Authors: Kris Starr
“We have a small problem,” she murmured against his tongue.
“Whazzat?”
She reached down between them and grasped his cock in both
hands, eliciting a sharp gasp from him.
“You didn’t come yet.”
Jack groaned. “Didn’t matter. Was too fun watching you come
again. Didn’t I tell you I was going to make you scream?”
Julia sucked his bottom lip into her mouth and gently bit
it.
“Mmm. You did do that.” She stroked his length, slick
between her fingers. “But it’s your turn now.”
“Well, if you insist…” Stepping back slightly, Jack made
quick work of his boots, kicking them away, and stepped out of his jeans and
boxers. “That’s better,” he murmured. Moving in closer, he grasped her
shoulders and turned her away from him so she faced the desk, pressing his
length up against her back. He slid his arms around her, grasping her breasts
in his hands.
Julia whimpered, her nipples tingling and throbbing, Jack’s
ministrations sending a needle of pleasure straight to her clit.
“Oh. Ready to go again, are we?” Jack’s voice was low in her
ear. He leaned forward, slowly bending her over the smooth surface. Julia
rested her forearms on the mahogany and closed her eyes, focusing on the
sensation of Jack’s cock sliding up and down between her ass cheeks. She let
out a soft groan that turned into a yelp when Jack’s cock slid swiftly into her
pussy, her tender flesh trembling with the sensation.
Jack straightened, pushing himself deep inside of her, and
carefully gathered her hair in his hands, smoothing it along her back. Julia
closed her eyes, surrendering to passion.
With precision, Jack began to thrust incredibly slowly,
easing himself in and out of her, and Julia wiggled her hips.
“Harder,” she groaned, lowering her forehead to the cool
wood surface.
Jack gathered the long strands of her hair, tangling his
long fingers in the locks, and she sucked in a breath.
A low grunt escaped Jack’s lips and he began to pump his
cock in and out of her. Julia’s breasts swung with the motion and her nipples
rubbed lusciously against the desk.
He pulled on her mane, riding her hard, and Julia’s squeals
devolved into wordless keening. The repeated slap of Jack’s balls against her
flesh echoed loudly in the room, and Julia squeezed her pussy around him.
Jack’s free hand kneaded her cheek, dropping a smart smack
on her flesh, and Julia gasped with excitement.
“Like that, huh?” Jack whispered.
“Oh, yeah, Jack,” she replied.
He spanked her again, then slid his fingers along her crack,
dragging moisture from her pussy to her ass. Julia let out a squeak as a finger
circled her ass, spiraling around the tiny hole before pressing the tip gently
in.
“Fuck, yeah!” The second orgasm came with incendiary
instantaneousness, sending violent tremors through her limbs. Jack grabbed her
hips, shoving roughly into her several more times before letting out a howl.
Hot seed filled her insides and Julia slumped onto the desk, unable to hold herself
up any longer. Jack leaned over her, dropping kisses between her shoulder
blades, his rapid exhalations hot against her skin. They remained there for
many long heartbeats, sated, content. Julia sighed softly, thoroughly and
completely satisfied.
“Julia. What have you done to me?” Jack breathed against her
skin between her shoulder blades, his lips warm.
Julia froze. The sentiment coming from Jack felt like more
than pillow talk. Emotion colored his voice, and something indefinable rippled
through the words, something Julia wasn’t sure if she even wanted to hear.
“Excuse me for a minute, Jack.” Julia extricated herself
gently from his embrace and crossed the room to the office’s ensuite bathroom,
stopping only to pick up her dress and towel along the way.
The burning sting of tears threatened before she even
finished closing the door, and she flipped on the ceiling fan along with the
overhead light to camouflage her gasping breaths. Julia stared at herself in
the large vanity mirror. Her hair was a tangled mess, and the delicate skin
around her mouth was pink from the friction of Jack’s stubble. Faint reddish
marks marred her breasts where Jack’s fingers had clutched at her, and her skin
gleamed with perspiration.
None of that was a surprise, really. She’d just been well
and thoroughly fucked by an unbelievably amazing man. Of course she would look
like she’d been ridden hard. That wasn’t the problem.
It was her eyes that made Julia pause. Bright with unshed
tears, her eyes were saucer-like, larger and wider than she’d seen them in
recent memory. Anxiety emanated openly from her gaze, stark and obvious. What
in the hell was going on? She’d never felt like this…never. Her brain screamed
at her to run, go, get out, yet even as it did so, she desperately wanted to
return to the office and straight into the warmth and strength of Jack’s arms.
