, he is so handsome.
His eyes are fixed on me as he comes closer. He reaches me and runs his eyes up and down my body, making me feel as if I am stood naked before him. I feel a blush creep up my neck and reach my cheeks.
“Going somewhere?” he asks me.
“Not that it is any of your business, but yes, I am going home. I am just waiting for my taxi to arrive.” My tone comes across as rude and I don’t mean it to be, but I also don’t want him to see the effect that he has on me. Plus, I’m still really pissed at the way Charles has treated me tonight.
“Uh, Miss?” The butler interrupts us, diverting my attention from Jake. “Your taxi will be here in the next fifteen minutes.”
“Thank you,” I politely answer. The butler nods his head and goes to resume his position, stood opposite Jake and I, by the front doors.
“I can give you a ride, if you like?” Jake says, seemingly unaffected by my rudeness towards him only seconds ago. It takes me a moment to control my shock at his suggestion.
“Um, that’s really not necessary.”
“Look, I know it will be difficult to keep your hands off of me, but surely it beats waiting around for a taxi?” Jake says, trying to make a joke of it.
I feel a slight grin start to tug at my lips at his playful nature. I would love him to give me a ride, but it’s dangerous territory, isn’t it?
I think back to how Charles has treated me this evening and decide that I should live a little.
“Oh, go on then,” I reply, not taking more than a few seconds to make up my mind.
His mouth breaks into a grin and he holds his arm out to me. I link my arm through his and as we walk out of the Bowden Hall, I apologise to the butler and tell him that I will no longer be needing the taxi he has ordered for me.
If the butler is annoyed, he doesn’t show it. He just simply nods his head and bids us goodnight. Jake leads me to a sleek, black limo waiting out the front.
“This is yours?” I ask him, astonished. Jake laughs and signals for the driver to wait in the car.
“It sure is.”
Jake opens the door and gestures for me to get in. The look on my face must say it all. I thought that Charles had plenty of money, but Jake is clearly in a different league. Charles has never had a limo escort us anywhere. The thought is actually quite surprising seeing as Charles is obsessed with flaunting his wealth.
I enter the limo and sit back into one of the glorious leather seats. It is so soft, and my ass literally sinks into it. I hope it doesn’t leave a massive dent when I get up.
“So, where is it we are going to, Stacey?” Jake asks as he enters the limo and sits opposite me.
I am very conscious of the fact that our legs are inches apart. The thought of brushing my leg against him is enough to make me want to jump his bones.
I shake my head and try to concentrate on calming my nerves, which are rapidly becoming overwhelming. What was I thinking? Getting into a limo with Jake was not a good move. The images of our one-night stand come flooding back to me. His mouth, his touch, his body, his…
“Stacey?” Jake’s brow is furrowed as he gives me a questioning look.
Shit, I must have zoned out for too long.
I clear my throat, which has gone dry. I manage to relay my address to him and there is a distinct quiver in my voice. The thought of returning home isn’t exactly filling me with pleasure right now. Going home and later being confronted by Charles fills me with dread.
“I don’t know about you, but all that fancy food doesn’t exactly do it for me. Want to grab a burger and fries on the way to yours?” Jake asks as he hands me a glass of champagne that he has just poured.
Champagne in a limo is not how I thought I would be escorted home tonight. I take the glass off of him and gratefully take a sip, enjoying the bubbles making their way down my throat.
“Now that sounds like a brilliant idea. You really are perfect, aren’t you?” And there I go again. My brain really needs to engage with my mouth before I speak.
I take a few more gulps of the champagne, hoping that the alcohol will enable me to speak to Jake without making myself sound like a complete fool. Although, I am pretty sure it is having the opposite effect.
Jake laughs and instructs the driver, through an intercom in the side of the door, to go to the nearest burger place. We travel in silence as I continue to drink my champagne until the glass is empty.
I feel Jake’s eyes on me the whole time, but I keep my gaze averted. If I look into his eyes, then I know that I am going to say or do something stupid.
Feeling awkward, I am glad when we reach the burger place. I go to get out of the limo, but Jake stops me. He asks me what I want and then he exits the car, leaving me alone.
I look around and realise that the driver must still be sat in the front. I am way out of my comfort zone here. For all I know, Jake could be a complete psychopath. For some reason though, I just know that he isn’t.
I eye the champagne bottle which is by the side of Jake’s seat and I quickly pour myself another glass. I am just finishing off the last drop when the limo door opens, and Jake climbs in, burger bags in hand.
“Voila. Cheeseburger and fries, madam,” Jake says in a French accent. I stifle a giggle.
“Why thank you, kind sir.” I smile and Jake gestures for me to eat my food.
I unwrap the burger and try to be as lady-like as I can whilst eating it, but is it really possible? Burgers are one of the messiest foods to eat in front of a man. Especially a man that is a virtual stranger but is someone who makes your stomach do somersaults every time he looks at you. I decide to just take small bites, this will at least stop me from getting burger sauce all around my mouth.
