Perfect Ten (25 page)

“Okay. Me first.” I scanned the people walking by until I found one I liked. “Him.” I pointed to my guy.

“Okay. Go.”

“Well, he’s here visiting his family from Russia.” Playing right into my hands, he stopped to take off his sweatshirt. “See? It’s too hot for him here.”

Chloe laughed. “How’d you make him do that?”

“So, he’s visiting his family and he had to get out of there. See, he mistakenly slept with his brother’s girlfriend last night. He’d had a bit too much vodka and fucked her in the pantry thinking she was the maid.”

“Faith!” Chloe was really laughing now. “My how you’ve changed the way you play.” She rubbed her hands together. “This is getting good. Go on.”

“Well, it was so good that he went to find the maid this morning and fucked her again. Only when he told her she felt different than she did last night, she informed him that it wasn’t her he had fucked. He stormed into his brother’s room, only to find the girlfriend naked in bed alone. His brother was out making a bakery run. So he fucked her again, the maid’s scent still on him.”

“Holy shit, Faith. What has Joe done to you?”

I grinned at her. “Your turn.”

“Okay.” She looked around and then pointed. “I’m going to take that couple sucking face over there.”

The second I got a look at the couple, my coffee threatened to come back up. It was Joe and Sophia.

“Oh, my God. Is that…?” Chloe turned to look at me and got her answer. “Faith, wait.”

I was already out of my chair.
What the hell was he doing? And right in front of my house? I’d kill him.

I was already inside the house
and making my way down the stairs when Chloe caught up to me. “Faith!”

I rounded on her “What? He made me trust him. I swallowed all his lies about Sophia!”

When we got to where they’d been standing, the scene looked a little different. Joe was wiping his mouth and trying to keep Sophia at arm’s length. They hadn’t seen us, and as wrong as it may have been, I just had to know once and for all what he felt for her. I pulled Chloe back along the side of the house where we could listen to them.

“Sophia, this has to stop. What do I have to say to convince you that I’m not interested?”

“I just don’t buy it, Joe. What on Earth could you want with that mouse of a girl?”

I heard her moan and it took all of my
self-control not to launch myself out there and make some heads roll—or run back inside and cry for a year. I’d probably give in to the latter.

“Goddammit, Sophia. Get off me.”

Chloe was seriously pissed off. “Aren’t you going to do something? She is all over your man. Don’t you get it? He’s a good one. Go help him. Jesus, you’re more fucked up than I am.”

When I hesitated, she took matters into her own hands and dragged me out with her.

Joe turned at the noise and immediately pointed to Sophia. “I had no idea she was here, Faith. I swear it.”

“I know. I heard you trying to keep her away from you.”

“Sophia DeMarino? She’s the Sophia who won’t leave Joe alone?” Chloe was looking at Sophia with a look of pure disgust.

“You know Sophia?”

“She’s a client of mine.” She turned back to Sophia. “How could you do this? You’re married. You have little children! They’ve been in my shop. I even cut your husband’s hair.”

“Oh
, my God. You’re not going to tell him, are you?”

Chloe crossed her arms and stared Sophia down. “I don’t know. I’m not doing your hair anymore though, that’s for sure.”

“You can’t tell my husband. He’ll leave me. I can’t be alone. He takes care of me.”

“And this is how you repay him? You hire escorts to entertain you and then stalk them when they tell you no?”

Joe and I just stood there, watching the scene unravel. In a sick way, it was interesting. We were all connected in some way, weren’t we?

“How about this?” Chloe was about to do something that neither Joe nor myself could have done. Knowledge was power. “You find yourself another salon to go to. You leave Joe alone, and I won’t tell him. No phone calls, no wandering by the house, nothing. Got it?”

Sophia gave Joe one last look of longing, and nodded her head. “Fine. Well, I guess this is goodbye, Joe.” She pushed her way back into his arms, grabbed his cock, and licked his lips.

“You’re one lucky bitch,” she said to me as she walked away.