She’d been discarded once by someone she thought had cared. Why in hell would
she want to go through that again? She’d gotten used to being alone. That was
how she liked it.
Julia’s reflection stared accusingly back at her.
“Oh, shut up,” she muttered, frowning, “you don’t know what
you’re talking about.”
And you do?
Mirror-Julia replied coolly.
“I’m not going to stand here and have a conversation with
myself in the bathroom mirror,” she whispered. “That’s crazy.”
That’s not crazy. Ignoring your feelings is crazy. You
want to be with him, so go back in there.
“But he’s only doing this because of the damned contest. He
doesn’t care.”
Ha. Go ahead and look me in the eye and say that. He has
feelings for you. You can tell. And I think you’re starting to develop feelings
for him.
Panic clenched her throat closed. No. She shook her head. “I
work alone,” she said stubbornly.
Who said anything about working? I’m talking about
someone to share your bed on a regular basis. And even maybe your whole life.
Guys like him don’t happen by on a daily basis, you know.
An image of herself and Jack snuggled together on her sofa
flitted into her head. Romantic. Sweet, yet sexy.
A powerful yearning flared in Julia’s chest, a desire so
strong that she couldn’t even stem the sudden flow of tears.
“It’s Jeremy all over again. All of that bullshit, all of
those lies. Nothing but broken promises.”
Who said Jack is like that? Has he lied to you yet? You
won’t know anything until you give him a chance.
“What if he breaks my heart, too?”
What if he doesn’t?
Butterflies fluttered frantically in her belly. Out. She had
to get out now. Get to her home, her sanctuary. Her hands shaking
uncontrollably, Julia fumbled with her damp dress, yanking the garment over her
head. Leaving the towel on the counter, she flung open the bathroom door,
making a beeline for the exit.
Her eyes immediately went to Jack, who stood silhouetted at
the window, looking down at the club level. She skimmed her gaze over the long
lines of his body, the curve of muscle and sinew, saliva pooling in her mouth.
Her footsteps faltered, the urge to go to him unbelievably strong.
“Julia?” Jack turned to face her. His expression was cloaked
in shadow, but confusion colored his voice. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry, Jack. I…I just have to go.” Her voice held only
the tiniest tremor, and she hoped he didn’t notice. She fumbled with the lock,
but managed to get the door open. The light from the hallway was blinding
compared to the dark cocoon of the office.
“Julia, wait! Don’t leave. Talk to me, please?” Jack hurried
toward her, snatching his jeans from the floor, but she held up a hand,
signaling to him to stop.
“I can’t, Jack. Please believe me. I…goodbye.” She choked on
the final word and hurriedly stepped into the hall, pulling the door closed
behind her. She knew he’d follow once he’d dressed and she scurried to the
stairwell, hoping he’d be delayed by the wet denim.
She made it to the stairs without hearing sounds of pursuit
from Jack, and clattered down the cement steps as quickly as her spike-heeled
boots would allow. A random thought pushed her suddenly off-balance, and she
paused, clutching the handrail to keep from tumbling down the stairs.
Jack. Jack. When the hell had she stopped thinking of him as
Stone and started thinking of him as Jack? The true man, not the obnoxious,
smartass pretend one?
When he kissed you and made everything suddenly become
real, that’s when.
Oh, God.
* * * * *
The tiny chime that heralded the arrival of a new text
message broke the silence of the room. Jack rose to his knees from where he’d
fallen, sabotaged in his attempt to follow Julia by his damned soggy Levis.
Kicking his feet free, he stood and crossed to where his phone lay on the
corner of the desk.
For a very long moment, he studied the message on the cell
phone’s tiny screen.
You’ve won. Ricky will call with details of Sweetham
party. J.
He frowned, disappointment filling his gut. He didn’t want
to be the winner, hadn’t wanted it for some time now. In truth, he knew the
deal belonged to Julia. It had really been hers all along. She was the true
star, here. The way she lit up when the music started to play, and the way she
and the crowd always seemed to smother each other in mutual admiration. It was
like Ricky had said—the two of them had come up with this concept themselves,
building the idea from the ground up. It was her baby. She was the original
party starter, and he was just a poor imitation.
The worst thing was that she was no longer just a name, an
unknown competitor. He’d felt her heart beat beneath him. Shared her breaths.
