Chapter 26
Jackson
”You”ve leftme here for five hours,” Zara glares up at me as I untie her from the bedpost. There’s fire in her eyes as I smile down and give her a kiss. She immediately pushes me away. ”Just so you know, we are never having sex again.”
I stare at her for a couple of seconds and grin. ”So you”re mad at me, huh?”
”Am I mad at you? That is the understatement of the year,” she says that she reaches down to grab her clothes. ”How could you do that to me?”
”How could I do what to you? I asked you, and you said, ”Sure.””
”Because I thought it was going to be some sort of kinky, fun sex, not you leaving me tied up to a bed and leaving for five hours.”
”Like I said, I just wanted you to think about if you wanted to be with me or if you wanted to be with Lenny.”
”Jackson. There is no Lenny and me,” she sighs. ”And there”s no you and me either,” she hisses. ”This is fake, remember?”
My heart thuds as I stare at her. She”s correct. This is a fake engagement. And yet, she still means something to me. I still don”t want to think about her with anyone else. ”You”re not allowed to date anyone else while we”re engaged,” I say. ”I can”t have it getting out that you”re seen flirting with other men.”
”Who am I going to flirt with? Your grandpa, or Henry?”
”By the way, my grandparents are here.”
”I know,” she hisses. ”I heard them as they walked past. Someone even knocked on the door. Could you imagine what would”ve happened if someone walked in and saw me lying here?” She blushes. ”Ugh. I am so mad at you.”
”I”m sorry,” I say. ”Forgive me?” I give her my best innocent face, and she just shakes her head.
”I”m not buying that act, Jackson.”
”Well, are you ready to meet everyone?”
”I guess. Is my sister here? Is Lila here?”
”No, they”re not here yet. So there”s something else I should tell you before we go down.”
”What is it?” she asks, sighing.
”It”s not just my grandparents that are here.”
”What do you mean it”s not just your grandparents?”
”Well, my grandma was very excited about the fact that I”m engaged and she invited a couple of people over.”
”So I”ve got to meet some of your grandma”s friends, right now?”
”Yeah, Maisy is here. That”s her best friend, so you”re going to want to be really nice to her because if Maisy loves you, my grandma will love you.”
”Okay, so I”m meeting your grandma”s best friend, Maisy. Is that it?”
I lick my lips and grasp her hands. ”Don”t be mad, but there are a few more people.”
She stills. ”Oh my god, Jackson. How many?”
”There are about a hundred more people coming tonight and 50 of them are already downstairs.”
”You what?” Her jaw drops. ”50 people?”
”No, a hundred people. 50 people are already here.”
She glares at me. ”I don”t want to have to say hello to a hundred people and pretend that I”m in love with you.”
”Is it that hard to pretend that you”re in love with me?” I say, pulling her hair so that she”s looking at me.
”Jackson, what do you want me to say?”
”Maybe I want you to say that you find me very lovable.”
”Okay. I find you very lovable,” she says quickly, and my heart thuds. For a moment. I want the words to be true, but that”s crazy because I don”t even know this lady, and I certainly don”t want her to love me. I kiss her on the nose and she lets out a sigh. ”Come on then. Let me go and meet your folks.”
”My parents aren”t here.” My voice is monotone.
“Oh.” She looks surprised, but I’m not. They just don’t care.
”Actually, my granddad went to play golf as well.” I shake my head. ”I think that”s where my dad is, and I think my mom”s shopping.” I pause. ”I guess you can tell how much they all care about meeting my fiancée. Just my grandma”s here.” I run my hands through my hair. “I suppose you’re wondering why this is such a big deal, if no one in my life really cares about me.”
”I care,” she says, grabbing my hand. Her face is soft.
”What?”
”You think your grandma”s the only one that cares about you, but I care as well.”
”Are you saying that as my fake fiancée or-”
”I”m saying that as someone that knows you, and I just want you to know that even though this is a really weird twisted situation, and even though I hate you right now for leaving me tied up to the bed, I care about you.”
She looks sincere, and it almost makes it hard for me to breathe.
”Thank you,” I say, my heart thuds. There’s an uncomfortable feeling in the pitt of my stomach and a buzzing in my ears. Her brown eyes are blazing and the way she’s holding my hand makes my heart jump. Zara Hathaway is special. And beautiful. The most caring person I’ve ever met in my life. She makes me feel like I matter. She makes me feel like more than just a handsome, rich man. She sees me for more than that. It feels nice being seen. It feels nice having a connection with someone.
Zara Hathaway, I think I’m falling in love with you.The thought hits me in the head, as if it were the voice of God and I’m not sure if I want to laugh or cry. I’m falling in love with this beautiful, feisty, compassionate, woman.