Joe stalked over to Chloe and picked her up, swinging her around. “Chloe, I love you. You’re a Goddess. Thank you!” He put her down and gave her a loud smacking kiss, right on the lips.

“Hey! No more kissing other women. Even Chloe.”

***

Joe

After the whole fiasco with Sophia, I felt the need to take Faith away for a long weekend. It was such an incredible feeling to finally have closure on that era of my life, and I wanted to celebrate. There was a quaint village up in the mountains that I thought she’d love, and when Faith was happy, I was happy. It was a win/win.

With Christmas only a few weeks away, it was the perfect place to take her.
Lots of girlie shops inhabited the village selling candles and shit like that for last minute shopping, and if memory served, there was a great lingerie shop up there, too. Merry Christmas to me.

“So, you’re not going to tell me where we’re going?” I wanted it to be a surprise. All she knew was that we were going away for a few days
, and I’d have her back in time for work the following Wednesday.

“Nope. You’ll just have to sit back and relax until we get there.” Heidi barked her agreement, and stuck her face in between the seats, making Faith laugh.

Always ready with some TLC, Faith reached over and scratched Heidi’s ears. “I’m so glad we could bring her with us.”

“She’ll like it up there. The
entire back wall where we will be staying is made up of windows, from floor to ceiling. Plenty of stuff for her viewing pleasure.” The cabin I was taking her to belonged to my Uncle Mike. I remembered how much I loved it when I was a little kid.

Uncle Mike and I were working on a new, adult relationship. When I called him at Faith’s urging to invite him to Christmas Eve, he cried and begged me to come back into the family business with him. We had a long conversation, and I felt good about it. So much time had gone by since my father’s death, and I was starting to find some peace with it.

The sun was down by the time we got there, showcasing the millions of Christmas lights that lit the entire village. Wreaths adorned doors and bows were on every light post. Brick walkways were interweaved throughout the little stores, mostly selling hand-made items you couldn’t find in the big commercial chain stores.

I pulled into an empty parking spot and gently rubbed Faith’s cheek to wake her up. “Wake up, sweetheart.”

She came awake by degrees, looking around her in momentary confusion. “Where are we?”

“A little village. Feel like doing some shopping before we head to our
cabin?”

She looked around, a smile breaking free on her beautiful face. “Oh, Joe. It’s so pretty.” Her eyes scanned the stores directly in front of us. “A pottery store! Oh, let’s go in there first.”

Now, normally, I’d rather get root canal than go shopping in these types of stores, but this particular trip, I’d shop in every damn one if that’s what Faith wanted to do.

“Why don’t you go in, and I’ll meet you in there after I take Heidi for a walk?”

“Oh, I almost forgot about Heidi. We can’t leave her in the car.”

“Don’t have to. Look.” I pointed to the store to show
her the doggie water bowls and tying posts that sat just outside the door.

“Oh
, my God. How adorable!” She leaned over and gave me a quick kiss. Before I could grab her and demand a bit more, she jumped out of the door and just about skipped into the store. I hadn’t seen her so spunky since Sophia had finally disappeared out of our lives. I hoped that this time it was forever.

A little while later, when Faith was shopped out for the evening, we made our way up to the cabin. The winding road took more of my attention than I would have liked, and I had to keep both hands on the wheel. Faith’s bare legs were calling to me. Her skirt sat at mid-thigh, begging for my hand to be slipped up there. I silently vowed to spend extra time on that creamy skin when we arrived at our destination.

With a final turn, we swung into the driveway and continued to climb as the road faded away behind the massive pine trees surrounding the cabin. In the middle of the clearing sat a gorgeous log cabin. I knew all of the thought that had gone into the designs for this house. Each part was lovingly created from the large logs that made up the walls all the way to the shape of the antique keyholes on each interior door.

“Wow.”

Faith liked it. “Wow, good I hope? This is home for the next couple of days. Wait until you see the inside, although I haven’t been here since I was fourteen.”

“It’s incredible.”

When she saw the wall of windows in the back, she stopped dead in her tracks. “When you get your degree, I want you to build us a place just like this.”

