29. Kaitlyn
29
KAITLYN
I woke up feeling like I hadn’t slept at all.
It was after nine. I’d gone to bed early—we all had, exhausted from trudging through the day after Harper’s bad morning—and given how long I’d slept I should’ve been ready to conquer the day, but all I wanted to do was roll over and close my eyes again. It was my day off, so staying in bed was a possibility.
Everything I’d been facing was taking a toll. The fight with Cassie. The drama with Mitch and Maureen. Trying to keep Harper in a positive headspace despite the recent backsliding. The hearing on the horizon.
And then there was the James situation. We were in a good place but still…fall was speeding toward us, which meant the end of my tenure.
What then?
A soft knock on my door startled me out of my thoughts.
“Come in?”
“Are you decent? I hope not.”
James stepped in carrying a tray loaded down with covered plates.
“What is this?” I asked, laughing as he struggled to keep the thing level.
“Breakfast in bed.”
“Are you kidding? Seriously?” I scooted over and patted the empty space next to me. “Get over here!”
James deposited the tray in front of me, and I was even more impressed that he managed to deliver the coffee and mimosa without spilling them. He looked like the world’s most overqualified waiter, already dressed and gorgeous in a slim pink button-down and black pants. I raked my eyes down his body, suddenly hungry for something other than breakfast.
He sat on the edge of the bed, seemingly unaware of what he was doing to me.
“Why, though? What’s the occasion?” I asked as I surveyed the tray.
He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “Because you deserve a little pampering. You’ve had a rough go lately, and I wanted to help you relax.”
“Where’s Harp?” Even though it was my day off, she was always top of mind for me.
“Grandy day,” he explained. “They’ll be down by the pool till sundown.”
“And what do we have here?” I asked, pointing to the tray.
“Crème brulée French toast,” James said, pulling off a cover with a flourish. “Fresh fruit, juice, coffee, and mimosas. I made it all myself.”
“You did not,” I laughed.
“Caught me,” he said with a wink. “But I did ask Bernardo for this specific menu, so that counts, right?”
“Absolutely. Excellent planning.”
James stood up. “It’s your day off, so I’m going to leave you to it…”
I frowned at him. “There’s enough food here for five people, there’s no way you’re leaving. Get in this bed!”
“Yes ma’am!” He laughed and saluted then lowered himself next to me.
The sensation of his leg pressed against mine sent a zing through me. Suddenly, all the stress of the past few days evaporated, and the only thing I could focus on was how much I wanted him. Making love to James would allow me to forget everything else, at least for a little while. I glanced at him through my lashes, hoping my come-hither expression was obvious.
“I know that look and I’m not falling for it,” he chuckled. “Eat. Maybe we can work it off afterward.” James picked up a fork and cut into the French toast, then held it in front of me. “Open up.”
“You’re going to feed me too?”
“I am. Now be a good girl and open that pretty mouth for me.”
The double entendre wasn’t lost on me. I gave into the decadence of the billionaire feeding me breakfast, trying to tempt him by wrapping my lips around the fork and then licking the syrup from it, never breaking off eye contact.
“Mmm,” I moaned lasciviously. “It tastes so good.”
“Oh yeah?” James shifted a little. “How good?”
“I want to lick up every last drop.” I grabbed his hand and brought the fork back to my mouth then dragged my tongue up the tines. I was almost embarrassed at how blatant I was being. But not enough to stop.
“Maybe…maybe I should try some?” he asked in a strained voice.
I glanced down at his lap and saw the telltale bulge.
“Oh, definitely. Let me give you a taste.”
I reached over and dipped my fingertip in the syrup and cream pooled on the plate then brought it up to his lips. I’d intended to tease him with it, but James grabbed my hand then took my finger into his mouth, curling his tongue around and slowly dragging it out.
“You’re right,” he said in a low voice. “I think I need more of that.” He moved the tray to a nearby dresser then climbed back on the bed and lowered himself on top of me.
I reached down between his legs, but he grabbed my wrist.
“I said I need more.”
He dropped his mouth to mine and gave me a kiss that left me breathless, then pulled back.
“Just a little taste of sweetness,” he said, planting a kiss on my neck, then my collarbone, between my breasts, and after pushing up my tank top, on my belly. He tugged at my panties and kept kissing lower, until nothing else mattered but what he was doing to me with his tongue.
The high of our lovemaking lasted for a little while after James left for work…but it ended up fading, and I found myself back in the blue mood I’d been in when I woke up. I decided the only option was to run through it, literally. I changed into a t-shirt and shorts, shoved my hair in a haphazard ponytail, laced up my sneakers, and got ready for an epic sweat session.