”You”re welcome. Now let me go and dazzle your grandma and her best friend, Maisy.” She lets go of my hand, pats her hair and takes a deep breath. I want to tell her that I don’t even care what they think of her because I love her just as she is, but I don’t want her to think I’m crazy.
How in the heck can I have gone over three decades with never falling in love and after a couple of weeks be madly in love with her. It didn’t make sense.
Only, I knew that the universe worked in mysterious ways.
Zara Hathaway was meant to walk in my life. I just needed to figure out a way to keep her there.
I open the door, and we head down the corridor towards the stairs. I feel her stiffen next to me as she looks down at the throngs of rich people gathered in crowds, laughing and talking.
”Shit,” She moans under her breath. ”These people are going to know I”m a fraud.”
”Just be yourself. They”re going to love you.” Like I do.
”They”re not going to love me. I am a noone. I don”t know anyone famous. I don”t have any money. What am I going to talk about? The fact that I had a one-night stand with you? That I used to work at a construction company and got fired because I didn”t sleep with my boss? Or the fact that I went to apply for a job at Rosser International and I wasn”t there for five minutes before you told me you weren”t going to hire me? Or maybe I should tell them about the evening I went to try and make $1500 at a club and a guy offered me $10,000 for my panties, and then you took me into another room and I nearly fucked you on the couch until my nephew started throwing up and I had to rush and go and help him?” She gasps and takes a deep breath. ”Which one of those stories do you want me to mention?”
I chuckle slightly. ”Well, when you put it like that, maybe we”re in a little bit of trouble.”
”I guess I can talk about my cupcakes, and maybe about the fact that I want to go to law school?” She lets out a long sigh and wrinkles her nose.
”Do you really want to go to law school?” I ask her, my eyes searching hers.
She stares at me for a couple of seconds and shrugs. I have a feeling the answer is no. I want to tell her that she doesn”t have to do things to make other people happy. She doesn”t have to make decisions in life that aren”t for her, but I know that she”s selfless. I know that she thinks of others before herself, and I know I”m a hypocrite for telling her that she should just live her life and not care about other people because obviously if I was doing the same thing, then I wouldn”t have a fake fiancée in the first place.
“I don’t know.” She mumbles and looks down.
”Come on,” I say, squeezing her hand. ”Let”s go and meet the crowds.” We walk down the stairs and immediately my grandma and her best friend Maisy are at my side. Maisy is the exact opposite of my grandma, with her purple hair and her big brown eyes. She”s dressed in a red shirt and black pants, and she has banana earrings hanging from her ears.There’s a wide smile on her familiar face. She”s my grandma”s oldest friend and her exact opposite and I love her as if she were family.
”Maisy, this is Jackson”s fiancée, I believe,” my grandma says, staring at Zara with narrowed judgmental eyes. ”I”m Jackson”s grandmother.”
”Hi. I”m Zara Hathaway.” Zara offers her hand and they shake.
My grandma looks her up and down and I can tell she”s not immediately impressed. I’m about to say something when she turns to nod at Maisy. ”This is my best friend, Maisy.”
”Hi, Maisy. It”s nice to meet you,” Zara says softly, and then she looks at me with a wry smile. I beam at her and nod. I want her to know that I”m proud of her and I”m grateful that she”s here.
“And you too,” Maisy nods slightly. I see Maisy”s eyes on me and then back on Zara and then back on me. She smiles. ”Good to see you, Jackson.”
”You too, Maisy,” I say and then reach over and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. ”You”re looking well.”
”Thank you.” She beams and pats her hair. ”You”re looking very handsome and I must say your fiancée is very pretty, very different from what I would”ve expected, but,” she looks over at my grandma, ”she seems to be what I would have picked for you.”
”Really?” I stare at her in surprise.
My grandma”s eyes widen and she looks shocked. ”What are you talking about, Maisy?”
”Nothing, but sometimes the stars tell us everything we need to know.” She looks at Zara for a couple of seconds and then nods. ”You”re from Florida?”
”Yeah,” Zara says in surprise.
My jaw drops. ”Did you guess that?” I ask her. Was Maisy clairvoyant after all?
”No, she didn”t guess that,” my grandma interrupts. ”I told her that Zara”s people were just rednecks from Florida.”
”Grandma,” I say, staring at her, and she shrugs. If she continues being rude, I will have to have a talk with her.
”What? You couldn”t marry a Kennedy or a Bush?”
I look over at Zara, hopeful she’s not upset. She just grins. ”Sorry I”m just a Hathaway, and I”m not related to Anne Hathaway either.”
”Who?” my grandma says, and I look back over at Zara.
”She doesn”t know actresses or actors.”
