Pure Passion (11 page)

Lara

Awaking to the sound of sandpaper scratching against wood, I
knew Max was already at work in his makeshift workshop. 
It’s really cool
how much he loves building those guitars.  I wish I had something that I was so
passionate about.  I guess my passion is Max.

After washing my face and becoming presentable, I cruised
downstairs to seek out some caffeine
.  The only part that kinda sucks living
with the guys is that I feel like I always have to look good.

“Good morning!” Derek said, sounding chipper.

“Hey, Derek. Where’s the better half?”

“She had her final at 9:30 this morning, so she’ll be back
around noon.  So what’s up with you and Max?”

“Why?”

“I saw the look you gave him yesterday when he said you two
were just friends,” he teased.

“Yeah, I guess I assumed that a great blow job would get me
out of the friend zone.  But, apparently I was wrong,” I said casually while
grabbing a coffee cup.

After practically choking on his breakfast, Derek said,
“Holy Christ, Lara, turn on your filter!  I still think of you as my kid
sister’s best friend.  You’re not supposed to talk like that!”

“Sorry, Derek.  After hearing you and Hadley role playing
the last few nights, I guess I felt like we could talk about these types of
things.”

Now that was an Instagram moment!  Derek’s face turned three
different shades of red, and I rendered him totally speechless.

“Sorry, Derek, I shouldn’t have teased you like that.  I was
just kidding.  We can’t actually hear you through the air vents.”

I smiled, filling my cup before departing. 
Now this is
the fun part of living with these guys!

My second laugh of the day came an hour later, when I
overheard Derek and Max talking about adding sound baffles to the duct-work.  I
think Max was a little shocked that I had been so blunt with Derek, but it just
kind of flew out of my mouth.  It seemed too hilarious to pass up.  When the
talk turned from sound baffles to about me, Max confessed that he really liked
me and was surprised by how good I made him feel.

“I’ve seen you smile more in the past two weeks than in the
previous two years,” Derek confirmed.

“She’s so different from other girls.  She kinda drives me
crazy.”

I literally felt tingles up the back of my neck when he said
that.  By the time I headed out for work, I was on cloud nine again.  My only
debate was whether I could actually make Max suffer until the weekend.  I
really wanted to but wasn’t sure if I had the will power
.  I just need to
stop thinking about it!

Max

I don’t think Lara realized how embarrassed Derek was by
her comments. 

Derek made me swear that neither of us would breathe a word
of it to Hadley.  She would be mortified if she found out!  Things were going
way too good for him in the bedroom.  He didn’t want anything to spoil it.  I
once helped a friend soundproof a recording studio, so I was able to point him
in the right direction.  Within an hour, we were out shopping for sound baffles
and acoustic tile
.  I need to pick up some condoms, too.  I know I’m in the doghouse
at the moment, but I’m going to make it up to her.

Since I had just come out of a nine-year relationship, it
felt like I should be single for a while instead of jumping right back in.  At
the same time though, everything had fallen into place so naturally that being
with Lara just felt right.  Besides, she was driving me crazy!  The whole sex
thing had me guessing a little, too.  Initially it seemed as though she was
probably a virgin because she seemed pretty naïve, but then she talked about
massage secrets and had a fascination with handcuffs.  It was hard to know
which one was the real Lara. 

She definitely has my attention though.  I’m finding it
hard to focus on getting my work done.  I have to get Tag’s guitar done by
Thursday, so I can drop it off on the way to Ft. Lauderdale.

Lara

Since I was taking a long weekend, I volunteered to work
4:30 p.m. to close, Sunday through Wednesday.  I knew that the extra tip money
would be nice to have for the road trip.  Also, since I wasn’t getting home
until the wee hours in the morning, there wouldn’t be much chance for Max and
me to be alone.  About the only time we saw each other was between noon and
four o’clock each afternoon.  I would make him something for lunch and then
spend a few hours helping him in his workshop before I went to work.

