Chapter 16
16
J AMES
“Sneaky motherfucker.”
“Shut up, Lex. You would’ve done the same thing,” I retort, clutching the steering wheel, my eyes rooted to the road.
The windows go down, the evening breeze blowing in my hair, specks of light flying off my cigarette.
The temperature is mild, and the smell of grass and flowers lifting from the meadows is intoxicating.
“You could’ve told us.”
“Yeah... Like it was hard to figure it out.”
“What did he do?” Ed chimes in from the backseat, typing a message on his phone.
“He’s been fucking Rain Morgan for weeks.”
“Hardly. I don’t get my hands on her that often.”
“You mean your dick,” Ed mumbles.
“I was away, as you both know,” I say, ignoring Ed’s comment. “And she has to be home at night, so it’s not paradise,” I add, trying to downplay everything.
They sear me with their stares.
Grinning wolfishly, I blow the smoke out.
“Shut up,” they blurt out before we share laughter.
I slowly shake my head.
“Life can’t get better than that...” I murmur, content.
“So, how is she?” Lex asks, training his eyes on me.
I suck in another drag and let the smoke flow out the window.
“Hot. Funny. Smart,” I say.
“And she worships you like you’re a god.”
“That too…” I say, pointing at Ed with the fingers holding my cigarette. “Have I mentioned that she’s hot?” I tease.
“Shut up,” they bark again, chuckling.
“Fuck... I’m getting hard,” I say, shifting in my seat ostentatiously before adjusting myself.
“Go the fuck away,” Ed shoots at me, crashing back in his seat while Lex looks out the window.
I breathe out a devilish laugh.
“And boy, can she come?”
“Are we there yet? I can’t take him anymore,” Ed comments, a grin woven in his voice.
“Seriously, James…” Lex says, looking at me, his eyes laughing.
“Seriously. She can fucking come. One rare breed, I can tell you that… She gets high on cock, comes on it, and rocks it more than once. She’s like a firecracker.”
He purses his lips, smiling, slightly annoyed, though.
“What can I say? I’m a lucky bastard,” I add, pouring gas on the fire.
“Are you going to rub it in our faces now?” Lex grumps.
“You fucking asked me,” I say, steering the wheel and slowly rolling downtown.
The streets are empty.
They both go quiet as we ride past City Hall.
Moments later, we pull in front of Red’s.
“Speak of the devil. Isn’t that her?” Ed says, pointing to the car parked at the curb.
My smile drops from my face.
What the hell is she doing here? She’s not supposed to be here.
Someone could see her. Or she could run into some family member, her dad, or her brother-in-law.
“What is she doing here?” Lex asks as if reading my mind.
“I have no idea.”
We slide out of my car. Ed and Lex head inside while I stay behind.
She walks to me.
“What happened, baby?”
Her eyes light up with a faint smile.
“I wanted to see you,” she murmurs against my lips, hugging me warmly.
I scan the parking lot before tipping my gaze back to her.
She wears ripped shorts and a white cropped tank top, making her tanned skin look like amber honey.
Her sun-kissed hair cascades down her back, framing her sultry eyes.
“What’s going on?” I ask suspiciously, my eyes connecting with hers.
“Nothing,” she says as if a lot has happened.
“Give me your keys. I need to move your car.”
She hands me her car keys.
I open the side gate, pull her car inside and park it close to the back entrance so no one can spot it from the street.
She climbs into my ride while I slip back into my seat.
A moment later, I crank up the engine and pull out of the parking lot, driving away.
“Is something wrong at home?”
She shakes her head, her eyes gleaming with emotions.
“No,” she says, looking away, averting her eyes.
Minutes later, we leave town and drive in silence for the rest of the trip.
Soon, I pull off the main road and steer the car onto a dirt path leading to a lake and a wooded area.
I roll down the windows before turning the engine off.
The sound of crickets and frogs vibrates in the air while fireflies flap their wings, swaying their golden lights all around us, making the meadow look like a fairy tale.
“I missed you, James...” she says softly without looking at me.
Figuring that this must be more than a passing mood, I exit the car, walk to her side, and open the door for her.
“Let’s watch the fireflies,” I say.
She takes my hand and rises to her feet.
I pivot and prop my back against the car before I pull her into my arms.
“It can’t be that bad,” I murmur while she rests her head against my shoulder.
Silently, we stare at the magnificent dance of throbbing lights. The fireflies light up the air with their tiny, evanescent bodies, filling the night with clouds of throbbing glow.
“They look like stars,” she says, her voice clearer.
“Yes, they do. They always did… I used to watch them when I was a kid. They always filled the woods this time of year.”
“Here?”
“Mm-hmm. We used to camp down there by the water.”
“We?”
“Lex, Ed, and me. Sometimes, my dad came with us. That was before my mother left. Occasionally, Lex’s dad joined us while he was still alive. Ed grew up without a father.”
“Whose land is it?”
“It’s mine now.”
“And how was it?”
“Camping was fun. Our dads were cool. They taught us a lot and gave us a lot of freedom, but we didn’t know it then and only realized it later.”
