12. Chapter Twelve
~Jennifer~
Of all the things that made people behave irrationally, lust had to be one of the most powerful.
What I felt when Gabe kissed me definitely fell into that category: a primal, primitive need as my body responded to his invitation, wanting nothing more than to give in to the dizzying, throbbing desire inside me, a longing I hadn’t felt so strongly in many years.
His lips, firm and demanding against mine. His hands caressing my face, holding me as if he didn’t want to ever let go. The spicy, fresh scent of his cologne and the sound of his contented sigh as we kissed.
All of it beckoned me to let go and give in to the connection I’d felt with him since the beginning. That connection grew stronger the more we got to know each other, and had been strong enough that even the revelation of my deception had only slowed it rather than stopping it altogether.
However, in the back of my head, a little voice tried to get my attention, nagging at me with all the reasons why abandoning reason entirely wouldn’t be smart, at least not that night.
“Gabe.” I whispered his name against his lips as I pulled back, only enough to speak but not far enough that he removed his hands from my face. “I don’t know if this is a good idea.”
“It feels pretty damn good to me,” he murmured, his thumb gently stroking my cheek .
“That’s not at all what I mean.” With a shaky laugh, I pulled back further, taking his hands and bringing them to rest between us. Large and warm, they cradled mine perfectly. “You’re just getting out of a very long relationship. Technically, you’re not even out of it yet.”
He shook his head, his blue eyes staying fixed to mine. “My marriage is over. Maybe not on paper yet, but in my heart, where it matters. Nothing can fix the way Celine broke us. I’m not ever going back, so why shouldn’t we move forward?”
He had a point, but I still had more concerns. “You’re vulnerable right now. You’re still hurting, even if you want to move on, and I don’t want to be just a rebound to you. You mean more to me than that.”
“You mean more than that to me too, and if we both want this, what’s the point of denying it? Celine took years from me, years that I thought we were building a relationship and maybe even a family, and I don’t want to waste any more time. Not when what I want is perfectly clear to me.”
A soft groan rumbled in my throat. “You’re making an awful lot of sense.”
He reached up to my face again, tucking the windswept strands of my hair behind my ear. “Because this makes sense. You feel it too, you just said you do. You came all this way to see me and you’re going home in the morning. I don’t know for sure what comes next, but I know that I don’t want to walk away right now.”
I did make the trip to see him, but not once did I imagine it would take this turn. If luck was on my side, I thought we might agree to remain friends. Worst case, he might have thrown me out of his office and never spoken to me again. But sitting in my hotel room with him, his incredible eyes looking at me with all the desire he’d been holding back before? That never crossed my mind as a possibility.
“You might have the wrong idea about me because of my job and the way I flirt with those men,” I said next, still determined to voice all my objections before making a decision. “That’s not me. The Jennifer you see online is all talk. Some people are fine with casual sex, and that’s great, but it’s not how I’m built.”
“And you think I am?” he probed gently. “You already know I take commitment seriously, and even outside of a relationship, random partners have never been my style. I want this tonight, yes, but it doesn’t mean I only want tonight.”
He made it really hard to remember why I thought we should slow down.
“If you want me to go, I will,” he added, the back of his hand running down my cheek with a feather-light touch. “It’s up to you.”
“I… I don’t think we should have sex tonight,” I managed to breathe out despite my body screaming in frustration. “On a practical level, do you even have a condom with you?”
Gabe’s eyes widened before he shook his head sheepishly. “I can’t remember the last time I bought any.”
I had a feeling that might be the case. “Probably best not to go down that path, then. I’m not on birth control since I don’t need to be, and if I end up pregnant with your baby, it might strengthen Celine’s argument that we were having an affair.”
A laugh burst through Gabe’s lips as the ridiculousness of the entire situation hit him anew, and his laughter proved contagious. Soon, we were both almost in tears, feeding off each other as the tension between us shifted, still there but a little less visceral.