Stared deep into eyes that looked right back into his soul. She wasn’t just
wild party girl Kitty Red to him any longer. Now she was also the smart and
sexy Julia Redmond. And
she
was someone he wanted to get to know a lot
better.
He glanced at the office door, halfheartedly hoping that
wishing she’d come back would work. But she wasn’t. She’d made that painfully
clear in her jackrabbit dash to get out. Not surprisingly, a knot formed deep
in his belly. Regret. Loss. Need. An ache of want that rocked him to his very
center, and made him blink slightly. His world was messed up, all right, and it
was time to fix things. Taking a deep breath he began tapping the keypad,
composing a reply to send to Jordan.
Chapter Six
“Well, you did it, sweet pea,” Ricky’s voice flowed like
honey over the cell phone connection. “You won the competition. The Sweetham
party is yours.”
A bubble of elation rose partway up Julia’s chest before
popping with a sudden, small pain.
“Julia, honey? Are you still there?”
She cleared the lump from her throat. “Yes, Ricky. I’m here.
That’s…that’s great news. Thanks.”
“Huh. Why is it that you were so all-fired-up about this party
before that you were ready to spit nails, and now you’re acting like your momma
just died? What is it, sweet pea?”
Julia opened her mouth to reply, then froze, biting the
words back down. The star solo performer missing her one-time partner? Feeling
like half of herself was missing? That was all a bunch of bullshit.
Then why was her chest aching, somewhere in the vicinity of
her heart?
“Nothing, Ricky. Just not feeling so great today. I think a
hot bath and an early bedtime are in order.”
“Well, all right. That sounds like a good idea. You’ve gotta
take care of yourself, make sure you’re prepped for Saturday night. Do you have
something to write with, darlin’? I’ll give you the details for Mick’s party.”
Julia nodded, then belatedly realized the Ricky couldn’t see
her. “Uh, yes, I’ve got a pen.”
Her agent rattled off a street address and a contact phone
number. “The number’s for Mick’s head of staff. If you have a problem getting
there, or you’re going to be late, that’s the person to call. Security at the
gate will be notified of your arrival and will be instructed to let you in.
Also, when you get there he’ll be the one to meet you in the drive out front of
the house and escort you in via a more discreet entrance. That way it’s less
likely anyone will see you pull in and have the surprise spoiled.”
Ricky continued on, giving suggestions and information, but
Julia found herself only half listening.
Jack wasn’t going to be there. The thought made her stomach
clench. What in hell was she going to do without him?
Stop that
, her mind admonished.
You did
dozens—hundreds!—of parties on your own before Jack was anywhere near the
picture, let alone in it, and everything was just fine. You’re going to go do
your job on Saturday night and enjoy yourself, and then use that twenty grand
and take a little vacation and a break from work.
“But what if I don’t want to?” Julia murmured aloud.
“What’s that, sweet pea?” Ricky’s voice responded.
Julia blinked, realizing she was still on the phone. “Um,
nothing, Ricky. Thanks for the information. I’ll report back in after the
party.” She hesitated for a moment. “And Ricky? I want to take a short break
after Sweetham’s. I’m going to take a little vacation.”
Concern colored her agent’s voice. “Shee-it, of course you
can. I’ll double-check with Jordan, but I believe your schedule after that is
open for about ten days, give or take. I’ll make sure he blocks off that time
to keep it free. And if you really need to, we can cancel one or two of your
bookings.” There was silence on the other end of the line for a moment. “You
sure you’re okay, sweet pea?”
“Yea—” Julia’s voice broke, and she quickly cleared her
throat. “Yeah. I’m fine. Just a bit tired, that’s all.”
“All right. Well, you call me if you need anything. You know
I’ll do whatever you need me to.”
Can you bring Jack back?
Julia’s throat tightened, and she hurriedly ended the call
before she lost it completely and Ricky learned the truth.
Picking up her glass of wine from the kitchen counter, Julia
headed for her bathroom and her large soaker tub. It was time for a long, hot
bubble bath and a juicy romance novel. Her steps faltered at the thought. No,
not a romance novel. Maybe a thriller or some science fiction. No romance. Not
tonight.
Reading about happy couples having sex would just make her
think about Jack. And she didn’t want to think about him anymore. He was gone,
their time together over. She should be relieved.
Then why did she feel like absolute shit?