“You have a lot of freedom now.”
“Yeah... I guess. I have more than most people. I have money, and that gives me freedom. I’m not sure it’s absolute freedom, but it’s not bad, and I don’t resent it… What about you? How were you when you grew up? And what’s the story of your name, by the way?”
She ponders for a moment.
“Hmm... It’s not a good story. My parents named my sister after my father, Daryl, but they couldn’t agree on a name when it came to me. They had a few names ready for me, but they also had a fight the night I was born, and my dad left the hospital just as I was coming into this world. My mom got mad at him and chose this name for me. It was a rainy, stormy night, so she called me Rain. When I grew up, she made up a story to make me feel better about her choice. Or maybe she forgot that she was angry with him that night. Regardless… She said she wanted this name for me, hoping I’d be like the rain falling from the sky, rolling on the ground, nourishing the earth, and rising to the sky before falling again, restarting the cycle. ‘Free and resilient,’ she said. It was good thinking, but I’m nothing like that. And to answer your question... I don’t know about freedom because I was born and raised in captivity. I had lots of love but no freedom, and I never thought about it until things started to change.”
A few moments of silence pass.
“Thought about what?” I ask.
“How to be free. I know nothing about it.”
“You’ll learn when you’re ready. Nothing happens before its time.”
She turns to me and drinks me in, a soft smile brightening her eyes.
“I missed you,” she murmurs, locking her arms around my neck.
“I counted on that,” I say, slowly unbuttoning her shorts and sliding my hands inside.
With one smooth motion, I pull her panties and her shorts down.
She walks out of them.
I pick them up and toss them on her seat inside the car.
Grabbing the back of her thighs, I scoop her up and set her on the hood of my ride.
Propped on her back, her knees up, she grips the hem of her tank top, peels it off, and pushes up on her elbows.
Her breasts move softly as she moves.
Sprawled on her back, she spreads her legs for me and throws me a come-hither look that sends tingles through my groin.
She slides her hand between her thighs, parts her folds, and runs her fingers over her clit.
Stroking herself slowly, she gives me a seducing smile.
A lustful grin tugs at my lips when she brings her fingers to her mouth and licks them clean, teasing me so damn badly.
“What have you been watching lately?” I ask.
Without waiting for her answer, I lean forward, grab her hips and slide her lower, bringing her pussy to my mouth.
I lick her flesh, my pulse racing, my erection throbbing, her scent and taste firing up my brain.
She may purr like a kitten, but she has a ravenous wolf inside her when it comes to this.
Her whimpers arouse me even more.
My cock twitches, her wet arousal trickling in my mouth.
Swiftly, I straighten, unbuckle my belt, and free my hard-on before draping her legs over my arms and slowly sliding into her hot center.
Her lips curl into a sensual smile, her eyes glittering with pleasure.
“James…”
Rolling my hips, I satisfy the beast in me, giving her what she needs.
A snapshot of her body stays with me as I keep plunging into her––her legs folded over my arms, her blonde hair splayed over the hood of my dark car, her hourglass silhouette perfectly highlighted, and her full, luscious breasts moving with every thrust.
Her flat stomach vibrates beneath my palm, her taut skin glowing in the moonlight.
She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen, and she’s all mine and only mine.
* * *
JAMES
An hour later, we drive back.
The windows are lowered, and the air smells like fresh vegetation, damp wood, sex, and sweat.
Tucked in her seat, she stares at me, mystified, with a satisfied smile tugging at her lips.
“Are you going to be okay?” I ask.
“Mm-hmm,” she says, tranquil, with no more tension in her voice.
That works better for both of us.
Minutes later, I pull her car out of Red’s parking lot and hand her the keys.
She kisses me softly, wiggles her fingers at me, and hops into her ride before steering it away.
I jog up the stairs and enter the club, grinning.
I dash straight to our table.
“Everything good in paradise?” Lex grumps, checking his phone.
“Yup.”
He raises his eyes.
“Fuck you, James,” he says flatly as I flash a smile. “You’re beaming like a Christmas tree. How the hell does she look if you’re like that?”
“She purrs like a kitten.”
“So what was that all about?”
Biting the inside of my cheek, I slide into my seat, crushing a smile.
“She missed me.”
“You mean your cock.”
“You’re jealous.”
“Of course I am,” he says, looking back at the screen, his lips drawn into a smile.
I wait for him to look up again, but his focus remains on his phone, his expression changing.
“Listen... We might have a problem,” he says, seriously this time.
“What do you mean?” I ask in a different voice as well.
“One of the votes is gone. Alderman.”
He tips his gaze up.
“He had a massive stroke,” he says. “Chances are he’s not gonna make it.”
“I thought we had enough votes.”
He looks at the screen again.
“Yeah… I thought so too, but now it’s down to one. And it’s not someone on our list. It’s a woman who could go either way, but generally, women vote against projects like this. The only other person we can turn to is, um…” He pauses and raises his gaze. “You’re not gonna like this,” he says, looking straight into my eyes.
He pauses for a moment.
“It’s Rain’s father.”