When we finally got ourselves back under control, Gabe reached over to pull me into a hug. “Fuck, that really shouldn’t be so funny.”
“You have to laugh or you’ll go crazy. Trust me, dark humour has gotten me through a lot of tough times.”
He nodded before letting me go. “Have you eaten? Why don’t we order food and go through that spreadsheet?”
Despite me being the one to pull the brakes, a strong wave of disappointment washed over me as I realized how effective I’d been in killing the mood .
I put on my best poker face, determined not to let my frustration show. “Sure. Any requests?”
The hotel’s room service arrived half an hour later, and by the time we finished the meal, we had a viable plan for Gabe to follow to sever all his ties with Celine and limit her ability to interfere in his life. He let out a long sigh as I emailed a copy of the completed spreadsheet to his work email.
“That sucked, but having your help made it a lot easier. Thank you.”
“What are friends for?”
As soon as the word left my mouth, I heard how wrong it sounded, and Gabe cocked his head. “Friends? Is that what you want?”
“Yes.”
I let him sit in his disappointment for a few seconds before I added a few more words.
“And hopefully more.”
His eyes narrowed, trying to look angry but barely concealing his relief. “You have a bit of a mean streak.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
My laughter was cut short as Gabe picked me up, squealing and squirming, and tossed me onto the other bed, away from our dirty dishes and the laptop. In no time at all, his body covered mine, his hands holding my wrists above my head as he stared down into my eyes. Desire flamed through my body again, as if it had never been extinguished but only temporarily dimmed.
“There’s plenty I’d like to do about it,” he said, his voice deeper than before.
My heart thumped heavily, mimicking the rhythmic pulsing that started up between my legs. “We said…” I tried to remind him, my voice coming out breathy and weak.
He said the words for me. “No sex.” His eyes roamed across my face and downwards, over my collarbone to the top of my breasts which were pressed against his chest. “But there are other things I could do to you, things that’ll make you want to be a lot nicer to me. ”
My teeth tugged at my bottom lip as my mind raced, trying to remember all the reasons I’d articulated before about why we should wait, but it came up blank.
Lust charged back in, and as it did, reason went out the door.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”
~Gabriel~
The more time I spent with Jen, the more convinced I became that the woman I had gotten to know in Napa was the real version of her. Online, she played the seductress, and she played it very well, but in person, her natural empathy, intelligence and sincerity shone through. It showed in the way she helped me try to pick up the pieces of my life in the wake of my marriage falling apart, and I felt it even more in the reasons she gave for not wanting to get too physical that evening.
That she felt something for me didn’t seem to be in doubt, both from the things she said and the fact that she came all that way to see me in the first place. Combined with the chemistry in our kiss, I already knew that no matter how unusual the circumstances under which we met had been, the connection between us was real.
It might have been the realest thing I ever felt.
Even so, I did my best to respect the distance she wanted to keep between us.
I succeeded all the way up until she teased me, nearly stopping my heart by saying she only wanted to be friends.
I couldn’t let that go, and as she lay beneath me, looking up at me with those deep, gorgeous hazel eyes, her words broke my last shred of restraint .
“Let’s see what you’ve got,” she said, like a matador waving a red flag at a bull.
She wanted a taste of what this spark between us could turn into, and I wanted it too, so fucking badly.
“Before I leave tonight, you’re going to promise to give this thing between us a chance,” I told her as my hand slid beneath her shirt, stroking the soft skin of her stomach. “That’s all I need for now: a chance.”
Jen shivered beneath me, my touch sending goosebumps down her arm. “Am I? What if I don’t?”
My lips curled into a smile, knowing she didn’t mean it. She tested me with her challenge, trying to establish what the dynamic between us would be when things got more physical, and luckily for both of us, we seemed to be on the same page. I liked a woman who pushed back, and I would bet anything from the way she reacted to me that she liked a man who kept pushing. We would be a perfect match.