Jake finishes his food whilst I have barely eaten half of mine. I should have just ordered some fries and left it at that. My appetite wains as Jake speaks to the driver through the intercom.
“Hey, Eric, do you mind just driving around for a while please?”
“No problem,” I hear Eric say.
“Why are we driving around for a bit?” I ask Jake as I take another minuscule bite of my burger and then put it back into the bag it arrived in.
“I want to get to know you a little better before you leave me again.” Jake’s eyes almost burn with intensity. I try to remain calm and just focus on keeping this conversation casual.
“Oh.” I feel breathless.
What could he possibly want to know about me?
Only one way to find out.
“Okay, what do you want to know?” I have managed to make myself sound normal, and by normal, I mean that there is no wobble in my voice betraying how nervous I am. Excellent, Stacey, nice and relaxed. I give myself a mental clap.
“I want to know what I have to do to get another night with you?” Jake says, his voice low. His eyes have a wicked glint in them, and all of a sudden, I feel like I am his prey.
Oh shit, calm and relaxed has deserted me.
“Excuse me?” I
say breathlessly. The wobble in my voice is back. I was not prepared for a question like that. What happened to simple questions like what’s your favourite colour?
“You heard me, Stacey. I remember everything that happened the night we slept together. You are not a woman that is easily forgot.” I gasp at his honesty, and I can feel that I am losing myself in those beautiful caramel eyes of his.
My panties are becoming wet with my need for this man, and time seems to stop as Jake’s hand touches my thigh, making my whole body vibrate.
As his fingers gently stroke the top of my thigh, I close my eyes as I try to wrestle with my emotions.
My body is screaming at me to give into my urges, but my head is trying to make me realise what my actions could result in. I am torn. Seeing as I have made no attempt to stop Jake, his hands continue their exploration of my body.
He slowly trails his hands up either side of my ribcage, stopping when he reaches beside my breasts. I let out a soft sigh, and I can feel his breath getting closer to my face.
“Look at me, Stacey,” he says in a low voice.
I slowly open my eyes and stare at his facial features. He has just the right amount of stubble to make him look even more desirable than he is already. His skin is flawless and lightly tanned. I know that if he kisses me then I won’t be able to stop myself from giving in to him.
His lips are millimetres away from mine.
All it would take is for me to lean forward slightly for our lips to connect.
As I battle with myself about whether to kiss him or not, Jake smiles, and then moves his lips to my neck.
I place my hands on his chest, feeling his hard body beneath my palms. He showers my neck with light kisses before tracing along my jaw line with his tongue. It feels so good.
My hands travel down from his chest, and I am just about to untuck his shirt so that I can run my hands over his body when my phone starts to ring, jolting me out of our embrace.
“Fuck,” I say, a lot louder than I intended to.
I quickly push Jake away from me and grab my clutch-bag. I find my phone and see that it is Charles ringing me. I am not even tempted to answer it and I let the call go to voicemail. I think it is safe to say that reality has just imploded on whatever planet I thought that I was on only seconds ago.
“Jake, I really need to be getting home now.”
“Are you sure?” Jake asks.
He is sat opposite me again with his arms resting on his knees so that he is leaning forwards. He looks at me with a slight frown and his head tilted to one side. I feel as though he is trying to reach into my soul.
“Yes, I’m sure. I’m going to be in enough trouble tonight without adding anything else to the list.” I can’t look at him as I speak, and Jake doesn’t argue with me.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see him push the button on the intercom. He instructs Eric that our drive is over and that we need to go to my address.
I straighten out my dress and just stare out of the window for the journey home. I must look like a complete slut, what with the one-night stand and now this limo scenario. I mentally kick myself for getting into this type of situation.
Jake doesn’t attempt to speak to me, which I am grateful for. I fear that if he did then I would just make a fool of myself.
It only takes ten minutes to reach my house and I ask Jake to pull up a couple of doors away, so that Charles doesn’t see me arrive home in a limo.
“Thank you for the food and the ride home, Jake,” I say, still refusing to look at him.
“No problem. It wasn’t quite the ride I had in mind, but there is always next time.”
My head snaps up to look at him and our eyes lock. I must look dumbfounded as I try to find words, but nothing to say comes to my mind. Instead I pick up my bag, quickly exit the limo and briskly walk to my front door.
What did he mean next time?
There can be no next time.
The limo doesn’t drive past my house until I am walking in my front door. I shut the door and slump against it, trying to regain my composure. I have had to try and regain that a lot tonight.
I almost expected Charles to be waiting by the door, tapping his foot, but it turns out that he isn’t even home yet.
Once I feel like I can walk without my legs giving way, I make my way upstairs to the bedroom. I carefully take off my dress and get into my comfy pyjama bottoms and vest top. I then take off my make-up and tie my hair into a ponytail before climbing into bed.
