Chapter 11
11
J AMES
“She’s asleep,” I say, entering Lex’s suite, one door down.
He looks at me, baffled, taking in my black sweatpants and shirtless chest.
“What about some clothes on?” he says, slamming the door shut.
Smiling, I wave him off and walk into the living room.
“Where’s the food? I’m hungry.”
“Have you ruined her?” he tosses at me behind me.
“No,” I say, sauntering to the table.
We each claim a seat.
“What about her?”
“I told you she was asleep, and I didn’t want to eat alone. I’ll order something when she wakes up. Or I’ll send her to you for a late-night snack,” I say, winking at him.
He stares at me, unsure if it's a joke.
“Are you testing me?”
I laugh, amused.
“No. I’m fucking not. Eat your damn food.”
“You’re in a better mood,” he comments before taking a bite.
“I am, aren’t I?” I say, grinning bittersweet.
“So, what’s the deal?”
“The deal is, my money is finally as good as any other sucker’s,” I say.
He tilts his eyebrows up, and for the second time this evening, he has a hard time grasping the meaning of my words.
“You’re not doing this out of vengeance?”
“No. I’m doing it out of necessity.”
We lock eyes for a moment.
“It turns out this is the only way I can do it, so I’ll just roll with it like any other schmuck who's on her list and has her on his payroll.”
“How does it fare so far?”
“She is amazing, but you already know that,” I say, a hard edge flashing through my voice.
His fork clinks–– tossed against his plate––before a wall of silence rises.
I lift my gaze.
Leaning back in his seat, he drills me with his eyes.
“You can’t have it both ways, James. I asked you,” he says, seriously pissed.
“Chill... It doesn’t make a damn difference. You think that you not being with her could erase the line of men who paid good money to have her in their beds? She’s no longer mine. Besides, this is what she does for a living. And she’s doing it pretty damn well, I might add. I’m not a fucking kid. I know how these things work, and we’re here for fun, aren’t we?”
The plates and cutlery clink again as his fist hits the table.
He doesn’t buy my bullshit.
“I don’t read fucking minds, James,” he says seriously. “I don’t need to hear from you the crap you tell yourself. You could’ve fucking told me.”
I root my gaze on him.
“Calm down, man. All right? There was nothing to tell. ”
I shift my eyes to the table and then back to him.
“Seriously, relax. I would’ve done the same thing. She isn’t mine or anyone else’s, and she does what she pleases. I just roll with it, as I just said. That’s the price I need to pay for being an idiot. I was too stupid to see things for what they were. I had her once and lost her. I should’ve known better than that. I know about missed opportunities more than anyone else. Once you lose them, you can’t bring them back, so things are the way they are. She’s no longer the kid I used to know. What the fuck am I saying? She’s a fucking call girl, Lex...” I mutter bitterly.
I motion to his plate.
“Eat your food. It’s getting cold.”
Reluctantly, he focuses on his plate.
“So, how do you like her now?” he asks after a few moments of silence, avoiding my eyes.
Quietly, I chew on my food, still looking at him.
He eventually glances up.
“I like her a lot,” I say, grinning wolfishly.
His lips curl into a smile.
Running a napkin over my lips, I study him for a moment.
“It looks like you’ve got a free ride after all,” I murmur.
“You may get the free ride in the end,” he tosses back at me.
He locks my eyes briefly before shifting his gaze to his food.
“Hmm... I’m not so sure. She’s all grown up now. And she has figured me out.”
He sets his fork down and drinks his wine.
“Why is that a bad thing?” he asks.
“It just is,” I say, picking up my drink too. “She’s different. She’s practical and down to earth. No longer vulnerable. Remember that first time when we met her?”
He nods softly before I talk again.
“I can’t forget that fucking moment when she almost passed out in my arms. I barely breathed on her, and she was melting against my chest. She was so fragile and pure and trustful. She couldn’t breathe or speak. She couldn’t even look at me, yet she was fearless and open to me because she wanted me so badly. And I knew how bad I was. And how dangerous I was for her. I also knew she was the best thing that could happen to me. I knew all that... Yes, I did. That’s how I fell for her. And then I had to let her go because I didn’t know what to do with her. And now...”
I pause, swaying my head from side to side.
“Now, there’s nothing there for me. She doesn’t need me or any other man. She’s like a fucking eagle flying high up in the sky, alone. Once in a while, she swoops down to earth to feed herself, and then she’s back up on top of the horizon, cruising above everyone else. She no longer needs anything from anyone, and I have nothing to lure her with and no way to make her come to me.”
He places his elbows on the table and clasps his fingers beneath his chin.
“Maybe you need to learn how to fly with her,” he says just as his phone screen lights up with a message.
He glances at the screen and slides his phone to me.
“She’s looking for you.”
“Why is she texting you?”
“Maybe because she doesn’t have your cell phone number,” he says, his hands shooting up in frustration.
“Enough,” I say in a clipped voice. “Fucking smartass.”
I scoop up his phone and text Rain back.
Minutes later, a soft knock on the door drags me to the entrance.
She walks in.
Her face is fresh, her hair is entangled, and her body is wrapped in one of my bathrobes.
She wears a pair of slippers that are clearly not her size.
I turn to stone for a moment as images from the past parade in front of my eyes, making me forget how we all got here.
She pushes up on her toes and gives me a soft kiss on my lips before tearing away from me and heading to Lex.
Like a fool, I stare at her back, my hand still wrapped around the doorknob.
“I’m hungry,” she says as Lex gets a plate for her and motions her to the table.
I let the door fall shut.
Her arms lock around his neck, and my chest tightens.
He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her into him while she tilts her face up and plants a kiss on his cheek.
He glances at me over her shoulder as I lose half of my lungs, exhaling.