“If you don’t…” I let the words hang in the air for a moment as I pulled her shirt up further, lowering my lips to brush along her stomach where my fingers had just been. “I’m going to get you all worked up and leave you unsatisfied.”
She huffed in disapproval. “That sounds sadistic.”
“It would be masochistic in this case because the choice is yours. All you need to do is say the words and we’ll both be happy.”
Gently, I lifted her shirt even higher, giving me my first glimpse of her beautiful breasts in the pastel pink bra she wore. Honestly, I’d seen more of her when she wore the bikini top on our video chat, but being so close to her chest, within breathing distance, affected me completely differently. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the full swell of her breasts, and when I brought my mouth down onto the fabric, teasing at her nipple with my teeth through her bra, Jen let out a sigh that sent blood rushing straight to my cock.
“How would this ‘chance’ of yours work?” she asked, her voice a lot breathier than it had been a few moments earlier. The last word cut off in a choke as I pulled the top of her bra down, exposing more of her smooth flesh, and sucked her nipple fully into my mouth without the fabric in the way.
Letting the question linger, my tongue ran across the tightening bud, working it into a firm peak while her body shifted under me, unable to contain her arousal.
“We… um… we live in different… cities,” she gasped out when I released her in a temporary reprieve. Moving to the other breast, I gave it the same attention, sucking and licking her until she moaned.
“I have an awful lot of air miles saved up,” I said, finally answering her question as I raised my head. My hands, which had been holding her shirt up, moved lower, drifting to the waist of her pants. “We could see each other regularly. If you’re talking long-term, I’m probably going to be looking for a new job and don’t need to stay in San Francisco. You work from home. We’d have options.”
The sound of the zipper on her pants lowering sent another shiver down her spine, and my cock began to throb. Even though I knew it wouldn’t be getting anywhere near her pussy that night, my dick must have missed the memo.
Ignoring the strain in my pants, I slid my hand into the newly-created opening on Jen’s, over her underwear and down between her legs, groaning as my fingers pressed against the warm, damp fabric. She was just as turned on as I could have hoped, and feeling it for myself made the blood rush through my body so fast, I almost missed her answer through the pounding in my ears.
“Long-term?”
Pressing against her through the fabric, I swirled my tongue around her nipple again before answering. “I told you: I’m not thinking about just one night. We don’t need to jump too far ahead, but that much needs to be clear. Are you ready to give me your answer now?”
Her hips tilted upwards as I stroked her through her panties. “What… uh… what was the question again? ”
With a chuckle, I hooked my fingers around the edge of her underwear, pulling it to the side so I could feel her wetness directly against my skin. Her smooth pussy, so warm and wet, made me lose track of the conversation too. “Fuck, Jen. You feel incredible.”
“How did you know?” she breathed. “I do feel incredible.”
Laughing again, I began to explore her more thoroughly. Dipping just my fingertip inside her to coat it, I slid it up to her clit, circling and stroking and paying careful attention to her response to see what she liked. Her hands reached for me, her fingers threading through my hair as she gazed down at me from beneath her half-closed eyelids.
“A little harder,” she whispered.
I pressed harder as my finger circled her, waiting until her eyes fluttered closed before I moved back down again, sinking one finger deep inside her. Her back arched and my cock pulsed, protesting against its confinement.
After being with one woman for so long, I’d never imagined having this kind of intimacy with someone else, and I certainly never thought it would feel as natural as this did. Even though each sensation was new and exciting, it felt completely right.
It felt… inevitable.
After adding a second finger to her pussy and my thumb on her clit, watching as Jen’s body began to writhe against me, I figured she had to be close but she still hadn’t given me what I wanted.
“You’re going to give this a chance, right?” I grunted, the movements of my hand steady and driving.
She whimpered, looking absolutely gorgeous laid out on the bed beneath me, still fully dressed except for her exposed breasts and the opening in her pants filled by my hand. “What?”
