It’s seven p.m., and I’m ready to go. Matt really went to town on me. I had a salon manicure and pedicure; my nails are now a beautiful shimmery nude. Then he suggested we visit the makeup counters in Macy’s, and one salesgirl did an incredible free makeover on me. My eyes are smoky and lined with a hint of copper to match my dress. The mascara she used makes my eyelashes almost look false; they’re long, full, and soft. I bought two of them to take home. One for me and one for Rachel. She worked magic on my cheekbones too; they look high and sculpted, and my lips are a gorgeous barely there nude. I tied my hair up in a loose bun and am hoping it looks effortlessly sexy, and not just effortless. Matt wolf-whistled when he saw me and told me to have an incredible night. Then he got a text from Stefan asking what he was up to, so he danced off to his room to call him in private.
I take a last look at myself in the mirror and spray some of my perfume on, my hand shaking.
There’s a knock at the door and my stomach leaps into my throat. He’s here. I can see Jay waiting through the peephole. He’s wearing smart dark-blue trousers and a crisp white shirt, open at the neck. His hair is screaming at me to run my fingers through it. Here goes. I take a deep breath and open the door. His eyes drop down my body and back up again as a shiver runs down my spine. How can him just looking at me make me feel like I might combust?
“You look incredible, Holly,” he says, still drinking in my body as he reaches up to run his hand across his jaw.
“Not so bad yourself.” I smile back.
His eyes light up, like a fire that’s been fed more oxygen. He takes a large stride into the room, closing the gap between us, kicking the door closed behind him. His hands grab either side of my face and he kisses me, his lips pushing against mine with the perfect pressure, his tongue dancing with mine.
“I’ve been wanting to do that all day,” he says, his eyes twinkling. “Now let’s go before I rip that dress off you and bend you over the desk with those heels on,” he says darkly, looking down my legs at my new shoes.
“Such a gentleman,” I reply, picturing the hot scene. Maybe I don’t need to eat after all, and we could stay here.
“Come on, Berry.” He smiles cheekily. My shoulders relax with the use of his special name for me.
I take the hand he’s holding out toward me and we leave my room and catch the elevator down to the lobby. As we come out, Megan from the flight is by the other side of the lobby. She smiles when she sees me, and then her eyes widen as she notices Jay next to me, my hand in his. I give her a small smile and wave with my free hand and for a minute she looks too shocked to respond, but then her eyebrows raise, and she grins back at me before we disappear out of the main hotel doors.
The valet guy from this morning brings Jay’s car round, and Jay thanks him and hands him a tip.
“I should tip you, Mr. Anderson. Wait until I tell my brother I drove a Ferrari!” he exclaims in undisguised excitement.
“Your brother likes cars?” Jay asks.
“Oh, man. My little bro Eric can’t get enough! He’s a mechanic, but he’s never got his hands on a Ferrari before. He will be so jealous, man!”
Jay laughs. “It is a beauty.”
They exchange a few more car comments, while I look up at the sky. It’s a warm California evening. I can smell the bougainvillea that spills from the hotel’s flower beds. It’s sweet and feminine. I’m not sure I will smell it again without thinking of tonight.
“Nice talking to you, Cooper,” Jay says as he shakes the valet guy’s hand before leading me around to the passenger side and opening the door for me. I slide into the low seat, careful to keep my ankles together as I swing my legs in. Jay shuts the door and walks around the car to the driver’s side before slipping into the seat next to me.
“Do you like Thai?” he asks.
“It’s my new favorite.” His eyes are bright as he smiles at me in understanding—anywhere with him is my new favorite.
Twenty minutes later, we pull up and park opposite the restaurant. We spent the car journey chatting about work, places I’ve flown, and places he’s traveled to for filming. Jay opens the door for me, and I take his hand to climb out of the car. All the cars parked nearby are expensive sports cars and there’s even a limo. A few journalists are set up on the pavement outside the restaurant as we cross the road.
“Don’t worry, they don’t bite,” Jay jokes when he sees me looking worried. “This place has the best Thai in LA; a lot of people visit here. Those guys are here every night looking for a story.”
I am blinded by some bright flashes as cameras go off.