* * * * *
Julia brought her car to a stop in front of the most mind-blowing
home she’d ever seen. A perfectly manicured lawn led up to a sprawling
three-story mansion complete with Greek columns and a circular fountain, all
lit brilliantly with white spotlights. Mick Sweetham’s party appeared to be in
full swing. Flashes of light illuminated the curtains of all the main floor
windows, and a dull, thudding noise promised an earsplitting noise level. A
tall, lean man dressed head-to-toe in black stood on the steps leading to the
double front doors. As she shifted into Park he descended the steps and rounded
the nose of the car, coming to her window.
Lowering her window Julia smiled at the man. “Hello. I’m
Kit—”
He interrupted her with a wave of his hand and a grin. “Oh,
I know you’re Kitty Red, sweetheart. I would have recognized you anywhere. My
name is Nelson and I’m Mr. Sweetham’s head of staff.” He pointed farther down
the car-lined drive toward the corner of the house. “Follow the drive that way
until it divides. Take the right-hand lane around the corner of the house to where
you’ll see a couple of other cars parked in front of a door. Put the Lexus
there and I’ll meet you at that entrance. You won’t be able to miss it.”
Julia nodded. “Okay, sounds great. Thanks.”
Nelson stepped away from the vehicle and Julia shifted into
drive, crawling past a lineup of indecently expensive luxury automobiles. She
found the place to park easily enough and stowed her cell and wallet in the
glove box. Exiting the car, she locked it and turned to see Nelson waiting at
the door.
“Perfect,” he said, indicating her parking spot. “That’s
great. Now I’ll take you upstairs to a guest room that’s been reserved for
you.” He glanced at his watch as they headed through a narrow hallway, through
what had to be the staff quarters of the house. “You’ve got about half an hour
before show time. Can I get you anything? A drink? Something to eat? A
massage?” At her surprised expression, Nelson shot her an unnaturally white
grin. “Hey, anything you want, we can get. The perks of working for someone
like Sweetham. Who, by the way, is so unbelievably pumped that you’re going to
be performing tonight. He’s been talking up his ‘big surprise’ all evening.”
Julia gave a soft laugh. “Wow. No pressure at all, there.”
Nelson shrugged and chuckled. “Nope. No pressure whatsoever.
Hey, you could stand there like a tree and they’d all be ecstatic about it. Not
to worry. Besides, we heard a lot about your last gig, the one for Johnny
Winter. People are talking about how they would have done anything to be there.
So you’ve already got ’em eating out of the palm of your hand.”
The reminder of that night with Jack made the lump that had
taken up residence in her stomach clench. She gave her head a slight shake to
send those images away and forced a smile to her face. “Right. Well, it was a
pretty good night. Ah, do you think I could get a mineral water with lime?” The
last thing she wanted to do tonight was talk about that party and remember the
way Jack made her feel.
Nelson paused outside of a closed door. “Oh, absolutely.” He
turned the knob and pushed the door inward, then glanced quickly at his watch.
“This is you. I’ll be here in less than half an hour to collect you, but if you
need anything in the meantime just pick up the telephone there and dial 7-7-7,
which will ring straight to my cell phone. If you need to get to an outside
line, dial 8 first.”
Julia crossed the threshold and turned to face the young
man. “Thanks. Much appreciated.”
“You’re welcome. Make yourself comfortable and someone will
be here shortly with your drink.” He closed the door, and the insistent thump
of the music diminished dramatically.
“Now that’s good soundproofing,” Julia muttered softly,
removing her trench coat and hanging it from a hook on the back of the door.
She supposed that if one were a rock star that partied and performed through
all hours of the day and night, then one’s guests might want quiet places in
which to escape and sleep. The room was certainly plush and cozy enough. Thick,
dark carpeting eliminated the sound of her footfalls, and sumptuous fabrics
covered each piece of furniture. A queen-sized bed sat in one corner of the
room, fully made up, and a small seating area with a loveseat, chair and coffee
table took up the center of the room. Discreet lighting cast pools of warmth,
and a trio of fat pillar candles burned atop a luxurious mahogany dresser.
Julia wandered aimlessly through the suite, pausing now and again to admire
something in particular that caught her eye. A vase filled with fresh-cut
flowers drew her attention and she leaned in to sample the scent. A small
cut-glass bowl sat next to the bouquet and Julia gave a small snort of laughter
when she realized the dish contained a dozen or so brightly colored condom
packages.
