Chapter Sixteen
Aliannah had her eyes shut tight for the entire ride over to Jaspers. She didn’t even notice they had arrived until Cooper opened the door. “Miss, we have arrived”. She opened her eyes cautiously and gave herself a quick look over. She was fine. Nothing had happened. She was ok. She unbuckled her seat belt and exited the car. Cooper escorted her to the elevator and punched in the security code, and he stepped back out before the door closed. Aliannah checked her appearance in the mirror on the wall and readied herself. Being back in that car so soon had shaken her more than she liked to admit.
The elevator felt like it was taking forever to ascend to the penthouse. Why did the building have to be eighty floors tall? She made a mental note to scold him in the future for living so far up in the sky. *DING* Finally, she arrived at Jasper's penthouse. The doors opened, and she stepped out, her heels click-clacked on the tiled floor. She couldn’t see anyone. Her nerves began to rise again. Where was Jasper? Cooper had said he was here.
“…Jasper?” She called out to him. No answer. Weird, she thought. She walked further into the penthouse. All the doors off the main hallway were shut. Aliannah noticed light coming out from under one of the doors in the middle of the hallway, so she walked towards it.
Along the walls, she saw the same photos as before. She took a moment to have another look at that camping photo that she had seen the last time she was here. She still couldn’t put her finger on where she knew that other boy from. She continued to the door with the light and opened it slowly.
It was low-lit, jazz music was playing, and candles were everywhere. As she rounded the door, she saw Jasper busy lighting the last of the candles. He turned around and smiled, “Hello, dear. Cooper didn’t tell me you had arrived.” He walked over and kissed her on the cheek. “Come sit,” he said, taking her by the hand and leading her to the table that was set for two.
“Dinner will be brought out in a moment,” he smiled again as he pulled out her chair for her to sit.
Aliannah was in awe of everything. “Jasper, what is all of this?” she gestured around the room. It was as if she had stepped into a dream. There were red roses on the table and petals scattered around the floor. She couldn’t believe her eyes.
“I wanted to remake a first impression since the last time you were here started with a car chase and a mild concussion,” he looked at her with hope in his eyes. Aliannah agreed, and they both laughed. Jasper took a seat opposite her and signalled over her shoulder. A waiter appeared in a very formal uniform and poured a fruity white wine for them to enjoy with their meal, which was carried out by two more waiters.
“To our official first date,” Jasper said as he raised his glass.
“To our official first date,” Aliannah repeated as she clinked glasses with Jasper. She took a sip and moaned. “Oh wow! This wine is fantastic,” Jasper told her of how his uncle owns a vineyard and winery in Bordeaux, and this wine came from his yard. She added Bordeaux to her bucket list. Dinner was linguini and chicken served with a white sauce. It was divine. She had not tasted food this good since the Serenity.
When dinner was cleared away, they sat laughing and joking. Aliannah was much more relaxed now. She no longer felt the nerves from the car. The food and the wine helped, maybe the wine more so. Jasper stood up, walked around to Aliannah, and held his hand out. “Care to dance, dear?” Aliannah took his hand, and he led her into the middle of the room and pulled her close to him. He held one hand and wrapped the other around the small of her back; Aliannah put her free hand on his chest.
They swayed slowly to the music; Aliannah closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. It was magical. She took in a breath, and Jasper’s scent was Dior Sauvage. The man smelled like a God. Jasper released her and spun her around before pulling her back in for a kiss. It was soft but deep. Aliannah couldn’t help but let a small moan at the intimacy of the moment. He spun her out again, and when he spun her back in, this time dipped her for a movie-style kiss. Aliannah squealed. She loved every second of this.
Jasper guided her to the bedroom. It was also candle-lit and had scattered petals like the main room. He pinned her to the door frame and kissed her fiercely. This made Aliannah’s knees weak. They moved to the bed, only breaking the kiss to remove each other's clothes.
Jasper took Aliannah’s hands and pinned them with one hand above her head while he kissed her lips and neck. His other hand went down to her most sensitive area and got to work. Aliannah began to arch her back, begging for more. He released her hands and started to roll her nipple in his fingers while the lower hand picked up speed. “Please Jasper… I need more,” she begged.
“Not yet, my dear,” he whispered into her ear before descending down to feast on her. He held her hips down with one arm while he continued his work with the other. Aliannah pulled at his hair for more. He picked up pace. She crashed around him. When that wave ended, Jasper reached into the nightstand for a condom and readied himself before climbing back in between her legs. He kissed her softly before he began slow, gentle movements. Aliannah wrapped her legs around him and pulled him deeper. She bit his lip, and Jasper set a heavy rhythm that made her call out to any God who would listen. She could feel the waves building again. It was intense.
“Together, my dear,” Jasper said. Aliannah dragged her nails down his back as she peaked, and Jasper peaked moments later before collapsing on the bed beside her. The two of them lay there panting and covered in a layer of sweat.
Jasper excused himself to go to the bathroom, and when he returned, Aliannah was fast asleep. He stood there smiling at how peaceful she looked. A distant cry from the tense, nervous energy that radiated off her from the moment she had walked through the door earlier that evening. He fetched a spare blanket from the closet and draped it over her before climbing into bed himself. He brought her close to him, and Aliannah wrapped herself around him like a koala bear.