“Jay!” calls one of the paparazzi. “Any storyline hints you can give us for season three of your show?”
“Now, that would ruin all the fun.” Jay smiles.
“Who’s your lovely date, Jay?” another with dark-brown shaggy hair calls, but Jay is already steering me past them.
“That was so weird,” I whisper.
“Most of them aren’t too bad.” He shrugs. “You hear about the ruthless ones who will do anything to get a good story, but most of them have families at home and they’re just doing their job.”
“You’re right. I never thought about it like that. Just heard the bad things, you know?”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover, Berry,” he scolds, dipping his mouth to my ear, “or I may have to spank you later for unacceptable behavior.” I know I’m blushing, but now I’m tempted, just to see if he means it.
I look up at the tall building in front of us. It’s all black glass, sleek and commanding. The main entrance is two giant black doors with oversized intricate gold handles. They remind me of a temple I visited once. Two staff members dressed in black suits and ties open the doors for us. My breath catches in my throat as we walk in. It’s incredible. The décor has this kind of earthy, tropical vibe to it. There’s a long bar running along one side and a mix of tables and booths in a dark wood with deep-green velvet chairs. There are large, lush tropical plants everywhere you look, and the lighting is low and sexy. Each table has a small lantern on it and hanging from the ceiling are dimly lit wicker pendants of varying sizes. There’s a real buzz of energy. All the tables are occupied. This place is popular, just like Jay said.
“This is gorgeous.” I look back over at Jay. His eyes are on my face.
“Yes, it certainly is,” he says, looking down at my lips.
“Good evening, Mr. Anderson, and good evening, miss. Welcome to Fusion,” a server greets us. “My name is Jack; may I show you to your table? We’ve seated you on the terrace this evening. I hope this is suitable?”
“Great, thanks,” says Jay, and we follow Jack out a door at the side of the room and onto the terrace. It has the same feel as inside with the large plants and lanterns on the tables. Above them is a wooden veranda covered in vines and scattered with fairy lights. Dotted between the tables are small potted trees covered in lights, giving each table a sense of privacy. Jack shows us to our table, and we order drinks before he leaves us to look at our menus.
“I’m glad you came tonight, Holly,” Jay says, looking across at me. “I swear I listened to nothing in my meetings today. I just kept thinking back to last night.” A flirtatious smile plays on his lips. “It’s a good thing Stefan was there paying attention; otherwise, I have no idea what I might have signed myself up for.”
Jay has been thinking about me all day?
“I’m sure Stefan has it all under control. He seems very capable.”
Jay raises an eyebrow. “Don’t go getting a crush on my friend now, Berry. I want all your attention on me.”
I fight back a giggle as Jack reappears with our drinks. “Here you are,” he says, placing two tall glasses of the house cocktail on the table. He takes our food order before disappearing.
“You two are close then?” I ask Jay, taking our conversation back to his relationship with Stefan.
“Yeah, he’s one of my closest friends. We’ve known each other a long time. After Rob died, I found it hard. Stefan just seemed to get it. He understood somehow.” Jay looks down at his drink at the mention of Rob.
“I’m sorry, Jay. That must have been so tough.” I reach across the table to take his hand.
“It was, still is, some days. But Rob wouldn’t have wanted me moping about. So, tell me about your family,” Jay says, changing the subject.
“Well, my mum and dad live by the coast in Cornwall, where I grew up. My mum loves baking; I swear she’s tried making every cake known to man.” I smile as I picture Mum in her floral apron that she’s had since I was a kid. “My dad is a judge, the fairest man I know, but he forgets he’s not in court sometimes. He caught me and my sister Sophie drinking underage at a family party once and turned the living room into a courtroom while he put us on trial. It was mortifying.” I put my hand over my eyes as I laugh at the memory. “We were so embarrassed in front of all our cousins; I swear neither of us touched another drop for years!”
Jay laughs, his eyes twinkling in amusement. “Your dad sounds like a character!”
“How about you?” I ask Jay, turning the spotlight onto him as I take another sip of my drink.
