He struggled as he said the word date, so at that moment, I could tell the poor guy was out of his element. So was I, though, because I couldn’t remember the last time a guy took me out.
“Umm…sure. I didn’t think you went on dates.”
“We don’t have to.” He started to walk away, “I just thought I would offer. Never mind.”
“No, wait.” He turned to face me, hope coming from his gaze. “I want to go.” My head lowered as I twined my fingers together. “I can’t remember the last time I went on a date.”
Jett ambled over to me and lifted my chin with his finger. “Well, that’s a crime. Let’s rectify that today. Can you be ready in half an hour?” I nodded and he smiled down at me. “Very well, I will meet you out back.”
Before I could say anything else, he walked out of my room and shut the door behind him.
“Holy shit,” I breathed out, as I tried to gain composure for what was to come today and promised myself not to read too much into it. I knew in the back of my mind that Jett didn’t do love; he didn’t do relationships, but there was a little part of me that said, maybe just maybe, I would be able to change him…the last words spoken from an impending broken heart, most likely.
I ran into my closet and looked for something to wear other than lingerie and business shirts. I opened a couple of drawers and spotted a yellow sundress with a scalloped neckline and cinched waist. Perfect!
I put the dress on, found a pair of brown sandals and put my hair up into a loose bun. I grabbed a flower from the vase on my nightstand, cut the stem off, leaving just enough length, and stuck the delicate flower in my hair, adjusting it just right. I spread a neutral eye shadow over my eyelids, followed by a smudged brown liner and a thick coat of mascara. I put my final touches of a nude lip gloss on and looked in the mirror.
Surprised by the brightness in my face, I spun around in my dress for a second and watched how the fabric lightly settled down from the air that once lifted it. I knew my heart needed to slow down, but I couldn’t help it. I was going on a date with Jett Colby.
***
My heart stopped in its place when I walked out back and saw Jett sporting a pair of dark aviators, leaning up against a vintage Aston Martin convertible in a gun metal grey. His posture was strong, confident and fucking sexy. If I was a photographer, I would have started taking pictures for a car magazine because, damn was he fine, and the car he was leaning on only added to his hotness factor.
The brilliant red color of the leather interior reflected the sun, giving a devilish backdrop to Jett’s appearance. The man was all male and dangerous for my heart, but hell if I was going to miss out on this opportunity.
He pushed off the car and walked toward me. I could tell by the barely-there smirk on his face that, as he walked toward me, he was checking me out and he was pleased. He stood right in front of me and brought my hand up to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on my knuckles.
“You are absolutely exquisite,” he hummed with appreciation in his deep raspy southern voice.
Lady boner…lady boner!!!
“Thanks,” I said shyly, avoiding kicking the ground and turning my face like a bashful doofus.
“Are you ready?”
I nodded as I patted my little purse that was slung over my chest, messenger bag style.
He smiled and then lifted his sunglasses, giving me an amazing view of his deep blue eyes. He held out my hand and made me twirl around for him as he observed me intensely. When I steadied myself, he lowered his sunglasses back down and smiled that gorgeous smile of his.
“You please me, little one.”
Swoon! Fuck, I was losing it and we had yet to leave the actual driveway. Two seconds with Jett Colby and I was practically ripping my panties off and giving him anything he wanted.
There went all my “I am woman, hear me roar” power right out the window. The minute he said I please him, I wanted to beg him to see what else I could do to make him happy. Woman suffragists are rolling in their graves right now. Sorry ladies.
He guided me to his car and opened the door for me. I thanked him and slipped into the sleek leather of the car. Forget the date, I thought to myself as I figured out every which way Jett could take me in his car. I was on position number twelve when he placed his hand on my thigh and looked over at me.
“It might be windy; I don’t want your flower to fall out.”
“I don’t mind.”
“I do,” he said, as he took it out of my hair and placed it gently in the center console. “When we get to our destination, we’ll put it back in.”
With that, he revved the engine alive and pulled out of the back driveway. I watched as the sinew of muscles on his forearms contracted with every shift he made to the car. His other hand was on the steering wheel, as if he was meant to be a racecar driver. Confidence exuded from his body as he weaved his way through the side streets of the Garden District. Fucking hell, the man was a walking turn on.
Gently pulling my eyes off of the brilliant man to my side, I took in the colorful pastels of the houses surrounding the famous neighborhood, marveling at the wonky trees that flanked the streets and the old wrought iron charm New Orleans emanates on a daily basis. We rode down St. Charles Street, passing the trolley that stopped every hundred yards to pick up a new group of mixed locals and tourists. Beads from previous Mardi Gras parades dangled from the power lines and trees, no one bothering to remove them since they were all a part of the beauty of the city.
I took in a deep breath as fresh air filled my lungs. It had been awhile since I actually left the confines of the Lafayette Club and with the sun beating down on me and the sex god sitting next to me, I felt refreshed, wanted and taken care of.
We drove in silence as Jett navigated his way through the streets of New Orleans, dealing with one way streets, trolley tracks, and detours from construction. We pulled up to the harbor and I watched as he pulled up next to a man in a suit waiting at the curb.
