18. Cherry
“Why are you here?”
Folding my arms in front of me, I glare at Jake who is working on his laptop at the end of the counter. My shop seems to have become his new base of operations and I don’t like it, because I’m getting far too used to having him around and that’s a dangerous thing. Not that we talk much, or do anything really, we kind of tiptoe around each other in a forced politeness.
Jake looks up from his screen and lifts his eyebrow in question as if I’m stupid. “You know why, Blossom.”
“I don’t need your help.” I throw up my hands determined to talk to Lexi about this now that Theo is here and she’s under slightly less stress. She and Hunter are in the Hamptons this weekend but when she comes back, she needs to call Jake off. Eight weeks of seeing him almost every day is too much for my poor heart.
“Maybe not but you have it anyway.”
Not willing to deal with him anymore, I studiously ignore him, or at least I try to. Jake is too much of a presence to be ignored though. Even silent, he’s loud. I’m aware of every move he makes. My phone ringing makes me jump, b ut that turns into a groan of frustration when I see Harvey’s name on the screen.
Grabbing it up, I head to the back for some privacy. This call isn’t going to be any less frustrating than the others, I’m sure. “Hey, Harvey, tell me you have some good news.”
I hear a beleaguered sigh down the phone and roll my eyes to the heavens as he begins his litany of excuses. “Cherry, you should take the offer from KLM. You don’t have the finances to fight them and win. At this point, you have the upper hand but once they’ve bled you dry they’ll lower the offer for the property.”
My blood almost boils with anger at the injustice of what these people are trying to do. “So that’s it? I just have to let my mom lose the one thing in her life that brings her joy?”
“I wish I could say no, but a corporation this size has almost limitless funding. You can’t win, Cherry. Not unless you have a fairy godmother tucked away somewhere.”
I know I could ask Hunter. He’d help me in a minute, but I’d never abuse my friendships like that, and he and Lexi have enough on their plate.
Blowing out a breath, I feel nauseous anxiety build in my belly. A sick feeling that I’m going to have to sell my mom’s salon to some rich developer who won’t take no for an answer. “Okay, Harvey. Don’t say anything to KLM yet. Just give me a week to think about it.”
“It’s the right thing to do, Cherry.”
“I’ll call you.”
Hanging up, I close my eyes and lean my forehead against the wall of the storeroom as defeat washes over me.
“Why are you dealing with KLM?”
I push off the wall and move past Jake into the larger space of the showroom, busying myself shifting pieces around so I don’t have to answer.
“Cherry, answer me, damn it!”
“No.” I whirl on him in frustration. “My life is none of your business so keep out of it. ”
Jake stalks toward me, his muscles almost vibrating with tension and I feel my body respond to his anger. He has no right to poke his nose into my private life. Yet underneath my anger, I can feel the heat of desire curl inside me. He’s a stunning specimen of a man and I know from personal experience that he has all the attributes and skill to back it up.
Seizing my arms, he gives me a gentle shake. “Do not fuck with me about this, Blossom. Tell me who that was or, so help me God, I’ll turn you over my knee.”
My skin prickles at his threat, my breaths coming quicker as I stare at him. What would it feel like to give in just this once and let my guard down enough to take what I need from him? To let his touch soothe away the worries and just let me feel for a while. Fighting with Jake has become my favorite thing to do. The banter we share is a distraction from the life that feels like it’s too much.
“You wouldn’t dare.”
His hand moves swiftly, clamping around my throat in a grip that is just tight enough to remind me of his power over me but not tight enough to leave a mark. His eyes darken, his other hand sliding from my arm to my hip, as pulls me closer to his hard body.
A shiver runs through me as I fight the urge to let go and let him control me, like I know nobody else ever can.
“Wouldn’t I, Cherry Blossom? You don’t think I’ll slide that sinful piece of fabric you call a skirt up and over that sexy ass. That I wouldn’t tear those silk panties I know you wear from your body and lay you over my knee right here, right now.”
His words are like a caress over my heated skin. Conjuring images in my mind that make my body pant. Yet still I poke and push, wanting him to lose control. “I’d fight you.”
My nipples peak against my blouse desperate for his touch, and I feel him harden against my belly. The thick length of him so close makes my mouth flood with saliva.
“You think that puts me off, Blossom? You think the thought of having to fight you, hav ing to tame you, turns me off? Feel me, feel how hard you make me, every fucking day.”
I can hear the possessive hunger in his voice and my panties are soaked from it. His thumb caresses my pulse as it beats faster and his slow smirk shows how aware he is of what he does to me.
“You want it, don’t you, Cherry Blossom? You want me to take you, to show you who owns this body.”