It was amazing to watch him cut and file the inlays for
Tag’s guitar.  He did everything by hand, just the way his granddad taught him
years ago.  It was too bad Tag’s manager had talked him into doing the guitar
pro-bono.  Max really couldn’t afford to do that, but he seemed a little
desperate for Tag's endorsement
.  I guess he wants to prove to Tag that he
is worthy of his name. At least Uncle Felix is excited to help Max get things
going.  That Charlie guy seems pretty worthless to me.  If he was a good
marketer, Max’ guitars would be flying off the shelf.   I hope we get to meet
some cool rock stars this weekend!

~~~

By the time Thursday arrived, both Max and I were anxious to
hit the road.  We had to drop off Tag’s new guitar in Orlando, so it was going
to take us seven hours or so to get to my uncle’s place.  We took off at noon.
It was a gorgeous day so we decided to take Max’ convertible, but I insisted on
paying to fill the tank.  As we hit the interstate, I plugged in my iPhone. The
first thing I played was
Remember to Breathe
to set the mood for the
trip.  I hoped that the weekend would be a big step toward both Max and me
having our dreams come true.  I thought back to the days when my heart would
flutter at the sight of Max pulling up in his car to drop off Derek.  My
tormented past was beginning to fade into the distance with each passing day. 
Max had no idea how thrilled I was to be going away with him.  Cruising down
the freeway and spending the weekend with him was another one of my dreams come
true.

Max

The ride to Orlando was fun, but I was a little distracted. 
I had to wonder what Tag would think of the guitar I’d built for him and
whether or not it would live up to the one he had used for years.  Would he
even be there, or would it just be his manager?  Needless to say, I was
relieved to finally get there and see Tag in person.  He took the guitar out of
the case, blown away with all of the detail that I had put into it for him.  I
had basically gone all out, and he really seemed to appreciate the effort.  He
walked over to his studio amp and plugged it in.  As he started playing the
riff for one of his current hits, a big smile came across his face. 
Whew!
 
I knew exactly what he was going to say.

“Max, I’m impressed.  Looks like I’ve got a new stage guitar
after who knows how many years.  I love it, man, and I’ll be proud to endorse
your work.  Just let me know what I can do,” he said, giving me a genuine smile
and shaking my hand.

“Thanks, Tag! I won’t let you down,” I assured him.

“Wait here, I’ll be right back,” Tag said, disappearing into
the back room. 

Moments later, he emerged with a wad of $100 bills.  “A
guitar like this has to run about six or seven grand, doesn’t it?”

“I suppose, but I told your manager that yours would be
pro-bono.”

“No, Max.  Your grandfather was good to me when I was
nobody.  He saw I had talent and gave me a deal on one of his favorite
guitars.  I’m glad to see you are carrying on his legacy, and I want to return
the favor.”

With that, he counted out 65 hundred dollar bills and
practically forced me to take them. 
This must be what good Karma feels
like.

By the time we got back in the car, I was ready to party.  I
would’ve been happy just seeing his reaction to the new guitar.  Getting $6500
cash on top of having his endorsement was totally unreal!  Even though the
money was already spent, it felt good to be making forward progress.  I gave
Lara $1000, since I wouldn’t have met Tag without her introduction. 
What an
amazing day!

“I think Tag is just the first of many clients to come,” I
told her, as we got back on the turnpike and headed for Ft. Lauderdale.

“I know.  Did you see his face light up when he opened the
case?  It was love at first sight.”

“Yeah, it was kind of amazing how good that felt.  It’s
still weird to think that I made it.”

“Well, I think you are going to be busier than you can
imagine soon.  I’m anxious to see what Felix has lined up,” Lara replied, as
her hair danced in the wind.

This is awesome.

Lara

It made my day to see Max so happy and relaxed after we left
Tag’s studio.  The next three hours flew by, and about the time we hit the end
of my iTunes collection, we were pulling up to Uncle Felix’ house.  He had the
coolest place.  The street was basically a man-made island with houses on each
side of it.  On the other side of the houses, there was an inlet so everyone
could park their boats right next to their house.  Felix had always been rich,
but he definitely used the financial crisis to his advantage. 

Felix greeted us with his latest arm-candy, a 35-year-old
blond named Yvette.  It was funny to see my uncle with a curvy, ex-swimsuit
model who was 20-some years younger and at least 2 inches taller than he,
without heels. 
Quit drooling, Max!

Uncle Felix was on the short side, had lost much of his hair,
and sported a pretty good belly.  But what he lacked in physical presence, he
made up for with charm and charisma.  Even if you didn’t know him, you would
assume he was wealthy just by the way he carried himself.  He was the coolest
guy I’d ever known, and I was proud to call him my uncle.  Yvette was a true
socialite, greeting us with hugs and kisses, even though she had never met us
before.  Max seemed more than happy to receive a hug from her. 
Those boobs
have to be fake!

“I hope you guys are hungry,” Felix said as we made our way
inside. 

He motioned to staff members who were delivering seafood,
grilled steak, and vegetables to a massive table in the dining room.  That was
one thing about my uncle; he loved to entertain, always going all-out to please
his guests.  Max and I just laughed when he asked which bottle of wine we
preferred. 

“If it’s over ten bucks a bottle, you’ll have to make the
choice for us,” I told him. 

“My taste buds aren’t trained to appreciate expensive wine. 
I can barely afford the basics, so wine hasn’t been a priority,” Max added.

“Well, Max, judging by the pictures that Lara sent me,
you’re not going to be worrying about money for long.  You just need some
exposure and a good web site.”

“Glad you liked ‘em.  I bought MaxKeeganGuitars.com, but
haven’t had the extra money to build a website yet.”

“That’s kind of like opening a KFC without putting up a
restaurant.  The profit from the next guitar you sell should go into a nice
website.  You’re making things way too hard for yourself,” he replied,
immediately taking on his advisory role.

Uncle Felix just dove right into helping Max figure out the
business side of things.  Our dinner conversation drifted between the guitar
business, the history behind it, and our personal lives.  I could see why he
was so successful in business, because he had the ability to put people at ease
and extract all of the information that he wanted to know.  After dinner wound
down, Max and Felix went to his den, while Yvette and I went out to the deck to
have another glass of wine.  Yvette was a definite party girl.  Each time my
glass was below half, she would insist on filling it up.  After she refilled it
for the third time, I told her that was it for me.

“I’m not a big drinker, and I don’t want to get sick on the
boat tomorrow,” I told her.

“You’re going fishing with the boys?” she asked.

“God, yeah, I love fishing.  Felix and I used to do a lot of
fishing when I was young.”

“I would never touch a fish,” she replied, scrunching her
well-toned face.

“That never bothered me.  Dad and Felix were always amazed
that I would bait my own hook, take my own fish off, and even filet them.”

“That’s just gross.” 

By the look on her face, I knew the whole idea of fishing truly
repulsed her.

By the time I finished that last glass of wine, it was
getting a little hard to speak.  I felt like I was slurring my words, so it was
time to go get some sleep.

“It’s only ten o’clock,” Yvette protested.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’m shit-faced, so it’s the end of
the day for me.” 

I knew I had too much to drink, but it wasn’t until I got up
and began to walk around that it really hit me hard. 
Where the hell is Max?

