Chapter 25
Zara
Dear Sandra,
As I get older, I realize that none of us are perfect.
We all make mistakes.
And the point of life isn’t to never make mistakes or to judge others.
But to understand that it’s not always about us and what we’re going through.
Everyone is fighting their own demons. No matter how great you think their life is.
We’ve all got issues.
And I want to be someone that is there for others and not always just thinking about myself.
I miss you so much,
Zara
”We really didn”t haveto take a helicopter,” I say to Jackson as we walk towards the limo that”s waiting for us at the airport. ”This is crazy. And you really didn”t have to fly my sister and her kids and my best friend to the Hamptons in a seaplane. They could have rented a car and-”
”I”m doing this because you are my fiance and they are the closest people in your life,” he stares at me. ”It”s important to me that we make a good first impression on both of our families. And Luke and Charlotte really wanted a ride in a seaplane.”
”But this isn”t real, Jackson,” I stare at him, shaking my head. “You don’t have to spoil my niece and nephew.”
“I beg to differ.” He shrugs. “I want to make them happy.”
”Also, I”m still mad at you,” I say glaring at him.
”You are mad at me about what now?” He asks as he greets the driver and opens the door for me. ”Get in,” he says nodding towards the back of the limo.
”Excuse me?”
”Would you please get into the limo?” He says softly.
”That”s more like it,” I say. ”You don”t just tell me, get in like I”m some servant.”
”Sorry,” he says gruffly. ”I didn”t mean to be rude.”
”Yeah, well you were.” I pause. “And you were rude to Lenny as well. I’m mad that you were so abrupt with him.”
”Yeah, well,” he says as he slides into the back of the limo behind me. ”You need to tell me all about Lenny.” He looks and sounds pissed.
I stare at him for a couple of seconds and just shake my head. ”There is nothing to say,” I say honestly.
”Why was he at your house? Why was he giving you money?”
”I”ve already explained this to you a billion times. He”s paying me for cupcakes.”
”Really? Cupcakes?” He looks at my breasts and I roll my eyes.
”Real cupcakes. I told you before that I make really delicious cupcakes and he was buying them because he was going to sell them in his bodega.”
”And you”re telling me he doesn”t have a thing for you?”
”I mean, he might also have a thing for me,” I shrug. ”But that doesn”t mean that-”
”That doesn”t mean what?” He says gruffly.
”That doesn”t mean that he”s my lover.”
”Do you like him? He asks, his eyes narrowed.
The honest answer is, while I like Lenny as a friend, I”m not attracted to him. I don”t want to be with him, but I don”t want to give Jackson that satisfaction. I also don”t really appreciate the way he”s speaking to me. ”He is not bad,” I say softly and Jackson growls.
”You want to fuck him?” I gasp at the audacity in his tone. ”What? I”m asking you a question, Zara.” I feel his hand on my knee and I place my hand on it and squeeze it tightly. I look over at his face.
”Please move your hand from my knee.”
”Fine,” he says, as he moves his hand.. ”You didn”t seem to mind last time I touched you.”
”Last time? You mean when my mom was on the phone and you took me into my bedroom and fucked me?”
”Let”s not get it twisted here, Zara. You took me into your bedroom and we fucked each other. I seem to remember you being on top of me, riding me like a cowgirl,” he says, and I blush as I see that the driver is glancing at us in the rear view mirror. How many different drivers had to be a party to my conversations in lovemaking? This is getting embarrassing.
”I was only on top of you because you put me there.”
”You didn”t exactly get off cowgirl,” he said with a wink, and I lean back blushing.
”Well, I just want you to know that-”
”Know what?” He cuts me off.
I shake my head. ”That I think you are incorrigible.”
”And have you realized that we”re arguing like this is a real relationship,” he chuckles as he whispers in my ear.
”Well, it”s because you”re-”
”I know you just said I”m incorrigible.” I stare at him for a couple of seconds and just look out at the window. He is in a mood and even though I don”t know him that well, I know him well enough to know that I”m not going to win this argument. I stare at the large mansions as we drive by.
