Chapter Two
James
Well, I am definitely not the Jim this girl was looking for. But with her gorgeous blonde waves and mesmerizing hazel eyes, something inside me couldn’t resist getting into her car.
I’ve had a long few days, travelling all around trying to make a gemstone deal with what I’m hoping could be a partnership group in Colombia. The people I met there seemed eager to make a deal, and I think the emerald trade we were setting up could work out well for both of us.
Ever since I took over the “family business” from my father last year, I’ve been looking for more lucrative ways for us to make our money. Setting up a legit jewelry store to funnel some of our money through seemed like the best way to do that, and if I succeed in this emerald deal, we’ll be able to double our profits from last year and hopefully be able to move on from doing some of the shadier aspects of our business.
I’m exhausted, socialized out, and was really looking forward to getting home and not speaking to anyone until tomorrow, but the second I saw Allie, I knew I needed to adjust my plans. I probably should tell her I’m not who she was supposed to be picking up, but I don’t want the magic of this to be over quite yet.
I slide into the seat beside her and don’t miss the way her cheeks brighten when she looks at me.
Control yourself, O’Connor , I chide myself. But, for the better part of the year I have done nothing but control myself. Maybe it’s time I let myself have a bit of fun.
We pull out and when we’re on the highway I decide it’s time to break the silence. Hopefully, she’ll get a laugh out of this rather than thinking it’s creepy. I don’t want my time with her to end on a bad note—I don’t really want it to end at all, if I’m being honest.
“Allie?” She briefly turns to me and gives me a soft smile before turning her eyes back to the road.
“Yeah?” she asks, and I can’t help but notice how beautiful she looks from the side. Tan skin glowing with end of summer warmth, nails painted a soft pink that highlights her glow. She’s stunning, and for a moment I almost lose my nerve. But that’s not who I am. I don’t get nervous, especially around women who seem to be nearly a decade younger than me.
“I have to tell you… I’m not the Jim you were looking for. When you were insisting I get in your car, I decided what’s the harm. But you, uh, definitely were not supposed to be the one picking me up.”
She looks at me, mouth agape, and it makes me wonder what she’d look like on her knees for me. Before I can let my imagination run with that little picture, she lets out a screeched “WHAT?!” that nearly bursts my eardrums.
“Why the hell didn’t you say anything? I basically forced you into my car and now you’re telling me you’re not even the right guy. Oh my god, Katie is going to kill me,” she says, in a near breathless stream of her thoughts. I laugh. I can’t help myself, something about her rambling is so adorable.
“Don’t laugh,” she groans, and I can’t help but notice she’s made no effort to stop driving, which means she can’t be that upset. “What am I going to do about Jim? And what are the chances that you’re also a guy named Jim who vaguely matches his description—you even have tattoos!”
“I guess I’m not as unique as I thought,” I say, unable to keep the teasing out of his voice. “And I actually go by James. Tell you what, I’ll order a car for your friend’s brother—I know how much of a pain it can be to get a ride from the airport—what’s his last name?”
“Martin,” she says with another groan. “God. I try to do one favor and I can’t even get that right.”
I finish typing a message into the car service I use, and they get back to me right away letting me know that they can have someone at the airport in ten minutes or so, which is exactly why I contacted them.
I look back at Allie and notice the tears streaming down her cheeks. “Hey, baby, don’t worry. Someone will be there to get him in a few minutes, they’ll have a sign and everything so there will be no confusion. It’ll probably be better than riding in this,” I gesture around her objectively dingy car, “anyways.”
She looks back at me with a scowl. “This car is my baby, don’t slander it. But… thank you. I really fucked that up, my mind was just elsewhere,” she trails off before adding. “Just, thank you. Wait, where should I even be taking you? This is such a mess.”
Without thinking, I reach out a hand and squeeze her thigh, feeling sparks through my fingers the second my skin meets the fabric of her black leggings.
I might be fucked.
I quickly squeeze her thigh and then move my hand to plug her address into the GPS of her car.
“I hope it’s not too far out of your way,” I say, looking back at her.
She gives me a small smile in return, seemingly calmed down from a moment ago. “Nope. It’s kind of the least I could do, I mean I basically kidnapped you from the airport,” she lets out a soft laugh at that sound like music to my ears.