~~~

Max

“Take me drunk, I’m home,” Lara slurred, as she came into
Felix’ study.

I was pretty sure she was kidding, but she definitely had
more to drink than normal.  She was pretty funny when she was sober, so she was
hilarious after too much wine.  She started harassing Felix about how she
always caught bigger fish than him and how she could clean fish without leaving
any bones behind.

“Sadly, she’s telling the truth,” Felix laughed, shaking his
head.  “You two better call it a night, before Lara gets herself in trouble. 
The guesthouse is all set up for you.”

“Please don’t tell Mom we’re shacking up,” Lara asked almost
incoherently on our way out the door. 

Hmmm, maybe she is that drunk.

“Your secret is safe with me, Lara.  Don’t do anything I
wouldn’t do.”

“Shhh!” I told Lara, keeping her from slurring another witty
comeback.

It was a good thing that the guesthouse was literally 50
feet away because the wine was hitting Lara hard. 

“Let’s go skinny dippin',” was Lara’s next big idea, as she
began unbuttoning her blouse.

“Yeah, let’s just jump off the pier and drown,” I replied a
little sarcastically.

“You're no fun,” she replied, giving me a pouty look. 

Wow, she can barely focus.  This sucks.

After getting her into bed, I put the wastebasket next to
the bed and went to get her a glass of water.  She’s gonna be hurtin’ in the
morning, was my thought as I returned to find her lying naked on the bed. 

“I'm done punishing you!” she declared with a glazed look on
her face.

“So, you admit you’ve been punishing me, huh?” 
God she
looks good!

Had I been completely sober, I probably would’ve declined
her drunken advancement.  However, Felix and I had a couple of double shots of
Courvoisier after the wine at dinner, so I was feeling no pain myself.  I
didn’t even think I liked cognac, but it tasted pretty good for some reason.

After shedding my shirt and pants, I flung back the covers
and crawled in with her. 