I can’t quite believe I’m here. I”m in the Hamptons. Where all the rich people live their best lives.
”So,” I say, looking over at him. ”You said you used to spend all your summers here?”
”Yeah, that”s true.”
”And did you enjoy your summers here?”
He shrugs. ”Not particularly.”
”But it”s the Hamptons.”
”And what does that mean?” He looks puzzled.
”It”s amazing. There are large houses and pools and you can go to the beach and everyone”s rich and there are so many parties and-”
”That was my everyday life,” he says, shrugging. ”And children are to be seen and not to be heard. At least that was the philosophy of my father. I didn”t really enjoy my time here and I didn”t have any friends.”
”Oh,” I say. ”I didn”t realize that.”
”Why would you? It”s not something I mentioned to you.”
”I know,” I say. ”Ethan”s going to come this weekend, right?”
”You sure do ask about Ethan a lot.” He teases me.
”I”m not asking because I”m interested in him. I know he”s engaged to Sarah.”
”Yes, he is. He”s off the market.”
”I don”t want him obviously because I”m engaged to you,” I glare at him and he chuckles.
”Why are you asking about him then?”
”Because I know he”s your best friend and I thought it might be nice that you have some support this week as well.”
He stares at me for a couple of seconds. ”Oh, okay.”
”I mean, I”ll have my family here and it doesn”t seem like you”re close to your family, so I thought it would be nice for you if you had your best friend here.”
”You”re right,” he says. ”Thank you for thinking of me.”
”You”re welcome,” I say. ”Wouldn”t any good fiancé think about her man?”
”I doubt it,” he says, shaking his head. ”But I guess the good ones do.”
”Yeah, I”m a real good one.”
He grabs my hand and holds it softly and squeezes. ”No matter what happens, I do want you to know that I think you”re a good person.”
”Is that your way of trying to get into my pants again?”
He chuckles for a couple of seconds and shakes his head. ”No.”
“Does Ethan know the truth?” I say softly, lowering my voice.
He shakes his head. ”No, but I wouldn”t be surprised if he guesses.”
”So you”re not even going to tell him?”
”No. Like I said, it”s between us.” He blinks at me. ”You get that right?”
I nod. ”This is really serious to you.”
”I can”t afford for anything to leak anywhere.”
”Just because your grandma wants you to get married?”
”It”s not just that. It”s just everything.” He lets out a deep sigh and I look at him in concern. That sigh seems to be about more than his grandma trying to hook him up.
”What is it?”
“My dad wants me to take over the company and there’s a lot of pressure as a Pruitt to stand up and carry on this legacy. I don’t need pressure from family in every aspect of my life. It’s overwhelming and annoying.” He looks at me for a couple of seconds and lets out a deep sigh. “Sometimes I feel like the family legacy is more important than me.”
”It could never be.” I feel sadness for him. “I know that we don”t know each other that well, but I”m more than happy to listen to anything you have to say or want to talk about.” It”s my turn to reach over to his knee and squeeze. ”I think you”ll find that I am understanding and have a good listening ear.”
He stares at me for a couple of seconds. ”My dad was sick recently. My dad and I are not really close. We’ve never been close. But now it seems he wants a new relationship.”
”That”s good, right?” I ask him.
He looks at me bleakley. ”You’d think? Maybe if I was younger, maybe if I didn”t feel so jaded. But I don”t know that my father”s relationship and mine can ever be repaired. I don”t know if I want it to be repaired. He”s always been cold and indifferent toward me and I don”t know that I can handle a different relationship with him.” My heart aches for him and suddenly I understand why he is the way he is, why he needed a fake fiancé, why he only wanted one night with me. He”s emotionally scarred. I don”t know if he realizes that, but I certainly do. I grab his hand and stroke it.
”I guess take it one day at a time.”
He nods. ”I suppose. My father wants me to take over the family business right away.”