“We’ll find someone else,” I say, quickly shooting down the idea. “I’m sure we can get the votes we need some other way. The mayor is on our side… This will do a lot of good to a lot of people.”
Lex tosses his phone on the table.
“You don’t have to sell me on this, man. I know all that, but that’s not how these things work. It could all crumble at the last moment if we don’t have the votes. And you know we can’t afford it.”
I run my hand through my hair before rubbing the back of my neck.
“I don’t need him,” I say dryly.
“Let’s hope not.”
“I don’t,” I deadpan.
He studies my face as I slowly sway my head from side to side and slip a cigarette into the corner of my mouth.
Slowly, I run the flame over the tip and take a long drag.
I let it out fast.
“I’m not going to worry about it now.”
His stare stays glued to me.
“Don’t even think about it,” I say, tipping my chin down and running both hands through my hair, my cigarette dangling from my lips.
He stays silent while I straighten and lean back into my seat.
I pull my cigarette out.
“Okay, then… I guess we’ll know by the end of the week or maybe before the party,” he says, not entirely on board with me.
A few moments pass.
“What if…” he starts and stops just as fast.
I shoot my eyes at him.
“There is no if. I will not do it. We’re talking about Rain’s family here. No matter how much of a jerk he is, I won't do that to her.”
The blood draws from his face, disappointment glinting in his eyes.
“It’s business, James, and you can’t put everything at risk for a woman.”
“I didn’t say I would,” I retort. “I wouldn’t risk it for anyone… All I’m saying is... I won’t destroy her family when I can take care of it some other way. There are enough people on that list, and Daryl Morgan is not one of them.”
Our eyes clash.
There’s a steel-like determination in him as he questions my decision.
“I can do it if you want me to,” he says, stubborn as always.
“It’s the same thing. It has my name on it.”
I know him.
He’s not going to back away. Not when it comes to money.
So he talks again.
“If they don’t change the zoning, we won’t be able to build anything on that piece of land. And it may take another year to get where we are right now. A lot of shit could happen in twelve months. People die, retire, or lose their jobs. Other people get elected. We could lose the financing. It’s a five hundred million project, with a quarter billion projected annual revenue, if not more. Every year we’re not there on that fucking hill, we lose a big chunk of money.”
“I fucking know all this,” I growl through locked teeth.
His eyes throw flames at me.
“It’s only pussy, James.”
My teeth grind so hard I could spit my jaw out.
I could also leap over the table and charge at him, but I know he’s right. I’d say the same thing if I was him, so I try to get a grip on myself.
“Listen to me...” I say as calmly as I can.
“No. You listen to me,” he snaps right back, his eyes slicing through me. “I’m your friend, and I know you. I also know women. Fuck her all you want. I know she’s fresh, the sex is hot, and she’s made for your dick. She’s a new toy, but she’ll grow up, and you’ll get bored with her. Give her enough time, and she’ll become someone different, like every other woman you've put your cock in. Do you see yourself married to her? Having Daryl Morgan as your father-in-law? Do you even see yourself with her five years from now? What the fuck are we talking about?”
The server brings our drinks.
He pauses until the woman sets them on the table and walks away.
“And that’s not to mention the worst part....”
“Oh, there’s the worst part?” I mutter sarcastically.
Frowning, I bring my drink to my lips and toss it back, emptying the glass in a gulp.
“You use your brain and your heart, James, and I know you’ll get it right, but she might do something you’re not even considering right now. You’re just as much fun for her as she is for you. It’s dangerous and mysterious, and you fuck her everywhere, and anywhere you can get your hands on her because you can’t be with her in the open, and you don’t want to play house with her. But what if the novelty of your cock wears off one day, and she gets tired of hiding and fighting her mom and dad and being on the lookout all the time? Or she starts thinking about some sucker’s steady paycheck, someone who can take care of her, worship her, make her babies, and be at home with her? Not a man who runs a multi-billion-dollar corporation and has his dick sucked off in his office by the hottest interns.”
He pauses and takes a swig of his drink while I suck in another drag off my cigarette.
“You know women... better than I do,” he says. “You know they like alpha males as much as men like sports. But most men are not athletes, and most women don’t know how to deal with an alpha male. That’s why they watch them from afar, fuck them occasionally, and go for the easy guy when they want to settle down because being on their toes all the time and high on cock becomes too much after a while.”
I ash my cigarette before gesturing in his direction.
“How often have you watched those people in the back room, Lex? Those fucking men who nail women half their age are not alphas, and they are exactly the easy kind you’re talking about, yet they fuck and cheat like everybody else.”
“Yeah... but their women don’t know that. And even if they do, they choose not to believe it. Plus, I’m sure they go home and slobber over some princess to make her feel good about herself and keep the charade going.”
I tilt back in my chair, thinking about it for a moment.
“I know all this, Lex, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For now, I don’t want to get Daryl Morgan involved. I’ll figure something out. And rest easy. I’m not making any plans with her. We fuck. We enjoy ourselves. She’s barely nineteen. Yeah... She might change. It’s inevitable. I’m not looking five years down the road. And I don’t want to get married either, so that’s that.”