“Hey, no underwear,” she protested after immediately
reaching for my cock.

“Alright, crazy girl, just lay back and relax.” 
She’s a
wild thing!

Taking her in my arms, I first attacked her lips.  The smell
of her perfume and the lingering taste of wine were a great combination.  She
had been teasing me all week, and it was time for a little payback.  As our
tongues clashed with each other, my free hand traveled along her body exploring
her subtle curves.  She responded with a soft series of moans, and her
wandering hands began to explore me, as well.  It had been almost a week since
our first naked encounter, and I had been thinking about it ever since. 
This
time I’m going down on her.

“Fuck me now!” she protested in a pouty voice as I began
working my way down her body.

“Shhh! I want you to put your hands behind your head and
pretend you’re handcuffed.”

“Okay,” she giggled and complied.

“No matter what, you have to keep your hands behind your
head.”

“I'll try.”

She looked so adorable lying there with her hands behind her
head and that drunken smile on her face.  I kissed her lips one more time
before traveling along her chin to nibble on her earlobe.  She moaned as I
sucked on her neck while rolling her nipple between my thumb and fingers. 
I
love how sensitive she is. 

Feeling her fingers in my hair, I had to back off to
discipline her. 

“Get your hands behind your head and keep them there,” I
instructed with a firm tone.

“Okay,” she giggled once again.  

I don’t think she’s taking me seriously!

This time my lips took hold of her left nipple, as my
fingers began to explore her folds below.  She began moaning softly again, and
I felt her juices engulf my fingers as I moved inside her.  Switching nipples,
I licked and sucked hard while my fingers worked on her pussy lips and clit
below.  The way she was reacting, I knew I could bring her to a full orgasm
simply by increasing the intensity a notch.

While attacking the first nipple again, I pushed my middle
finger inside her and began rubbing her G-spot in a circular motion.  Her
response was almost immediate, and her moans grew ever louder.  I felt the
bumps forming under my fingertips as I continued to massage her insides.  I retreated
to her outer folds for a few strokes before moving in to finish her off.

I leaned forward and attacked her tongue with mine while
moving back inside her with two fingers this time.  The only thought running
through my head was that I wanted to do for her what she had done for me the
weekend before.  I could feel the passion burning through my veins as I
hungrily devoured her lips and worked her over with my slippery fingertips. 
Her body flexed, and she released her arms as I continued, determined to drive
her over the edge.  Our mouths were smashing against each other as I felt her
scream inside my mouth.  Wanting her to ride the orgasmic wave, I continued to
work her G-Spot as she grabbed for my hair and wriggled beneath me.  Using my
body weight to hold her in place, I was unrelenting in my quest to take her as
far as she could go.

“Max, Max, please stop,” were the slurred words I was
waiting for.  With that, she started convulsing beneath me and let out a final
gasp, letting me know she had gone as far as I could take her. 

“Oh my god,” were her final words as she curled up in
complete exhaustion and snuggled into me.