”And you don”t want to?” I ask in surprise.
”I work at Rosser International.”
”But that”s Ethan”s business, right?”
”Yeah.”
”And you”re number two?”
”Yeah. I mean, I”m the CFO.”
”But you”re not number one, right?”
”So?” He shrugs.
”You seem to me to be the sort of guy that wants to be number one.” I smile and his lips twitch.
”How do you know me so well already?”
”I don”t know.”
”Don”t tell me you”ve met guys like me before.”
”I haven”t,” I say, shaking my head. ”I”ve never met another billionaire before in my life, but I do understand people and I do understand men kind of.”
”Because of your dating column?” He teases me and I blush.
”No, not because of my dating column, which I haven”t actually done in a long time,” I grimace. ”I”m really going to have to catch up with that.”
”Yeah,” he says nodding. ”Just don”t put our scenario in it.”
”I”m not stupid,” I say, and he laughs.
”So is there anything you really want to see in the Hamptons?” He asks me and I shake my head. The car slows down and I look out the window again. My jaw drops as we pull up a long driveway and I see tall metal gates. ”Welcome to my home,” he says. I look over at him in surprise as the gates open and we drive down another long driveway towards a huge house. ”This is my parents” home.”
”Wow,” I say as the limo stops and I jump out and look around. ”This is humongous.”
”It”s only six acres,” he says.
”Only six acres. Like I said, that”s humongous.”
”Welcome. You want to see inside?”
”I would love to see inside.” I run through the grass and bend down to smell the daisies and the buttercups. I look over to the front of the house and there are roses and gardenias and lots of other flowers” names that I don”t know. ”Wow. It”s picturesque,” I say. ”I can”t believe that you used to spend every summer here.”
He looks at me and nods and then looks at his surroundings. ”I guess I”ve never really noticed how beautiful it is,” he says.
”It”s amazing.”
We walk up to the front door and I think he”s about to open it, but it opens and a butler steps to the side. ”Good afternoon, Mr. Pruitt.”
”Henry, good to see you,” he says with a nod. ”This is my fiance, Zara.”
”Good afternoon, Zara. Nice to meet you,” the butler nods and I smile at him.
”Nice to meet you too.”
”Are you thirsty, ma”am?” He asks, and that”s when I notice he has a British accent. I look over at Jackson in surprise. His family has a British butler. I mean, I knew he was rich, but still, a British butler. Elise and Lila were going to flip out when they got here.
”We”d like some lemonade, please, Henry,” Jackson says, as we step inside. My jaw drops as I look down at the marble floors and a huge foyer. There”s a grand staircase immediately to the right and to the left is a large open living room with huge white couches.
”Oh my gosh. The kids are going to mess those couches up.” I look over at Jackson and he shrugs.
”It”s fine. If they do too much damage, we can get new ones.”
”No, we cannot get new couches because my niece and nephew are messy,” I say.
His lips twitch. ”Don”t worry. It”ll be okay.” I nod and follow him as he guides me through the living room to a huge kitchen that overlooks a massive backyard. I see a swimming pool at the back and I feel excited.
”Oh, I can”t wait to go for a swim.”
”Maybe we can even go skinny-dipping,” he says, and I just stare at him.
”I”m not going skinny-dipping with your parents here and my parents here,” I say, shaking my head. ”Not going to happen.”
”What if it”s at two o”clock in the morning and everyone”s asleep?”
”Still not going to happen,” I say laughing. ”No way.”
”We”ll see,” he says, pulling me into him and kissing me.
”Trust me when I say it”s not going to happen.”
”Excuse me. Here are your lemonades,” a soft voice says, and I look up into the big blue eyes of a woman who looks to be around my age.
”Thank you very much, Enid,” he says as he takes one of the glasses and hands it to me. ”Enid, this is my fiancee, Zara. Zara, this is Enid. She”s one of the maids here.”