“Anything for you, Faith. Just name it and it’s yours.” I couldn’t wait one more second to be inside her again. I know
—I’m insatiable. True to my caveman tendencies, I leaned over and threw her over my shoulder in a fireman’s hold and ascended the stairs.

Faith was slapping my ass telling me to put her down. So I slapped hers back. Hard. The sound that came from her mouth warranted another hard slap. When I put firm pressure right in between her legs, she let out a squeal.

“God, Joe.”

“Hold that thought. Almost there.” I walked into the master bedroom to find roses everywhere and a bottle of champagne cooling in a bucket of ice.

I put Faith down and she scanned the room. “How did you do all this?”

“I didn’t.” I walked over to the champagne bottle and saw a note from Uncle Mike.

I hope you enjoy your stay. I look forward to renewing our relationship.

Love,

Uncle Mike

Faith walked up behind me and slipped her arms around my waist. “That’s really sweet.”

“Yeah, it is. I think we’re going to be okay.” I turned around and pulled her close. “Thank you.”

“Me? For what?”

“For everything. For making me a better man. For believing in me. For pushing me to call my uncle, but most of all, for loving me. You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I’m so grateful for you.”

Her eyes swam, making me regret my words instantly. “No! Aw, please don’t cry.”

“I’m not. I’m grateful for you too, Joe. Thank you for being so stubborn and refusing to leave me alone.”

I grinned at the girl in my arms. “You’re welcome. And now…” I picked her up and threw her on the bed, watching her tits jump as she bounced on it. Before she could utter a protest, I covered her body with mine and quickly got us both naked. We fucked so many times and in so many different positions,
that the next day, I was sore in muscles I never knew I had. It was exactly the getaway we needed.

We got into
a comfortable pattern, as Christmas loomed closer. I was back at Starling Architecture learning the ropes on the administrative side and familiarizing myself with the projects they were working on.

Christmas Eve was an intimate event with just Essie and Chloe, along with her two kids. And Heidi of course, who ate entirely too many cookies that the children snuck to her.

Uncle Mike did stop by with his new wife, but didn’t stay too long as they had to visit her family, also. It was a good night, and I was almost fearful of something going wrong. But maybe, just maybe, we’d paid our dues. Maybe it was time for all things good.

Christmas
itself was a noisy affair. Believe it or not, we went to Faith’s parents’ house. In the spirit of the season, I allowed her family to ask me questions about my past, and I answered them as honestly as I could without sounding like the gigolo that I actually was. And then I told them to forget it. I wasn’t going to talk about it anymore.

And now
, New Year’s was upon us.

“Hey, sweetheart.” Faith was getting dressed for the big New Year’s party at Essie’s
home.

Essie was getting weaker as the days went by, but she insisted on having one last big bash in her home. She made us invite everyone we knew. She wanted her house filled to the rafters. We even invited Faith’s sisters.

Faith stopped in the middle of changing her earrings. “I hope this isn’t going to be too much for Essie. She better be relaxing like she said she would and letting the others do all the work.”

“I’m sure she’s fine.” I ran an appreciative glance down her body. “You look ravishing tonight.”

It was, of course, another black tie event. Instead of my usual tux, I wore a dark charcoal suit with a silver shirt and jet black silk tie. I looked pretty good—if I did say so myself.

Now Faith. Faith was the show stopper. She had on an emerald green
gown. It had silk folds that fell like a waterfall from just under her breasts all the way to the floor. A band of the purest, darkest green velvet ran around her breasts and ended in a deep V in the back. The gown was so low cut in the back that I found my hand constantly resting there so she didn’t let out anything I didn’t want viewed by others.

“Stop looking at me like that or we’ll never make it there.” She knew me so well. Turning around, she reached down and gripped my package, holding it until she felt me hardening. “Stay like that all night. Just semi-hard, okay? I’ll be checking.”

“All I’ll have to do is look at you. That won’t be a problem.”