A moment later, we all sit around the table, Lex and I exchanging furtive looks while she takes small bites of food and sips wine.
“Why do you have two different suites?” she asks in a sweet voice, gesturing with her fork.
Lex’s eyes narrow with a smile. He flicks his chin to me, daring me to answer.
“Why, James?” he asks.
I glare at him before she looks at me, and I flash a fake smile.
“He snores,” I say, poker-faced, without a trace of humor in my voice.
They share a peal of laughter anyway.
An amused grin slips to my lips.
“I guess James doesn’t like competition,” Rain comments.
My balls hurt as if she squeezes them with a pair of pliers.
Lex’s eyes glint with a grin while I squirm, feeling cornered.
Seemingly, things are no longer in my control.
“James?” Lex tosses at me.
“Huh?” I mumble, moving my eyes to him. “Lex and I were never rivals to begin with,” I say, holding his eyes while stating the truth.
“He’s right,” Lex comments seriously this time. “Ed flies in next week. He’ll stay with me,” he adds.
“I see,” Rain murmurs, no reaction on her face.
She finishes eating and glances at the side table.
“I guess, no sweets.”
We both smile.
“Lex doesn’t like them, and he ordered the food. We’ll get something for you tomorrow.”
“Okay then,” she says, rising to her feet.
We both almost break our necks looking at her.
“Thank you so much for the food,” she says, sliding a hand onto Lex’s shoulder.
She bends at the waist to give him another kiss.
Her robe pulls slightly open, her breasts entering my line of sight.
His eyes dip to her chest as well. I start to get hot and tense.
Breaking away from him, she pivots to me. Her fingers thread through my hair, her free hand kneading my pecs.
She softly murmurs in my ear.
“I’ll be waiting for you in your bed, baby. Don’t be late.”
A moment later, she vanishes out the door.
Lex’s lips curl into a knowing smile.
“You’re so fucked,” he says, chuckling.
* * *
JAMES
Half an hour later.
Barefoot, I saunter back, crack the door open, and sneak in.
The place is quiet, a soft light fanning from under the bedroom door.
I pour myself a scotch and head to the window, taking a swig.
The alcohol burns my mouth before rolling down my throat. Lost in thought, I glance outside.
It’s four in the morning.
The sky is dark, the snow is coming down, and thick silence cloaks the city. Quiet Christmas carols echo in the air bringing back some childhood memories.
Moments like this were a time of celebration back then.
My mother had always loved Christmas, and it showed in how she decorated the house and made it hospitable for everyone, giving us, the kids, everything we had dreamed of.
At the time, Lex and Ed were practically living at my place, and I couldn’t imagine my life without them.
That’s why she did her best to make them feel at home.
Yeah… Yeah.
She knew how important they were to me and how much she mattered to me, yet she abandoned me anyway.
Perhaps that was the best that she could do.
I take another drink and push that thought away, shifting my focus to the frozen world outside when footsteps travel across the room and halt behind me.
Her hands glide across my chest, my skin cold against her touch.
Naked behind me, she wraps her arms around my body, presses her cheek into my shoulder, and crushes her breasts against my torso, her heat seeping into my skin.
“Hey, baby,” she says softly, as if I mean the world to her.
Sliding her hand down, she strokes my abs.
“Let’s go to bed,” she says quietly.
I don’t move.
She tears the glass away from my fingers, sets it on a table, and pivots back to me. Her hands journey down my body, her chest pressed flush against my back again.
Moving her lips across my skin, she leaves kisses on my shoulders. Her fingers slink inside my pants, slowly pushing them to my hips.
She wraps her hand around my hard-on and slowly pumps it.
“Or not...” she murmurs as I stir in her hand.
She strokes my hard length and palms my balls before shifting her position and smoothly stopping in front of me.
My fingers slide into her hair.
I grab a fistful of her mane and pull her to my lips.
Embraced, we crash, my back against the window, our bodies pressed together, our lips locked.
She moans as I begin to kiss her.
“James...”
Sealing her lips, I force her into silence.
She slides her hand into my hair, arching her back and sucking on my tongue while I thrust my cock into her fist.
Smoothly, she breaks away from me and kneels in front of me.
Her hand rolls up and down my dick, her mouth wrapping me in heat.
Cupping my balls, she licks my hard meat when my hands go to her head.
“Look at me,” I say, taking her face in my hands.
My voice is hoarse, my lips are parched, and the fire in her eyes is lodged in my brain.
Our eyes stay connected as she twists her fist, sliding it up and down, spreading the moisture over my throbbing dick.
Earnestly sucking on me, she moves her lips and tongue and strokes me right as if she knows exactly what I want.
Caressing my balls, she licks my shaft and pulls me hard down her throat.
A groan falls from my lips, the tension spiking as I hold her face and fuck her mouth.
Moaning, she squirms at my feet, and I indulge in seeing her like that for a few good moments before collaring her neck and pulling her up to me.
I hook my hands under her thighs and lift her from the floor.
She wraps her legs around my waist and loops her arms around my neck while I prop her back against the wall, burying myself in her wet center.
Thrusting hard, we crash into the wall.
Clipped breaths roll from her lips, her eyes looking like broken mirrors, her smile frozen on her face.
“Don’t stop,” she murmurs as I hammer her.
She brings her lips to my mouth, and we melt into each other, feeding our hunger.
It doesn’t take long before the pleasure soars through both of us, and her nails scrape my neck, making me bleed.
Locked, we cross that line, experiencing heightened pleasure and brutal honesty.
We both know how deep our attraction for each other runs and how hard it is to crush it.
She growls inside my mouth, shaking with pleasure while I crash into her, flooding her with my release.
It takes a few more moments before we finally slow down. And yet, we’re still kissing.