”Nice to meet you, ma”am,” Enid says, with a small smile. ”Are you hungry? We”ve made some sandwiches and some scones if you”d like to sit outside.” She then looks at Jackson. ”Your parents and your grandparents aren”t here yet, but they said they”ll be here later this evening.”
”That”s okay,” he says. ”Zara”s family will also be coming up and her parents will be here tomorrow. Are you hungry?” He asks me and I shake my head.
”No, but thank you,” I say to Enid and she nods again.
”Come, let me show you to our room,” Jackson says as he takes my hand and guides me towards the staircase.
”She looks nice.”
”She”s fine,” he says. ”She”s only been with us a couple of summers. We”ll see how it goes. Her husband is a gardener here.”
”Oh?” I ask him.
”Yeah, his name”s Everest. You”ll meet him later. Maybe I”ll get him to pick some roses for you.”
”Well, aren”t you romantic?” I say.
”What?”
”I mean, if you were truly romantic, you”d pick them yourself.”
”I can do that if you really want,” he says. ”Do you want me to pick you up and carry you up the staircase?”
”No,” I giggle. ”I don”t want us both to die.”
”What are you talking about?”
”If you pick me up and try to carry me up the staircase, we will likely both fall because I”m heavy.”
”You”re not that heavy and I”m not that weak,” he says, grinning. ”I can pick you up and show you.”
”No Jackson,” I say, as I run up the staircase in front of him. I hear him running up behind me and I giggle as I reach the top. I look back at him and he pulls me into his arms and kisses me. ”Beat you,” I say, and he just chuckles.
”Come.” He squeezes my hand and leads me down the corridor to a room right at the end. He opens it and we step inside. The bedroom is humongous. There”s a king-sized bed, dead center and behind it is a huge window. I rush to the window and look outside and I see the grounds and the pool.
”Wow. This is where we”re going to sleep?”
”Yeah,” he says, closing the door behind him. I watch as he locks it and I stare at him. He heads over to the bed and he sits down. ”Come,” he says, glancing over at me.
”What do you mean come?”
”I said come.” He pats the mattress next to him. ”I want to say something to you.”
”Okay.” I head over to the bed and sit next to him. My heart is thudding. It”s weird that I feel so comfortable with him and yet so happy. I shouldn”t feel this happy for being in a fake relationship with someone.
”You”re beautiful,” he says, as he reaches for one of my curls and pulls on it. He laughs as I roll my eyes at him. ”What? I can”t tell you, you”re beautiful?”
”You can tell me I”m beautiful. That doesn”t mean that you”re going to get anything from me.”
”Anything like what?” He says, cupping my face and bringing my mouth up to his. He kisses me passionately and I kiss him back, running my hand down the side of his face and squeezing his biceps. I don”t know why I love being with him. I don”t know why I can”t seem to get enough of him. Before I know what”s happening, we”re taking each other”s clothes off and we”re both naked on the bed. ”Shall we christen it?” He says, looking down at me and licking his lips. I nod slowly, all of a sudden feeling shy. ”I have an idea,” he says.
”What?” I look at him curiously, and he jumps up and heads to his wardrobe. I watch as he opens it and then pulls out some handcuffs. He shakes them and I just stare at him.
”What are those for?”
”How adventurous are you feeling right now?”
”What do you mean?” I ask him, whispering.
”I mean, how adventurous are you feeling right now?” He says, as he walks over to me. He drops the handcuffs onto the bed and then I watch as he walks to the other side of the room and opens a closet door. He walks out with a long feather and something else that I don”t recognize. ”Do you want to feel pleasure like you”ve never felt it before in your life?” He asks me.
I stare at him for a couple of seconds and I swallow hard. In for a penny and for a pound, I think. I nod slowly and he grins. ”Get closer up to the headboard,” he says. As he gets onto the bed next to me, I feel his fingers running up my calves and then my thighs, across my hip bone, up the side of my waist and gently grazes my breasts. He then grabs one hand and pulls it up and attaches it to the headboard. I stare at him in shock. He grins. ”Now, give me the other hand,” he says. He pulls it up and holds both of my wrists in one hand and grabs the handcuffs.