***

Essie’s mansion at Christmas time was even more impressive than usual. She’d had lights strung everywhere. I’m sure they had to have started at Halloween in order to have time to decorate it all. There were huge wreaths with big red bows on every window. Even the fountain statue in the middle of the circular drive was decorated.

Faith’s parents
rode with us and were behind us as I lifted the door knocker. Mrs. Sampson opened the door and I was pleased to see Essie sitting at her usual spot on the deacon’s bench looking healthy and spry.

“Essie. You look magnificent.” And she did. She wore a red velvet gown and it looked exquisite. Diamond’s adorned her ears and throat. I had to guess they were part of the family heritage.

“Your jewelry is beautiful, Essie.” Faith leaned down to give her a kiss.

“Thank you, dear. I hope you wear them and think of me someday.”

Before Faith had the chance to utter a response, Essie turned to me. “Everything in this house stays with the house. Make sure you shower her with all of it. I have some very lovely pieces that might even do her justice.” She smiled at Faith and then accepted my assistance into the drawing room.

Patricia elbowed her daughter in the arm whispering frantically. “What did she mean it would be yours someday? You got her money? How? What did you do?”

Dale grabbed her and pulled her back. “Not tonight, Patricia.”

That was the only bump in an otherwise perfect evening. The champagne was flowing, the people were merry (even Faith’s sisters were behaving
,) and Essie was so happy to have her house filled with people that it almost brought a tear to my eye.

So much had happened in such a short time. Some of it sad, but most of it wonderful.

I was a twenty-six-year-old man with the world at my feet. I had a family who loved me, a couple of close friends, and the girl of my dreams. The only thing that could make it any better was one word. Yes. That’s it, one simple three letter word.

It was crazy. I started out this whole journey thinking S.E.X. were the best letters of the English alphabet, but it turned out they just very well may be Y.E.S.

***

Essie had helped me set the stage. The night outside was only marginally cool with huge heaters sitting sporadically on the back porch to warm any cold spots.

Some people milled around the gardens while others sat at tables conversing, and still others simply mingled with the other guests.

“Oh, Joe. It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?”

“It is.” I pulled her back against my chest, closer to me as our heads tipped back looking at the stars together. She wiggled her lovely ass against me.

“Do I need to check you again, Mr. Starling?”

“Um. I think maybe you do.” I turned to the right a bit, as she reached her hand behind her to check the hardness of my cock.

“Oh. Is that a gun in your pocket or …”

“Actually, it’s a box. Care to have a peek?” I was going to propose to her in front of everyone, but being alone with her in a darkened corner of the patio just felt right.

Still thinking I was playing with her, she replied in a throaty voice, “Oh, I’d love to have a peek. You show me your box and I’ll show you mine.”

I turned her around and planted my lips on hers. When she was thoroughly kissed, I placed the box in her hand. “I love you more than anything, Faith.” I got down on my knee. “More than anything. There’s nothing I won’t do to make you happy and keep you safe.” Shit, I was going to lose it. I cleared my voice, trying again. “I…” Shit. As usual, she saved me.

“Oh
, my God. I love you too, Joe.” She got down on the ground with me. Others had noticed, so we were getting the audience I didn’t really want anyway.

“Open the box, dear,”
Essie said from the window inside.

Faith opened the box and gasped. Inside was a perfect diamond. Not too big, not too small. It was surrounded by emeralds in an antique setting. She looked up, directly into Essie’s eyes.

“Isn’t this your ring?”

“No. It’s yours. I don’t need it anymore, dear. It brought me many years of happiness. I hope you have the same. Now kiss your young man and tell him you’ll marry him!”

Faith looked at me with a look I wanted to always remember. It was the same look I noticed on her when I knew she’d fallen for me. She thought I could rope the moon.

“I would be honored to marry you, Joe Starling. Honored.”

I gathered her up into my arms and allowed that stubborn tear to fall where no one could see me. Never would I have believed a woman would bring me to my knees like this. It was, by far, the best way to be brought down, and I knew, deep in my soul that we would have a happily ever after.