His head dips and his lips feather against my throat as I tilt my head a little, my eyes falling closed. My denial is swift and automatic, even as the evidence of my lie, beats against his thumb. “I want nothing from you. You disgust me.”
Jake chuckles but it’s dark and husky, full of danger. “How about a wager?”
“You want to gamble with me, Jake?”
God, this banter is hotter than all the sex I’ve had in the last ten years.
“Yes, let’s gamble. If I can make you come in under a minute, you tell me what your involvement is with KLM.”
“And if you can’t, what do I get?”
I feel fairly confident he’ll lose this one because climaxing isn’t something I find easy these days. Even my toys need some finesse to get the job done.
“What do you want?”
“You tell me why you set me up.”
His eyes fall closed as if looking at me is too painful, but as I go to pull away he tightens his grip, his eyes springing open. “Deal.”
With that he lifts me by my waist and carries me to the back storeroom, pushing the door almost closed so we’re hidden from sight.
“I need to close up if we’re going to do this.”
Jake smirks as he shrugs his jacket from his shoulders and begins to fold his shirt sleeves up.
“What, worried someone might hear you scream my name, Blossom? ”
“As if, I’m worried a customer will hear you cry when you lose.”
“I never lose, Blossom.”
His confidence gives me pause, but I know this is one time he will lose.
As I go to move, he catches my hand and pulls me against him, pinning me against the wall with his body. “Leave it.”
I’d forgotten what it felt like to have Jake command me and instantly my body acquiesces to his demand. “Set your timer, Jake.”
He smirks as he presses a button on his fifty-thousand-dollar watch, then drops to his knees. His hands smooth up my calves, pushing my skirt up as he exposes my panty-covered pussy. A growl escapes him as he looks at me and rips the lace away like it is nothing. His head dips and his tongue slides over my slit, forcing a moan from my lips. I grip his shoulders for support as he throws my leg over his shoulder and sucks my clit between his lips.
My head bangs against the wall as pleasure shoots up my body. Every nerve in my body is tingling as he works me over. His tongue flicks my clit as he spears two fingers inside me and curls them toward my G-spot. I move my hips, riding his face as I begin to lose control. My pussy clenches and he hums against my skin as if he’s getting off on this as much as me.
The sound is all I need to push me over the edge into that bright abyss of bursting color. My fingers pull at his hair, my breathing is a pant and I scream his name as a climax so powerful it almost takes my legs from me slams through me.
Jake holds me steady, his lips placing tender kisses against my pussy as my orgasm recedes. I become aware of a faint beeping sound and look down to find Jake watching me.
“You win, Jake.”
Taking my shredded panties from the floor, he pockets them and smooths my skirt down over my hips before standing in front of me. Now the intimacy is over I feel exposed, raw, the need to put space between us almost makes me desperate but I won’t run, not again .
“Tell me.”
Ducking my head, I move past him to the mirror so I can fix my hair. As I examine my flushed cheeks, I see him looming behind me, watching me closely. “KLM is trying to buy my mother’s hair salon. They want to develop the land it’s on, but it’s the one place that saved her after my dad died. I don’t want her to lose it.”
“What did your lawyer say?”
“That KLM has too much money and will bleed me dry and get the land anyway.”
“What does your mother say?”
“She doesn’t know and she won’t know. The building is in my name because that’s how my father set up his will. It’s why I’m dealing with them.”
“Your lawyer’s right. They’re ruthless and have deep pockets.”
“I’m not giving in, Jake. I won’t be bullied by them.”
“Then let me help you. I’ve dealt with a lot of companies like this and I know how the game is played.”
I’m already shaking my head before he can finish. “No.”
His hand rubs the back of his neck as he looks at me with frustration. “Why not?”
I have no choice but to give him the truth no matter how ugly it feels after what just happened. “I don’t trust you.”
His head snaps back slightly, a wince making him seem younger. Part of me wants to call my words back, but I can’t. He did this and he’s the one forcing his presence on me, not the other way around.
He gives me a nod, his lips pursed, and turns to leave the room, taking a chunk out of my heart with his wounded expression. He stops and turns and I wonder what threat he’ll make, what coercion he’ll use to force my hand, but he doesn’t do any of those things.
“For the record, I didn’t steal those exam papers. I was being blackmailed and did what I thought was the best thing to protect the woman I loved.”
Before I can respond he is gone. My hand shakes as I straighten my blouse and skirt, I t ry to process his words, but none of it makes sense. Why has he told me this now? Why lie and is he lying now or then? One answered question leaves me with so many more unanswered ones.