”What are you doing?” I say.
”You”ll see.” He puts my wrists close together and then I watch as he handcuffs me to the bed.
”Um, what?” I ask him.
He grins. ”I can touch you but you can”t touch me.”
”What are you going to do to me?”
”You”ll see,” he says. He presses his lips against mine and I moan as I feel his fingers running down my stomach directly between my legs. He rubs my clit softly and I moan, spreading my legs wide as though he can touch me harder and faster, but he doesn”t. He continues his soft caress of my body and I can feel my entire body shaking. ”You”re so wet and ready for me, aren”t you?”
”Yes,” I moan. ”Please.”
”Please what?” He says, chuckling.
”Just fuck me. I want to feel you inside of me.”
”How badly do you want to feel me inside of you?” He says, as he presses his lips to my belly button and kisses. I bite down on my lip as his tongue trails all the way down between my legs, and then he licks my slit not one, but two times. I moan as I think he”s about to enter me with his tongue, but instead he kisses back up my body and then looks down into my eyes.
”Oh my gosh. Please, Jackson.”
”So tell me about Lenny again,” he says, staring at me and I glare at him.
”What? What are you talking about?”
”You were flirting with Lenny.”
”I was not flirting with Lenny.”
”You didn”t want to tell him we were engaged. Your sister and your best friend were standing there and you didn”t want him to know. Why is that?”
”Are you frigging kidding me right now, Jackson?” I glare up at him.
”No,” he says as he rubs his palm across my nipples and I moan.
”Oh my gosh, Jackson, don”t.”
”Don”t what?” He says, pressing his lips to mine. I kiss him and then he pulls away. I feel his fingers running circles around my nipples and then down to my belly button. He kisses my belly button again and then spreads my legs wide open. I feel his tongue on my clit, and then it enters me deep and hard and fast, and I moan as my entire body trembles. His tongue flicks against my clit and then enters me one more time and I can feel that he”s teasing me. He chuckles slightly as he pulls back and then he kisses me.
”You taste yourself on my lips?” He asks, and I just stare at him. ”Good,” he says, and then he bends down and he sucks on one nipple and then he moves his lips over to the other one and sucks some more. I groan. I watch as he stands there and then grabs a hold of his cock. He moves it back and forth and then he gets on top of me. I feel him rubbing his cock between my legs and he positions it at my opening. He grabs my legs and pulls them over his shoulder and rubs the tip against my clit. I tremble slightly.
”Please, Jackson.”
”What do you want?” He says, as he slides an inch inside of me.
”Just fuck me.” I moan, wiggling on the bed.
He grins and then pulls out of me and I stare at him in shock. I watch as he grabs his clothes and pulls them back on and then he leans down to kiss me again.
”I”ll be back,” he says. ”Remember to be a good girl.”
”What the fuck, Jackson?” I say.
”You”ll remember me now,” he says, winking.
”What are you talking about?”
”You didn”t want to tell Lenny I was your fiance. You didn”t want to tell me that you weren”t interested in Lenny, so now you can have some time to think about it.”
”Oh my God. Are you joking?” I glare at him. This has to be a joke.
”What?” He says, smiling. ”Are you or are you not my fiance?” He licks his lips and as I stare at him, I realize that he”s paying me back for the situation with Lenny.
”Lenny is not anything to me.” I moan. “I told you that.”
”I know he”s not, and now you know he”s not. You”ll have time to think about me being inside of you and if you”re lucky, I”ll come back and I”ll fuck you hard and fast just like you want.” He licks his lips again. ”Don”t do anything I wouldn”t do.” And before I know what”s happening, he”s walked to the door and he”s walked out and I”m left there on the bed naked and tied up.
I swear to God that man knows how to drive me crazy. And I know I have to think of a way to get him back.