“Well,” he says, leaning back in his chair, “I grew up in a small town close to here. My mom likes to fuss over me and my brother Blake whenever we go visit, and my dad runs his own home maintenance business. They met when they were sixteen and have been in love ever since. Dad told me she was the prettiest girl he’d ever seen.”
“That’s so sweet.” I lean my chin into my hands as he lights up, talking about his family.
“Blake runs his own outdoor pursuits company. Takes people on these wilderness survival experiences. He’s done well for himself, although never tell him you think that. He’ll get an enormous ego!” Jay laughs, shaking his head as he looks at the table.
I smile. It’s obvious that family means a lot to him. “Did you dream of being an actor as a kid?”
“Hell no!” He laughs. “After being scouted for modeling, I went on to commercials, then got my first film role. It just kind of snowballed from there, but I wanted to work in conservation and study animals.”
I snort some of my drink up my nose and cough. “I’m sorry.” I smile, patting my mouth with my napkin. “I just can’t believe how you went from wanting to be Dr. Doolittle to what you’re doing now.”
He laughs and his eyes crinkle in that way I love. “I guess I wasn’t meant to talk to animals after all. We don’t all have a magic tongue for words.” He smiles, his eyes holding mine, and I can just tell he’s thinking about us in bed together and how I have a desire to talk dirty with him. I smile down at my drink as Jack appears with our food.
“This looks delicious,” I say, taking in the steaming plates of pad Thai, and the delicately arranged sharing platter, decorated with frangipani flowers.
“Here,” Jay says, picking up one of the miniature tofu wraps. It looks too delicate and cute to eat. He holds it up to my lips and I open my mouth as he feeds me. My lips slip over his finger and thumb before he moves them away.
He sucks in his breath. “God, Holly, you’ve no idea how much I like your lips, what goes in them and what comes out.” He raises an eyebrow and smirks.
“You’re a bad boy. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I smile.
“Perhaps you need reminding later.” He smirks back and my stomach flutters at the thought.
We don’t stop chatting as we eat the rest of our meal. Jay’s so easy to talk to and the conversation just seems to flow. I tell Jay about Rachel and Matt, and what I do at home between trips. It must all sound so mundane, but Jay listens without taking his eyes off me. He tells me more about the small town he grew up in and stories about his family, but he doesn’t mention Rob again. When it’s time to leave, we make our way back through the main restaurant to the exit, Jay keeping his hand low on my back.
“I’m just going to use the ladies’ room,” I say, gesturing to the restroom sign.
“Okay, I’ll wait here for you,” says Jay, perching on a stool at the bar.
I float off on a cloud of, I don’t know what, happiness, excitement? I just know that I’ve had a wonderful evening. I’ve gotten to know Jay a lot better and I don’t know where this is going, but I hope it doesn’t end with tonight. I find the restroom and look at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes sparkle back at me. Maybe he has always dated models before, but I don’t look too bad. I admire the job the Macy’s makeup girl did and the outfit Matt helped me pick out.
I’m smiling as I come out of the restroom. I must look like a lovesick teenager. Jay is sitting at the bar where I left him, but he’s no longer alone. There’s a woman talking to him. My step falters. It’s Anya Katiss, the model he was rumored to have dated once. She’s not just talking either. She has one hand draped across Jay’s shoulder, the other playing with her hair. She’s talking animatedly about something. I swallow down the sick feeling in my stomach and walk over to them.
“Holly.” Jay stands as he sees me, his face looking puzzled when he sees my expression. “This is Anya,” he says as she turns to me.
She’s even more beautiful up close. She makes no attempt to hide the fact she’s studying me, as her eyes sweep over me from head to toe. She’s taken her arm off Jay’s shoulder now and reaches her hand out to me, leaning in to kiss me on both cheeks as I take her hand. She smells amazing; I recognize it as her new perfume we got samples for at the show last night.
“Holly, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” she says in a sexy accent—is it Argentinian?
“You too,” I reply, remembering my manners as I take in her long, sleek hair and beautiful, exotic features.
“Well, I won’t keep you,” she says as she turns her attention back to Jay. She lowers her voice, but I can still hear her. “Think about it, Jay,” she purrs, and then she turns and walks away, her long, perfect legs on full display in her short red dress.