”I know Brad Pitt,” my grandma says, and Zara laughs.
”I think we all know Brad Pitt. He”s dishy, though not as dishy as your grandson,” Zara says quickly, and I chuckle.
My grandma looks at her with a small smile on her face. ”Well, you”ve got a sense of humor. That”s good.” She looks thoughtful. “What do you do?—.”
”Grandma, don”t grill Zara.”
”I”m not grilling her. I just want to figure out why you proposed to the girl. You”ve barely known her and, well,” she looks Zara up and down, ”I can”t say that it”s because of her fashion sense. Where did you get that outfit, dear?”
Zara bites down on her lip. ”Old Navy.”
”Old who?” My grandma looks at me. ”What did she say?”
”Old Navy, Grandma.”
”You were in the navy?” She looks over at Zara. ”For how long?”
”No, I wasn”t in the navy,” Zara says quickly. ”It”s a store. They also own Gap.”
”Gap?” My grandma blinks at me.
”It”s a store, Grandma. Gap, Old Navy, J.Crew.”
My grandma shakes her head. ”Must be a young person”s thing.”
I look over at Zara with a grin. ”Grandma only shops in boutiques and fashion houses in Paris and Milan.”
”Oh,” Zara says, her eyes wide. ”That sounds cool.”
”Do you enjoy Milan?” my grandma asks her, and I chuckle.
”Come on, Grandma. I don”t think Zara”s been to Milan, have you, honey?”
”No,” Zara shakes her head, ”but maybe one day.”
”Yes, I”ll take you one day,” I say, pulling her into me and kissing the side of her cheek. I can feel Maisy”s eyes upon me again as if she’s trying to read my mind.
”You seem happy today,” she says, and I frown.
”Sorry. What?”
”There”s a weight that”s been lifted off of your shoulders. You feel lighter, your spirit.” She nods and smiles to herself, and then she looks at Zara. ”You”re a good influence, dear.”
”Thank you,” Zara says self-consciously. ”I don”t know that it”s me, it”s just-”
”It”s you,” Maisy smiles and grabs my grandma”s arm. ”Come on, dear. Let”s go and get a drink.”
”But-”
”But nothing,” Maisy says, laughing. She gives me a small little wave and pulls my grandma to the side. I look down at Zara, and I can see that she”s breathing quite rapidly now.
”Are you okay?” I touch her forehead.
”That was just a really strange encounter,” she swallows. ”Your grandma is intense.”
I grab her hands and squeeze. ”You did amazing. My grandma loves you.”
”No, she doesn”t,” she laughs. ”Your grandma thinks I”m trash.” She shrugs. ”It”s okay. I mean, I”m certainly not on her level. I”m certainly not a Kennedy or a Bush and far, far, far away from being one as well. And how can she never have heard of Old Navy. I mean, who”s never heard of Old Navy?”
”I mean, she”s an old lady.”
”A rich old lady.” She giggles. “Her friend Maisy seemed different.”
”Yeah, she is definitely different. She loves my grandma, though. My grandma loves her as well, so that”s all that matters.”
”I”m glad that they”ve got a close friendship. I”m sure it must be hard to tell who”s genuinely in your life when you”re that rich. Have you found that?”
I stare at her for a couple of seconds and nod. ”I mean, I think that”s why I didn”t trust you at first.”
”Because you thought I was after you for your money?” she asked. ”I thought you thought I was a journalist.”
”I thought both, ” I say shrugging, “but it wasn’t true.”
”I mean, I guess it”s kind of true,” she says, and my heart stills.
”What do you mean?”
”I mean, I”m here because you”re giving me a million dollars.” She looks slightly embarrassed. ”And I know that you know that and I”m sure you”re thinking to yourself, ”Well, she”s only here because of the million dollars. She”s not truly here for me.””
”I wasn”t actually thinking that,” I say. ”You didn”t ask me for the million dollars. I offered it.”
”Yeah, but I didn”t say no.” She looks down at the ground. ”I feel kind of embarrassed about that.”
”Zara, why?” I grab her hands, and I start walking toward the narrow corridor.
”Where are we going?”
”We”re going to chat real quick,” I say. I open the door to one of the guest bathrooms and then close it behind me. I grab her and pull her towards me and look down at her face. I run my fingers across the side of her face and tuck her stray hairs behind her ears, kiss her nose and then her lips. ”I don”t think you”re a user. I don”t think you”re with me because I have money. I don”t think you”re doing this for the money either.” I stare at her face and she”s blushing. ”I think you”re truly here because you want to help me.”
She nods slowly. ”I mean, you still annoy me, and I think you”re a jerk, but yes, I am here because I want to be there for you.”