Jett left the car running, handed the man something and then opened my door, holding out his hand to help me out. We were not in an area where there was valet parking, so there must have been a look of confusion on my face wen Jett helped me out of his car because he said, “He works for me. I don’t trust public parking around here.”
“I wouldn’t either if I was driving that penis enlarger.”
Jett’s eyebrow raised as he looked down at me in question. “Penis enlarger?”
“Yeah, you know,” I said, while using my hands to gesture to the car and then to his crotch. “Men with fast cars are compensating for something.”
Jett leaned down and whispered in my ear, sending chills straight to my core. “You know perfectly well, that’s not the case here.” He pulled back as a sexy grin spread across his face. He lifted his hand and placed the yellow and orange flower back in my hair and then looked me in the eyes. “Perfect.”
Grabbing my hand, he led me past the Gumbo Pot and up to a round booth near the water.
“Ever been on the Steamboat Natchez?” he asked, as he pulled out his wallet and asked for two tickets.
“When I was little with my parents.” The memory of them taking me on the steamboat on a bright Saturday afternoon flooded my mind as I thought about the pack of peanut M&M’s my dad got me that I ended up spilling all over the deck. I was so upset, he got me two more packs…just in case.
“Hey, you okay?” Jett asked, as he guided me toward the line for steam boat. I nodded my head, but he didn’t take that as an answer. “Little one, do you not want to do this?”
“No, I do.” I relayed to him the story about when I went with my parents and how it just made me miss them. I needed to go visit them soon; I hadn’t been to their gravestone lately. Guilt washed through me before I was able to tamp it down. I looked like a brat and was acting ungrateful, so I shook out of my funk and followed Jett as we were guided onto the boat.
“This way,” he said, as he walked quickly to the bac
k of the boat where the big red wheel poked half out of the water and half in. He pressed my body up against the rail as he pressed his front to my back and wrapped his arms around the front of me to hold onto the railing. Even if I wanted to move, I couldn’t.
The organist that sat at the top of the boat played classic maritime songs, making me almost feel like I was at a Disney park. Kids ran around the boat screaming like lunatics as their respective parents lectured them and told them to stop running as the remaining passengers boarded.
Jett leaned down next to my ear as his body pressed up against mine, sending all my synapses into overdrive.
“This is my favorite spot on the boat, listening to the water run off the wheel and seeing the wake we leave behind. It’s funny, such a big wheel can cause such a disturbance in the water but then as time goes on, the water goes back to its normal ripple; it always recovers.”
Not quite understanding what he meant, I asked him. “What do you mean?”
His freshly-shaven face brushed against my cheek. “Hurricane Katrina took so much from you, put a huge disturbance in your life, but you are just like the river out here, little one. It might have rocked your world for a while, but as time goes on, you will return back to your normal ripple. I promise you will.”
As I soaked in every last word Jett spoke to me, I pushed back the tears that threatened to fall. The man could be so eloquent, so honest at times and so…loving that it nearly ripped me apart.
Even though I knew I never directly told him about my parents, I could only imagine the connections he had to find out what happened in my life…the devastation I lived through. I leaned against his body as his hold enveloped me in his strong embrace. We didn’t speak; we didn’t need to, we just enjoyed each other’s company as we watched the red wheel rotate, propelling us forward.
In the faint distance, I could hear a tour guide talk about our surroundings, but his words were not registering in my mind. All I could think about was the way that I was so very quickly falling for a man that I didn’t know and who wanted nothing to do with a relationship.
Chapter Thirty Two
“If I Lose Myself”
Jett
Goldie was still leaning against the railing near the wheel when I walked up behind her. She stiffened for a second at being startled, but then sank back into my chest.
I tried to ignore the fact that I enjoyed the way she fit me perfectly, the way that our bodies molded entirely together and the way her hair reminded me of hope, of sweet days to come. I just tried to soak in the moment for what it was worth, spending some time with a beautiful companion and enjoying the sights around us. That’s all it was.
“I could have been anyone,” I said into her ear, as I leaned down into her.
“I knew it was you, I didn’t have to even turn around to recognize the fact that it was your hard, gorgeous body pressing up against mine. You’re unmistakable.”
Impressed with her candidness, I wrapped my arms around her waist and held out my hands. She looked down and gasped, turning around quickly in my arms so I got a great view of her grateful eyes.
“You got me peanut M&M’s!”
“Four bags, just in case there is a little mishap.” I pulled out a water from my back pocket and said, “Hope you don’t mind sharing.”
“Jett, I sucked your dick off and drank your cum, I’m pretty sure I can share a water with you.”
I shook my head at her. “What comes out of that mouth of yours is never a dull moment.”
“Can we open them?” she asked, while tearing one of the packages open.
“I guess so,” I found myself laughing.
She popped one in her mouth and moaned, making my cock jump to attention at the noise emanating from the back of her luscious throat.
“Keep that up and you are going to find yourself in a very compromising position in front of the old sleeping couple and bratty-ass kids.”