“True,” I say, laughing with her. I don’t know what’s come over me, I’m usually a pretty stoic guy, but she makes me feel lighter, makes me want to laugh more. I don’t know what that means for a woman I have only known for twenty minutes and I can’t bring myself to care for now.
We spend the rest of the drive making small talk. She tells me she’s twenty-four and hasn’t quite figured out what to do with her life yet. She sounds lost and I’m filled with this overwhelming feeling of wanting to help her.
When she asks about me, I tell her I’ve just turned thirty-five and I watch her face for any signs of feeling weird that I’m more than a decade older than her, but I find none. Although I find myself wanting to tell her what the family business actually is, I give her the cover of the jewelry store and some of our other enterprises, not quite knowing if I can trust her and not sure if I want to freak her out just yet.
The drive passes quickly and when we pull up to my place, she looks at it with shock. Sure, the house is massive, but I like to think of it as understated compared to some of the other mansions in town. It’s white stone structure with a black iron gate, both of which are covered in greenery to help it blend in.
“Well, sorry for stealing you from the airport,” Allie says, turning to meet my eyes. I smile back at her, overwhelmed at her beauty. God, I want to wrap her golden locks around my fist.
“Wasn’t the worst way to be kidnapped,” I say, my grin not breaking. “Do you want to come in for a drink?”
She thinks it over for a moment before nodding, “Sure,” she says, surprising and elating me all at once.
I hop out of the car, and she has the trunk popped already. I quickly grab my bag before rounding the car and opening her door for her.
“You don’t have to do that,” she says somewhat shyly as she takes my hand to get out of the car.
I lean into her, “If you think that, you’ve been with the wrong men.”
“I haven’t been with any men,” she blurts, then gasps, clapping a hand over her mouth.
Oh fuck. That truth has my dick straining against my jeans, and I take a deep breath, pulling away from her.
Giving her a quick smile, I lead her into the house, entering my door code. I wander into the kitchen to see that my housekeeper has prepared dinner for me, and like always, has left way too much.
“Do you like steak?” I ask Allie as she peers around the kitchen.
“Definitely,” she says, still looking around. “Wow, this place is gorgeous.”
“Thanks, I wanted it to be a relaxing place to unwind after all my busy days. Do you want to eat?”
“It seems calming, despite how outwardly menacing it is,” she says with a laugh. “I’d love to eat, I’m starving.”
“Perfect, go make yourself comfortable in the living room. I’ll be in with everything in a minute.”
She nods and gives me a small okay before rounding the corner to the other room. I take the chance to toss the steak, potatoes, and asparagus onto two plates and into the microwave before running upstairs and tossing my bag in my room. I quickly wash up and head back downstairs, selecting a bottle of red from my wine room and pouring us each a glass.
I drop the glasses on the coffee table in front of the couch where Allie has curled up and it strikes me just how right she looks in my house. I head back into the kitchen before returning with our food.
We chat idly over dinner, and she tells me the steak is one of the best she’s ever had. I let her know I’ll pass on her regards to my housekeeper.
As we finish up, she twists her hands in her lap. I place mine over hers, and she immediately stills.
“So, you travel a lot for work?” she asks.
“Yeah,” I trace her hands, causing tingles to break out on her arm. “I’ve been to every continent, except Antarctica.”
“The penguins don’t want your business?” she laughs, and the sound of her melodic voice goes straight to my cock. I move, trying to alleviate the pressure without her knowing.
“Probably not. Most people don’t,” I immediately regret letting that slip when her brow furrows. “I spend most of my time in South America.”
“What do you do?” her breath hitches as I slowly stroke upward, her skin velvet smooth beneath my touch.
“God, your skin is like porcelain,” I huskily whisper, reverently.
“In the car you called me baby,” she suddenly says. I can’t tell if she’s asking why or just making a comment. Perhaps she’s trying to tell me off for being so forward. She has no idea this is me holding back.
I scoot closer, grabbing her hand and bringing it to my lips.
“Would you rather I not?” I ask.
“I don’t know,” she admits. Her mouth parts as I suck one of her fingers into my mouth. She groans and shifts toward me. I should probably stop, we just fucking met, but instead I reach over and haul her on top of me, sitting on my lap.
“What – what are you doing?” she sighs as I move her hair off the back of her neck and plant kisses against her skin. Her hands grip my thighs, and her legs open of their own accord and her head falls back against my shoulder.