I wasn’t planning on checking Instagram because I usually got stuck scrolling for way too long, but my music wasn’t loading properly so I took a quick detour to the app and then promptly regretted it. The first photo in my feed was of a group of smiling women with their arms draped around Cassie titled, “impromptu bridal party brunch.” I was supposed to be there, right by her side. I studied my sister’s face for any trace of sadness, any hint that she missed me, but she was glowing, as if she couldn’t care less that I wasn’t by her side.
God, how it hurt.
The only saving grace, aside from James and Harper, was the fact that my mom and I had been talking more. I was still in shock at what a good listener she’d become, and how she tried to offer me advice, about Cassie as well as my relationship with James. Not that she was necessarily a good role model in that department, but still. She seemed to love hearing about our time in Key West, and the magical night out in Chicago. She went as far as to remind me that we shared the same shoe size and laughed about wanting to borrow the Armani pumps James had bought for me. I’d promised they were hers to use if she ever had an Armani-worthy occasion.
My mood flipped from melancholy to angry when my music app kept malfunctioning. I couldn’t run without it, so I opted to speedwalk on the trail as I tried to figure it out. I finally came to a stop under the shade of a tree and let out a frustrated yell, ready to throw my phone on the ground.
“Sounds like someone needs to run off a bad mood.”
Lou. The last person I wanted to see. It was insane how we always managed to run into one another no matter when I started my workout. I’d enjoyed his company when I arrived, but now it felt intrusive to keep seeing him. I was in no mood to chit-chat, and for the first time, I didn’t feel like playing nice.
“Hey Lou, I’ve only got time for a quick run, and I really need to focus,” I lied, not even bothering to give him an apologetic smile. “I’m just trying to get my music working, then I have to get moving.”
I took a few steps away from him to drive home the point that I didn’t have time to talk.
“Hey, no problem. Understood. But you should know I’m sort of a tech genius. I bet I can fix it.” He held his hand out.
I hesitated. I’d never felt comfortable surrendering my phone to anyone given how much confidential information was on it, but I needed to run, and the only way that could happen was if I could zone out to dance music.
“Okay, thanks,” I said as I placed it in his palm. “But don’t bother if fixing it is going to take a long time. Like I said, I need to get going.”
“Don’t you worry. Two minutes or less.”
I felt a little bad as he got to work on it. Lou was a genuinely nice guy who’d been nothing but kind to me. It wasn’t his fault I was in a crappy mood.
“Whoops, I’m almost up to three minutes; I think I’m losing my touch,” James laughed as he tapped at my phone. “But I’m getting there.”
“Hey, if you can’t make it work, no prob?—”
“Aaaand, finished! Your Beyoncé, madam,” Lou said, bowing as he handed my phone back.
I pushed “play,” and the sweet sounds of “Single Ladies” filled the air.
“No way! Lou, thank you so much. You saved the day.”
“It’s sort of what I do,” he said, winking at me. “So can we finally discuss the terms of payback?”
My stomach dropped. He probably felt like I owed him after fixing my phone. Maybe it wasn’t fair of me to be suspicious, but I didn’t like the look in his eyes.
“Next time,” I said, giving him a giant, fake smile and jogging backward a few steps. “Gotta run!”
“Don’t worry, it won’t take long,” he said, his demeanor changing from smiling guy to laser focused on me. “Let me take you to dinner. I’ve been dying to ask you since the first time we met.”
Damn, I thought we’d settled this before—that he’d understood I wasn’t interested in anything more than being friends. It looked like I was going to have to be clearer. I walked back to him.
“Lou, it’s been great getting to know you. You’ve been a good friend. But I have to be honest, that’s all I feel for you. I’m sorry, I hope you understand.”
His face fell then shifted to something that looked like anger. “Well, let me prove that we can be more than friends. One date and you’ll see.”
I felt myself getting annoyed that he wasn’t taking no for an answer. “Lou, I’m…I’m seeing someone. And I’m happy.”
“Really?” He made a disgusted noise. “Wish you’d told me that. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time with you.”
His reaction was like a slap. It took me a few seconds to compose myself enough to respond.
“Is that the way you think? Wasted time? Wow, and here I thought you were a good guy.”
“I am a good guy,” Lou sneered at me. “But I guess you’ll never know. Later, kid.”
He turned abruptly and jogged off, leaving me to question how much worse my day was going to get.