I would rather be asleep before Charles gets home. At least that way the argument we are most definitely going to have can be postponed until tomorrow morning.
I glance at my phone and see that Charles actually left me a voicemail when he phoned me, whilst I was with Jake. I reluctantly listen to the message, only to find out that he isn’t coming home tonight. He’s staying at mummy dearests for the night.
Relief surges through me.
I place my phone on the bedside table and close my eyes. I can feel the smile pulling at my lips as I imagine the things that Mr Jake Waters would have done to me in that limo before I succumb to sleep.
Chapter Six
I don’t wake up until ten o’clock the following morning. I am normally an early riser, but I must have needed the sleep.
I slowly get out of bed and go to take a shower. I let the warm water cascade over me as I pleasure myself following last night’s events with Jake. I have so much pent up sexual frustration that it is the only thing I can do right now to help relieve some of it. Images of Jake running through my head means that it doesn’t take me long to reach my climax. Even in my mind Jake manages to make me feel things I have never felt before.
Once satisfied, I get out of the shower, dry myself and throw on some skinny jeans and a white vest top. I don’t bother with any make-up. It’s not like I am going to see anyone that is worth putting it on for. Lydia has always told me that I don’t need make-up, she says that I am a natural beauty. In fact, she is more complimentary of my looks than my boyfriend is.
I grimace at the thought of facing Charles at some point today. He hasn’t returned home yet, and I am dreading the tantrum that he is bound to have the minute he walks through the door. I push any thoughts of him to the back of my mind and pick up my laptop.
It is a glorious sunny day outside and I decide to walk to the local coffee shop for my morning caffeine hit. I will attempt to do some more writing to escape the thoughts of my current reality. I put on my white sandals and grab my handbag on the way out of the front door. It is only a short walk from my house to the coffee shop.
I love being able to do things like this without having to worry about work. I am very lucky to be able to do such things, but that luck comes at a high price; being with Charles. The coffee shop, called Danish, that I go to is a regular haunt of mine.
When I enter, I see that Bonnie is working today. She is a lovely girl, still at college and very happy-go-lucky. She has a petite frame and the longest dark brown hair that I have ever seen. It literally goes below her butt and that’s when it is tied up. God knows how long it is when it’s down loose.
She sees me walk in and instantly signals for me to sit down and says she will bring over my usual order of black coffee and a fresh croissant. I smile at her and sit at my favourite table in the corner, right next to the window. There are only a few other customers in here at the moment so it’s nice and quiet. I put my laptop on the table and settle down in my seat, it’s time to get myself into writing mode. Bonnie comes over once I have set my laptop up and places my food and drink by the side of it.
“Hey, Stace,” she greets me. “How was the party last night?”
I happened to be in here the other day and I mentioned to Bonnie that I was going to a function last night. I suppose function automatically translates as a party in her eyes.
“Ugh, not great.” I can feel my face pull into a grimace.
“Oh dear, that bad, huh?”
&nb
sp; “Afraid so. I’m going to need several cups of coffee to keep me writing this morning.”
“Well, I’m here until three this afternoon, so I’ll make sure that your cup is filled if I see that it’s empty.”
“Thanks, Bonnie.”
I gratefully smile at her as she bounces off to deal with another customer. I stare at the few pages that I have written in the last few weeks as I eat my croissant. So far, I have written half of the book, but if I want to leave Charles and get my life in order then I really need to get a move on and finish it.
I may think that the writing is the hard part, but once I am finished, I have the job of obtaining a publishing deal. I am hoping that it won’t take long to do that, but it is a tough market out there. I have read countless interviews of authors who were rejected more than a few times before being given their big break. I try not to dwell too much on this though. I need to believe in myself and hope that an agent or publisher will see something special in my novel.
Before I know it, I have devoured my croissant like it is going out of fashion, and I am about to start typing when I sense someone standing in front of my table. I look up and am shocked to see that it is Charles.
“Oh. Hi,” I say, thrown by his sudden appearance.
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?” I try not to sound too annoyed at his arrival, but I don’t think I manage it.
“When I got home and saw that you weren’t there I figured you would either be here or at Lydia’s place. Lucky for me it’s not the latter.” I don’t fail to notice the sarcasm in his tone at the mention of Lydia. His feelings for Lydia are the same as hers are for him. They hate each other. “So, I thought I would grab a coffee, and if you were here then I would see what you were up to. I feel bad that we didn’t get to spend much time together last night. Give me a sec and then we can catch up. Would you like another coffee?”
Well, this is new. He has never come here before to spend time with me.
I politely decline his offer of coffee and watch him as he goes to order his.
He’s wearing black khaki shorts, a loose white T-shirt and sandals. His hair is damp, so I presume that he hasn’t long got out of the shower. As I watch him I feel empty. No emotions are present. He returns moments later, and I shut my laptop lid as I just stare at him with a puzzled expression on my face. He sits opposite me, looks at me and sighs.
The Complete Perfect Series Page 4