“You owe me a promise,” I reminded her. “Say you’ll give this a chance and I’ll make you come.”
“Gabe…”
“Say it.”
Celine used to say I got too aggressive in the bedroom sometimes. She preferred to be the one in charge. But even though Jen teased and pushed against me, she also shuddered at the hard edge to my voice, confirming what I already suspected.
She liked this rougher side of me, the side that only came out in bed.
When she didn’t immediately answer me, I lifted my thumb off her clit and slowed the movement of my fingers. “Say it, Jen.”
Groaning, she pulled my head against her chest, her hips pushing against me impatiently. “Yes. We’ll give it a chance. Just don’t stop, please.”
With her promise secured, I gave her exactly what she needed. My fingers thrust into her hard as my thumb rubbed her clit and my mouth covered her nipple again, sucking her into my mouth.
“Oh, God, fuck, yes.” After another thirty seconds, and with a shuddering jolt, Jen came. Her pussy contracted around my fingers as her hands tugged my hair, and a deep wave of satisfaction filled me.
I’d imagined it would be good with her, but she’d already exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t wait to learn her body even better.
However, I knew that we’d already pushed things enough for one night. Gently pulling out of her, I brought my fingers to my lips and sucked on the two that had just been inside her. Fuck, she tasted good. I would be dreaming about tasting her directly until we had a chance to be together again.
We both got cleaned up in the bathroom before Jen pushed me towards the door.
“I don’t need to leave right away,” I tried to tell her, but she shook her head, opening the door for me.
“You stay any longer and I can’t guarantee things won’t get heated again. I think we’ve gone far enough for one night.”
Something in her voice made me pause, and I stopped halfway out the door. “You don’t regret it, do you?” My eyes searched hers, looking for any hint of unhappiness, but she smiled back at me .
“I think I got a lot more out of it than you did, and no, I don’t regret it. Call me when you get your new phone, okay?”
“I will. And somehow or other, I’ll see you soon.”
I gave her one last, lingering kiss before heading back downstairs and out of the hotel. Unable to hold back my smile as the last couple of hours repeated in my head, I gave into it, grinning like an idiot as I walked down the street. A drugstore sat on the corner, so I ducked inside and picked up a box of condoms while I had it on my mind. It wouldn’t hurt to be prepared next time I saw her, just in case.
My smile even wider than before, I headed back home.
~Jennifer~
The sun felt a little brighter than usual the next afternoon as I lay outside in my backyard, enjoying the warmth as I worked.
Everything felt a little brighter, to be honest, and that had a lot to do with Gabe.
His text came through just after noon, not long after I arrived home from my morning flight back from San Francisco.
This is my new number. Should we avoid using our names, just in case? I won’t tell you who I am, but I will say that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how good you felt on my fingers last night. Hope you had a good night’s sleep and a safe flight home.
His words sent a shot of lust straight to my centre, my pussy clenching at the memory of his hand there and the wonderful orgasm he gave me. Although I hadn’t meant to let things get that far, I couldn’t bring myself to be upset about it either, not when he felt so damn good inside me. Seeing him let go had been almost as hot as his actions, and his dominant edge came as a very welcome surprise. The idea of exploring even more with him kept the smile on my face as I teased him in my response.
Hmmm, you might have to be more specific. I’m not sure who this is.
Very funny. How many orgasms will it take until you remember me?
Maybe we can find out this weekend. How does a trip to Pasadena sound?
Better than you can imagine. Let’s put those air miles to work.
Ten minutes later, he sent a screenshot of his flight confirmation, arriving at LAX the next evening. My body began to thrum in anticipation despite the arrival time being more than thirty hours away.
I’ll arrange a ride for you. Can’t wait to see you.
The feeling is more than mutual. Better get back to work for now.
Me too. We’ll talk later.
After that, my flirting with other men felt even less sexy than usual, but the guys didn’t seem to notice. I bagged two more fails that afternoon until I got an unexpected message in my work profile inbox.