“Are you okay?” Jay asks me.
“Absolutely!” I lie. He pauses, his beautiful blue eyes looking at me quizzically for a moment. When I don’t say anything else, he takes my hand and leads me out of the restaurant.
We drive back to my hotel and I try not to obsess over Anya Katiss and what she meant. What does he need to think about? Does she want to get back together again? It must be that. I mean, who can blame her? I look across at Jay driving. He is the sexiest man alive. He expertly maneuvers the car, the muscles in his arms visible as he holds the wheel. We pull up to the hotel and Jay hands the keys to Cooper, who looks like Christmas just arrived early as he realizes he gets to drive Jay’s Ferrari again.
Jay guides me into the lobby and toward the elevator, his hand resting on the small of my back.
“You’ve got an incredible ass,” he whispers, leaning down toward my ear. His breath tickles my neck and a jolt of electricity shoots through me.
When the elevator doors open, we step in together. The minute they close, Jay pushes me up against the wall inside, his hands moving down to squeeze the cheeks of my ass hard. “I’ve wanted to touch you all night, Holly,” he breathes against my neck as he kisses it up and down roughly, sucking and nipping with his teeth. It’s so good, all I can do is stand there with my hands on his hips, pinned to the wall, enjoying his every move against my body. “You smell incredible. I can’t wait to get you naked,” he says, his deep voice speaking directly to my pussy as it grows slick with arousal. I will the elevator to hurry so we can get to my room.
When we reach my floor, the elevator doors open in slow motion. I stumble out, followed by Jay, one hand still on my ass. Luckily, the corridor is empty. What must we look like? We get to the door of my room and I fumble about in my bag, trying to find the key card.
“Come on, Berry,” he groans in my ear as he presses into me from behind. He slides one hand up my dress and straight inside my soaking wet panties. “Oh, fuck yeah, you’re so ready for me,” he says, the same moment the door swings open.
We tumble inside the room, Jay behind me with his hand still buried inside my underwear, and his lips on my neck. Another rush of my wetness covers Jay’s hands as he leads me over to the desk and sinks two fingers deep inside me.
“Ahh,” I cry out at his blatant claiming of me. It burns but feels so good.
“I was gentle with you last night,” he growls in my ear from behind as he uses his free hand to pull my dress up around my waist. “But I don’t want to be tonight. Not now that I know just what that pretty little mouth of yours is capable of.” He pushes his hips forward so his rock-hard cock presses against my ass. “You can trust me, Holly. I’ll look after you.” His voice softens as he kisses my neck again. He removes his fingers from inside me and unzips his fly. It’s followed by the sound of a condom packet ripping.
“Do you trust me, Holly?”
“Yes,” I whimper, placing my hands flat on the desk and leaning forward. I can’t wait to see what he has in mind for me. He roughly pulls my panties to the side before he plunges his cock deep inside me in one quick move. I gasp as the force of it throws me forward onto the desk and my muscles clench around him.
Fuck.
“Does that feel good, Holly?” Jay asks, sucking his breath in.
“Yes!” I cry. “Oh God, yes!” My orgasm is already building. He turns me on that much.
“Then tell me baby,” he growls through gritted teeth as he grabs my hair with one hand and pulls my head back toward him.
“You feel so good. I love the feel of your cock inside me. I want to feel every inch of you. I will never get enough,” I cry as he pounds into me, our skin slapping together.
“Oh God, Holly, keep talking,” Jay moans.
“Slam into me baby; give me your beautiful cock,” I scream as he thrusts deeper and deeper. The hand pulling my hair yanks harder and his other hand goes to my ass. One cheek stings as he slaps me with his hand and drives down harder.
“Oh, fucking hell, Holly, you feel so good,” he groans as he keeps slamming into me. All I can do is drop my mouth open and moan as I try to stay standing. It feels so good. No one has ever fucked me so roughly before. Yet somehow it feels intimate.
“Jay, I’m going to come.”
“Not yet, Holly, hold on to it,” he fires back as he continues driving his body into mine with force.
“I can’t, Jay,” I cry, my legs shaking beneath me. “Please,” I whimper.