“In that case…” She popped another M&M in her mouth, but I stopped her dainty little wrist.
“Don’t even think about it.”
She smirked and brought the candy to my mouth instead. I opened up for her and she pushed the candy piece in my mouth. Her fingers lingered, which I sucked in my mouth, making her eyes go wide.
“You think that’s not going to get you in trouble?” she asked.
“I call the shots, remember?”
“And I hold the cards,” she said, while smirking and turning back around, shoving her pert little ass into my crotch.
I bent over and rested my chin on her shoulder as she fed me another M&M. “Watch it little one, I have no qualms about taking you right here.”
“Think of the children, Jett. Honestly!” she said sarcastically.
I chuckled at her and then looked out at the river retreating in front of us. “Tell me about your parents.”
She sighed and rested her head on my shoulder. “They would have done anything for me. They weren’t the richest of people, but their souls were rich. They had everything they needed, our house, their refurbished furniture shop, and our family. They were content, more than happy, and treated me like I was their pride and joy.”
“You were their pride and joy, you still are.” I kissed her shoulder. I didn’t know why, but I had the urge to show her how amazing she really was.
“I can’t imagine what they would think of me after they passed…the life I’ve chosen to support myself. They wouldn’t be very proud of the path I’ve gone down. I know I was gifted with some good attributes, but my parents always stressed education; I kind of took the opposite road.” She held her head in shame, making me almost feel irate for the way she spoke so lowly of herself.
“You did the best you could, given what you had. You can’t put yourself down for trying to thrive after such a devastating loss.”
“Why are you being so good to me?” she asked, as she turned around and placed the bag of M&M’s in my pocket with the rest.
“Because you deserve it.”
“A lot of people deserve good fortune; how did I get so lucky?”
“Let’s just say, you were in the right place at the right time.” I shrugged my shoulders and then looked behind us. The boat was turning around and heading back to the harbor now; the trip was half over.
Her hands grabbed ahold of my waist as her fingers rested in my belt loops. “Thank you for taking me out today. I know you didn’t have to…”
“I wanted to,” I cut her off and then added, “and the night isn’t over. The sun is just setting and we have yet to eat. Come,” I said dragging her hands behind me and walking her down the stairs.
I walked her to the front of the boat on the bottom level where no one ever sat. Travelers of the Steamboat Natchez always liked to go to the top of the boat, not realizing the best view was where we were.
There was a bench that sat up against the front of the boat that I directed her to.
“No one ever sits here, it’s my second favorite spot on the boat and I love sitting here on the way back.”
“How many times do you take the ride?”
I shrug my shoulders, “At least once a month. I come here to clear my head, among other places.”
“Never thought of you as the tourist type,” she teased
I laughed and said, “Tourists are the bane of my existence. I love my city, but I wish it wasn’t such a destination hotspot.”
“I get that,” she said, as I pulled her down on my lap, making sure all the M&M’s were on the bench next to us. She leaned back into my chest and I reveled in the way her bare neck was exposed to my lips. Softly, I placed gentle kisses along the column of her neck and delighted in the sweet taste of her skin.
There was a voice in the back of my head screaming, “What the hell are you doing?” But I ignored it. I knew I was breaking every damn rule I ever set, but I couldn’t help it. Goldie was intoxicating and I needed more of her; I craved more of her.
“If you could go anywhe
re in the world, where you would go?” I asked, as I linked my fingers with hers and rubbed the tops of her knuckles, an endearing touch I seemed to be doing often when it came to her.
“Money doesn’t matter?” she asked.
I nodded and she continued.
“I feel like this is going to sound so pedestrian to someone like you, who has been everywhere, but I would love to go to a place like Tahiti where the water is crystal clear and you can stay in huts that hover over the water. It looks so serene, so withdrawn that I would love to lose myself there. But that would never happen since I don’t have the money, let alone a passport.”
“You don’t have a passport?” I asked with a little more shock than I should have allowed in my voice.
She shook her head and said, “No, never had a reason to get one.”
“Well, we are going to have to change that,” I said, as I wrapped my arm tighter around her waist and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder.
“Where would you go?” she asked.
Knowing I had the most cheese-dick answer ever, I contemplated answering, her but when she sighed into my shoulder, I knew I could trust the charming, yet foul-mouthed girl that rested in my arms.
“I would visit wherever my mom is.”
“You don’t know where your mom is?” Goldie asked, her voice full of sadness.
“She passed away awhile back from AIDS.”
“Oh Jett, I’m so sorry.”
“It’s a story I would rather not get into, but if I had a chance, I would visit her, just for an hour longer.”
Why did I bring up such a dark subject? Fuck, I was losing my mind. I had a girl resting on my lap as I embraced her and was talking about my mom, of all people. I didn’t do shit like this. I didn’t talk to women, not after Natasha left me. I became numb to the world, but the minute Goldie walked into my life, I found myself throwing all my ideals into the wind, acting like a fucking pussy talking about my feelings and reveling in a woman’s touch. What the hell?