“Never hurts to be prepared, huh, Mick?” she said to the
room. She wondered briefly just how many people had used this room for naughty
purposes and then decided she probably didn’t really want to know.
Plopping herself ungracefully in the armchair, Julia let out
a long sigh. Thinking about people having sex automatically brought Jack to the
forefront of her thoughts. She glanced at the massive bed, her imagination
immediately running wild. Her mouth dried as she pictured Jack’s strong,
muscled frame above her, his cock pumping deftly in and out of her pussy.
Her eyes shifted to the loveseat. There. She’d climb onto
his lap and ride him like a cowgirl, take him deep inside, give his hands free
rein to play with her nipples, her clit.
A droplet of moisture wet the very tops of her thighs and
Julia crossed her legs, squirming in her chair. The seam of her ultra-short
spandex shorts pressed against her pussy, doing nothing to relieve the ache at
her very core. She crossed her arms over her chest only to discover her nipples
were rock hard and pressing through the thin lace tank top.
Agitated, Julia rose and crossed to the low dresser, peering
at her reflection in the attached mirror.
“What in hell are you doing, woman?” she asked herself,
taking in her flushed cheeks, bright eyes and protruding nipples. “What’s the point
in torturing yourself like this? He’s not here and you’re probably never going
to see him again. You’ve gotta move on.”
Yes, I know
, her reflection replied,
but you still
want him so badly your pussy aches. And not only your pussy, either. Admit it. You
had fun with him. He got you to try harder, to do better. He did something to
you, to your heart, something that can never be undone. So you’re either going
to have to do something about it, or forget about him completely.
Julia stared at herself, seeing the truth in her own eyes.
She wasn’t best by herself anymore. Something was missing, something that left
a gap, an empty space. Dammit, she’d tried so hard to do it all on her own, not
trust any so-called partner, and now it looked like she’d failed.
No
, her other self admonished,
not failed
.
Having
someone else in your life, or even wanting someone else in your life does not
equal failure. It doesn’t make you weak or incapable. It makes you human, you
twit. And besides, you’re the winner here, not Jack. He didn’t try to take this
party away from you, did he? Did he kick you to the curb like Jeremy did? Did
he do anything even remotely underhanded or mean? No. You won. It’s your game,
you dingbat. You stayed in charge. Now, is it really so bad to want to be with
Jack?
The revelation made her pause. A bubble of cautious
excitement rose in her chest. Julia crossed the room to the telephone hanging
on the wall and dialed Jack’s cell phone number that she’d finagled from Jordan
what felt like ages ago.
“We’re sorry. The customer you are trying to reach is
unavailable.” The recorded female voice chirped pleasantly in her ear.
“Shit,” Julia muttered, disconnecting the call. A short
knock at the door startled her. She opened the door to accept her drink from a
petite redhead in a tidy uniform, thanked the woman, then closed the door and
turned back to the telephone.
She took a large swallow from her glass and quickly punched
in a second number.
“You’re go for the J-Man.”
Julia quirked an eyebrow and grinned. “‘The J-Man’? Nice,
Jordan. It’s Julia. I have a question for you.”
“Julia. What’s up? You’re at the Sweetham gig, aren’t you?
Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s fine. I haven’t started the show yet. I wanted
to know if you have a different contact number for Jack. I just tried calling
him on his cell and couldn’t get through.”
“Jack, huh?” Jordan’s voice rose, curiosity coloring his
tone. “I didn’t think you were talking to him any longer now that you’d won the
big prize.”
Julia huffed out a sigh of exasperation. “Frankly, Jordan,
it’s none of your business why I need to talk to Jack. I just do, okay?”
Another voice, distinctly male, said something on Jordan’s
end of the line, and he made an unintelligible reply before coming back on the
line.
“Max saw him today, so he’s still around town. I’ll see what
I can do, but I wouldn’t worry too much, Julia. Jack has a way of showing up in
the most unlikely of places when you least expect it.” The muffled sound of
something that had a definite naughty feel came across the line. Julia glanced
at the digital clock on the phone’s base, realizing with a pang of guilt just
what time it was.
“Oh, shit. Sorry to interrupt your night, Jordan. Thanks
anyway.”
Jordan gave a dirty chuckle. “No problem, Julia. We were
just getting started, weren’t we?”
Julia laughed softly in reply. “Glad to hear it. You boys
play safe and you can tell me all about it later.”