“Okay, baby, let me feel you,” Jay moans, giving me the permission I crave.
“Fuck!” I cry as I come undone and orgasm with a giant shudder around him. My legs collapse under me as Jay lets go of my hair and brings one arm around my waist to hold me up.
“Holly!” I hear him moan as he plows into me hard one more time as his cock jerks deep inside me, emptying all he’s got inside me.
My legs are like jelly and my ears are ringing. I can’t even hear properly. I’m lost in the incredible calm that comes after a huge release. Jay gently pulls out of me, steadies my feet on the floor, and turns me around to face him. We are sweaty and panting and still fully dressed. His blue eyes hold mine as he breaks into a huge grin. I can’t help it; I grin back as I catch my breath.
“That was incredible, Holly,” he pants as he leans in and kisses me softly on my lips.
“I can think of worse standby callouts I’ve had,” I say and we both laugh and kiss as we catch our breath.
Jay stays the night with me, and I lose count of how many times we have sex. We just can’t get enough of each other. When I wake up in the morning, I’m sore, but satisfied. My aching muscles are a sign of what an incredible night I’ve had. I’ve never come so much in my life. I discovered that Jay gets really turned on going down on me, especially if I pull his hair as he does it. It seems to be his thing. One hair pull and he’s fired up even more. He would have spent all night with his head between my legs and my hands in his hair if he could.
“Hey, gorgeous.” He smiles at me across the pillow, one arm slung up above his head, the other casually resting on top of the sheets.
“Hey to you too,” I say, stifling a yawn. “I hope you know this is cruelty to a flight attendant. Keeping me up all night with your magic cock when I now have to operate a flight back to London. I won’t make it to my bed for another twenty-four hours.”
“Well, on behalf of my magic cock, I apologize.” Jay smirks. “He’s very hard to control when he’s around you—seems to have a mind of his own.” He stretches his muscular arm up behind his head. “So, when are you next back in LA?” he asks casually, not looking at me.
Oh, here it is. What do I say? Do I be honest and tell him I’ve got a trip rostered in just over a week? Or would that make it awkward if he’s just trying to be polite, and this was just a fun, short-lived hook-up for him?
“Um, I’m not sure,” I say.
“Can I see you next time you’re here, Holly?” he asks, turning to me, his eyes fixed on mine.
“Oh, sure, if you want to.”
“I want to,” Jay says as he draws me into a kiss. “Give me your phone.”
“Okay, why?” I ask as I hand it to him.
“So I can put my number in it, and you can text me to let me know when you’ll next be in town.”
I smile. Maybe he really does want to see me again. He holds the phone up and it clicks as he takes a photo of the two of us lying together.
“What did you do that for?” I cry. “I’ve just woken up; I must look terrible,” I say, throwing an arm across my face.
“No, you look amazing and like I’ve just fucked you all night. And the photo is so you can look at it and think of me,” he says sweetly. “You know, when you’re touching yourself back home.”
“You just ruined the sweet thing you said.” I laugh.
He pulls my arm off my face. “But it’s true though, isn’t it? Please tell me it’s true so I can imagine you doing it.” He smiles as he kisses me again. I grab a pillow and hit him with it.
“Stop talking, you fool. I have to go shower and get ready for my flight.”
“Aww, come on, Berry, you’ve got time to say goodbye to me properly,” he teases, as his head disappears under the covers, back to his favorite place once more.
Jay’s gone home and I’m ready to check out of my room for the flight home. I sigh as I zip up my suitcase and stand to smooth down my red uniform. This has got to be the best work trip I have ever had. In the last forty-eight hours, I met an incredible guy, who must have given me fifty orgasms by now, and I discovered dirty talk during sex really turns me on. Even if I never see Jay again, I will always have the memories of the last three days. Especially what he did in the shower at his house, for which I will be forever grateful for. He made me feel beautiful and sexy when I’ve felt far from it since breaking up with Simon. Since well before that too if I’m honest. I stand my suitcase up and pull out the handle. After one last look around the room to make sure I have everything, I turn and leave with a heavy heart. Goodbye LA. Goodbye Jay Anderson.