”Are you going to admit you like me and you like fucking me?”
”You”re okay.” She shrugs.
”So are you saying that you will fuck me again?” I run my fingers down the side of her face.
”Maybe,” she says, shrugging, and she laughs as I kiss the side of her neck. ”Jackson, we have guests here who are waiting to chat with us. We cannot-”
”We cannot what?” I say as I slip my hand up under her shirt and pull her bra down.
”Jackson,” she moans, closing her eyes as I pinch her nipples. ”We can”t. I already told you you’re cut off”
”We can,” I say, ”And I”m pretty sure you”re still horny from before.” I pull back. “Are you telling me your pussy is not dripping wet and hoping to finally feel me inside of you again?”
”Jackson.”
”What?” I say as I lift her up and place her on the vanity.
”Jackson, we can”t-”
”We can,” I say as I push her back and lean her against the mirror. I pull her skirt up slightly, reach up and grab her panties and pull them down.
”Jackson.” She stares at me with her eyes wide, and I press her panties against my nose and sniff.
”They”re wet, and they smell just like you.”
”Jackson, what are you doing?” She says, blushing, and I grin as I push them into my pockets.
”I”m keeping these,” I say, licking my lips.
”Jackson.”
”Shh,” I press my finger against her lips. I pull her skirt all the way up, and her eyes widen as I get onto my knees and pull her body forward slightly. My nose is next to her clit, and I rub it back and forth. She moans slightly, and I feel her hands in my hair.
”We”re not seriously doing this, are we?” She moans as she pulls on my hair.
”I think we are,” I say as I grin and then lick her slit. It”s wet and she trembles next to me. I slide my tongue inside of her and fuck her with my tongue hard and fast. It doesn”t take long before she starts coming, and I growl as she moans loudly. It makes me feel hornier, and I chuckle as she orgasms, her juices dripping on my face.
”Fuck you taste like honey,” I growl as I stand up, unzip and pull my cock out.
”Jackson.” She moans.
”Yes?” I say as I place my cock between her legs again and pick her up.
”Jackson,” she moans as I carry her and press her against the wall. She wraps her legs around my waist, and I kiss her.
”Hold on,” I say. I position myself between her legs and then slide into her hard and fast. She moans as I grip her hard and then thrust into her faster and faster. Her back bounces back and forth against the wall, but I don”t care.
”Oh, fuck,” she screams..
”What?” I say, whispering in her ear.
”It just feels so good.” She shivers and cries out again.
I thrust harder and faster, and she clings onto me as I get deeper and deeper. She grips me harder as she screams against my head.
”Oh, fuck yes,” I say as I feel her pussy lips tighten on my cock and I slam into her hard and fast one last time before she comes crashing down the mounting.
”Oh, Jackson, yes!” she screams as she comes hard and fast, and I feel myself explode inside of her. ”Yes!” she screams loudly, and I bang my hand against the door as my entire body shudders and my cock twitches inside of her. I let her down slowly, and she holds on to my shoulders as she collapses into me. ”Fuck,” she says as I kiss her hard..
”Did you like that?” I ask, winking at her, and she shakes her head. ”Don”t lie to me.”
”Fine. It was amazing,” she moans, and I kiss her hard. I want to tell her that I love her. She straightens her skirt, and pushes me away. I watch as goes to the sink and splashes her face. ”I hope people aren”t wondering where we are,” she asks, and I just smile at her gently because I have a feeling no one”s wondering where we are.
I wait for her to dry her hands, and then we open the door and step outside. There are about 10 people standing in the hallway, glancing at us, as we walk out.
An older guy at the end of the hallway starts clapping. ”Way to go, Jackson.” He holds up a beer, and I just smile at him.
”How are you doing, Jeffrey?” I recognize him as a top realtor from the neighborhood.
”Not as good as you.” He looks over at Zara. ”Or as you, young lady.”
Zara glances up at me, and I grin and kiss her. ”You have to know that you”re loud. No one”s ever told you that before?” I say softly, and she blushes.
”Please tell me people did not just hear us.”
”Yes, they did,” I say laughing. ”I have a feeling that everyone in the hallway knows that you just got the fuck of your life.”
”Jackson,” she says, blinking rapidly. ”Oh no. I”m so embarrassed. What are people going to think?”
”Don”t be embarrassed,” I say. ”Everyone”s going to think we”re happily engaged and can’t keep our hands off of each other. Everyone’s going to think we’re madly in love.”
“But we’re not.” She licks her lips nervously, her eyes searching mine. I stare at her, wondering if now should be the moment that I tell her how I feel. Instead, I just shake my head and smile.
I love you, Zara Hathaway and I am going to make this real. I just can’t tell you that yet.