Hi Jen, you probably don’t remember me but you helped me expose my scumbag husband last year. I’m seeing someone new now and things are so much better.
I loved hearing things like that. There were still good men out there, as I’d recently found out for myself.
Her message went on.
Anyway, I’m in a chat with some other women you’ve helped, and we get new people joining us sometimes to ask if they should use you. We always tell them you’re totally worth it.
My cheeks flushed at the compliment. I had no idea such a group existed, and it thrilled me to know that these women were out there supporting each other long after my involvement, and that my service had helped to bring them together.
Normally, it’s all positive, good vibes, but today, this woman came in and started talking shit about you. She said she hired you and you stole her husband and no one should trust you. She had a bunch of receipts, which I’m sure she faked. I know you’d never do something like that, but I thought you should know that she’s out there saying this shit. It’s probably not just our group either, she seemed really crazy and determined to ruin your reputation. Sorry to dump this on you, but I thought you should know.
The woman didn’t sign her name, but she did attach several screenshots of what had been shared in the chat. I recognized Celine’s handiwork immediately.
“Son of a bitch,” I muttered as I scrolled through the images. There were screenshots of my conversations with Gabe and my conversations with her. The names had been blacked out, but I recognized the rest of it easily enough. The texts, I already knew she had, but the other photos took me completely by surprise, and all the light, happy excitement that had been bubbling inside me all day immediately withered.
There were images that must have come from security cameras at the Four Winds, showing me and Gabe at the check-in desk, having dinner together at the restaurant, and going into my room together. Put together, it looked really bad. How the fuck did she have those?
As if that weren’t enough, more photos followed.
Me coming out of Gabe’s office the day before. The two of us at the Hyacinth Café in San Francisco and walking into my hotel afterwards. A photo of Gabe at a drugstore, buying a box of condoms.
Okay, the last one made me smile, but only for a second. Overall, it painted a picture of two people engaged in a very active affair.
Shit. Shit .
What her trash-talking would mean for my business, I couldn’t be sure yet, but it didn’t matter as much as the other thing I knew for sure: she didn’t have those photos just to destroy my reputation. That would be the icing on her poison-laced cake, but the cake itself would be using them to build her case for Gabe’s inheritance.
She must have paid a PI to follow him, just as we’d done to her, but the photos her investigator got were even more damning than what we turned up.
By Gabe and I spending time together, we were reinforcing her argument that he had, in fact, cheated on her. Technically, anything we did after he filed for divorce no longer counted, but it gave the impression that things between us had started before then, and as in so many things in life, perception counted for a lot in this situation.
Not wanting to upset Gabe at work, I called his lawyer directly instead. In a meeting at the time, she returned my call an hour later.
“This isn’t great,” she understated once she reviewed all the screenshots I sent her. “Ideally, these photos wouldn’t exist, but since they do, she messed up by posting them. At least we know she has them and we can prepare a defense in time. If we’d been blindsided with them, things could have been a lot worse.”
“So, we should be grateful that she’s so vindictive?” I asked, and Victoria laughed.
“If I had a dollar for every time someone would have been better off by keeping their mouth shut, I’d be able to give Mr Carter his inheritance myself and be done with it. Needless to say, my advice to you and to Mr Carter is to say nothing in response. Don’t let her know that we know about the screenshots, and don’t give her any more ammunition. ”
I nodded along with her right up until the last sentence. “What do you mean by ammunition? Gabe and I can’t spend time together?”
“It would be better if you didn’t until after the hearing. I’m not going to tell you what to do in your personal life, but if you want Mr Carter to win, staying away from him is the best thing you could do.”
Although I understood her reasoning, it still left a pit in the bottom of my stomach. If Celine had someone following Gabe, they could follow him to the airport and find out the flight he got on. Would that be enough time to arrange for someone to follow him once he arrived in Los Angeles?
Would it be worth the risk to find out?