“I should probably go,” she says, hesitantly.
“Only if you want to,” I whisper in her ear. My hands find the bottom of her shirt, and I graze my fingers underneath, stroking up and down her sides. She presses back against me, a gasp leaving her as she meets my hardness. I pause, waiting, and let out a tortured moan as she slowly moves back against me.
“Baby,” I grunt before grabbing her hips and thrusting up into her backside. She cries out, this time hunching forward, so my dick, still straining to escape my pants, hits her in just the right spot. I thrust again, and her hands clamp down on my knees, helping to grind against me.
“James,” she cries.
“Baby, fuck me,” is all I can say as I start a steady rhythm. She mewls and squirms, needing more. I stop, twisting her around so she’s straddling me, and plant her back down on my dick.
“Use me, baby,” I tell her. I grasp her shirt, yanking it high, ready to see her perfect tits, and when my mouth covers her nipple beneath her barely-there bra, I suck for all I’m worth. Her fingers find my hair, her noises louder and louder as she now sets the pace.
My balls are so tight it’s painful, and all I want to do is unzip my pants and sink into her perfect cunt. But I resist. I move, helping hit her clit just likes she needs, and lave the other breast, leaving wet prints on her bra.
Allie cries out and clenches around me, holding me tight, her hands fisted in my hair as she finds her release. I slow my ministrations and plant soft kisses along her chest until she sinks against me, breathing heavy.
“I don’t even know you,” she mumbles.
I chuckle and stroke her back, willing my hard-on to lessen. “I plan on getting to know you,” I boldly tell her.
She pulls back and looks at me with a small grin. “Allie Miller. Your turn.”
I move the hair behind her ear as I answer, “James O’Connor.” She freezes, the smile slipping off her face. Shit. I guess she recognizes the name - the legendary O’Connor crime family that’s run this city for the better part of the last half-century. I start to clutch her hips a bit tighter but instead force myself to relax and wait.
She searches my face before sliding slowly off my lap and backing away, straightening her clothes.
“Don’t do that,” I say too harshly. She flinches, and I swipe a hand down my face. I lean forward, putting my hands in my hair, and taking deep breaths.
“I’m not mad at you,” I tell her, glancing up. “Please don’t be scared of me.”
She takes a tentative step forward that about wrenches my heart in half. I pull at my hair, frustrated that my name sparks so much fear in her. In my world, that’s usually a good thing. But with her ? She should never be scared of me.
Suddenly. I feel her hands on mine, pulling my hands away and smoothing the mess I’d made. I lean back, closing my waves, letting her touch and presence relax me again.
“I’m not scared of you,” she says slowly.
I wrap my arms around her, shaking my head. “It’s okay, you should be baby. I should make you leave and never come back.”
“No!” Her tone causes me to open my eyes, amazed to find her wide and fearful. But not at me, at what I’d just said.
I stand, cupping her ass with my hands and finally taking her mouth in a possessive kiss. We moan together, and our tongues dance as we take and take. When both of us need breathe, we pull away together.
“I can’t let you go now. I’ll just have to keep you safe.”
She smiles like she doesn’t believe the danger she could be in. That’s fine. I don’t want her to worry anyway.
“I need to go,” she says.
I’m not ready to let her go. What if she gets home and her family and friends talk her out of ever seeing me again?
I brace myself for rejection, my mind burning through ideas of how to convince her when I ask, “Would you be interested in working for me. As my assistant?”
She pauses. “Are you offering me a job because of what just happened?”
“God, no,” I exclaim. “It’s not because of that. In the few hours I’ve spent with you, I’ve seen you guide yourself through a rough day and turn it around. I think we would be a good fit to work together. Among other things we’d keep separate,” I end with a wink, eliciting a laugh.
She takes a moment to think it over. “Okay,” she says, and I can’t help but break into another grin. I seem to do an awful lot of smiling with her around.
“Perfect, you’ll start tomorrow,” I say as I escort her to the door. “9 a.m.?”
“Perfect, I’ll start tomorrow,” she says, parroting my words back to me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. I finish walking her to her car, holding the door open as she buckles herself in.
We stare at each other a moment longer before saying our goodnights. I stand in my driveway watching her drive off for way too long.
I can’t wait to see her tomorrow.