That was awesome…
  I thought, until I began to focus
on my throbbing boner down below.  With Lara drifting off, I thought about
taking care of it myself but decided just to wait. 
She’ll do something
special for me tomorrow. 
After all, I did make a trip to Wal-Mart for
condoms and handcuffs, both of which were in my duffle bag. 
It’ll be worth
the wait. 

~~~

We both awoke to the sound of Lara’s phone ringing.  The ringtone
was
Wanna be a Billionaire,
so she knew right away that it was Felix. 

“Felix wants us to come have breakfast.  Then we’re going
out on the boat at ten,” she said, looking around the room for her clothes.

“Would you like a robe?”

“Yes, that would be nice.  Thanks.”

Lara

Ok, exactly what happened last night?  Things are
extremely fuzzy at the moment.  I remember going to find Max, and that’s when
things got pretty blurry.  It appears we had fun, since we’re both naked. 
Yikes.  I should remember things like this.

“What happened last night?”

“Well, after I told you we couldn’t go skinny dipping, you
went to the bedroom and stripped down.  When I came in, I found you naked on
the bed, and you told me to fuck you,” I said with a smartass smile.

“Oh, that’s nice.  So did you?”

“Seriously?  You don’t remember?”

“Not at the moment.  No.” 
Wow, this is why I hate
drinking too much!

“Well, that’s why I didn’t want to have sex.  Instead, I
just drove you to a wild orgasm using my fingers before going to sleep with
aching balls and a boner.” 

“Hmmm, I really should remember that.  It sounds awesome.” 
I
promise I’ll help you with that boner later.

“If you think about it, you’ll piece it all together as the
day goes on,” he assured me.  “I’ll get our bags so we can get ready.”

As he went to retrieve our bags, I tried to retrace the
events of the night.  I couldn’t recall the walk back, but the skinny dipping
idea did seem somewhat familiar.  Most of all, I was just glad to be feeling
ok.  There were few things I hated more than going out on a boat with a wine
hangover. 
Yuck!

“Come here for a minute,” I told Max as he set my bag on the
bed.  He looked so damn sexy in his boxer shorts.

“What?”

“I just wanted to let you know, I’ll take care of this for
you tonight,” I said, rubbing my hand along his bulge.

“Thanks, but you’re not really helping anything by doing
that.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.  I just wanted to give you something to
think about while we’re out on the boat.”

“You’re evil, Miss Jones.  You’re a teasing, little vixen. 
I’m going to have to give you more of what you got last night.  Only this time,
I’m using the handcuffs!”

“You bought handcuffs?” 
Yay!

“Yes, I wanted to surprise you, but I figured you needed
something to think about on the boat, too.  Now, quit teasing me and get
dressed,” he added, pulling away from my wandering hands.

I love him!

Max

I was all worked up by the time we got to breakfast. 
Nothing
like having your balls aching by 10:00 a.m. to make for a long day.  I can’t
stop thinking about her last night.

“Good morning, Max.  Did you think about our discussion last
night?”

“Good morning.  Yes, I’ll agree to it.  I really don’t have
anything to lose do I?”

“No, working together we can make a lot of money.  I think
you’ll be surprised by how quickly things come together,” Felix replied, waving
someone in from the boat.  “I want to introduce you to RJ.  He’s an old friend
and a guitar enthusiast, so I thought you two could chat while we’re out on the
boat.”

“Nice to meet you.  Do you play?” I asked, extending my
hand.

“Got my first guitar when I was a teenager, but it was
nothing custom.  It was my Christmas present, ordered from the Sears catalog,”
he laughed.

“Well, you’ve got to start somewhere, right?”

Lara

After Max left, I started thinking.  Seeing my clothes
strewn across the floor must’ve triggered something, as the events from the
night before started coming back to me
.  I really wanted Max last night. 
I’m impressed he didn’t take advantage of me.  I think I was practically
begging him. It’s even more impressive considering I've been teasing him all
week.  Maybe I am evil….

They were sitting down to breakfast, when I joined them. 

“I remember now,” I whispered to Max, giving him my best,
wicked smile.

“I was hoping you would,” he whispered back, squeezing my
thigh. 

It’s going to be a long day…

Max and Uncle Felix seemed to be hitting it off, and RJ was
pretty cool, too.  By the time we all boarded the fishing boat, everyone was on
their second Bloody Mary, except for me.  Yvette and I had gone for Mimosas
instead.  I needed a little hair-of-the dog to settle my stomach, but nothing
strong.

“This isn’t quite as nice as the fishing boat you had when I
was a kid,” I teased my uncle.

“Yeah, you remember that one?  That was a good old boat, but
I think this one will grow on you, too.”

It was a blue and white sport fishing boat that was more
like a yacht with three levels.  The lower level looked more like a luxury
condo than a fishing boat, the cockpit was loaded with every type of electronic
device you could imagine, and my favorite spot was up on the fly bridge.  Up
there, you sat about 20 feet off the water, and it was by far the best spot for
cruising.

“I was able to pick this up for less than a half million in
2009 from a dealership that went belly up,” Uncle Felix explained as he joined
me for the ride out to sea.

“Wow, you should’ve told me there were deals like that
around.  I had no idea!” I laughed.

“It’s good to see the old Lara, again.  You always had so
much spunk as a kid; I’ve missed that sparkle in your eyes.”

“Thanks.  It feels good to be back.  My teenage years were
kind of a death spiral.  I blame the hormones.”

“Hormones and boys will get you every time.  At least that’s
what I’ve heard,” my uncle said with a smile.

“It’s true!  How about you?  Is Yvette the real deal?”

“Yvette? What do you think?  She won’t even come out on the
boat.  No, she likes the fact that I take good care of her and treat her like a
lady.  I saved her from a pretty abusive relationship.  I told the bastard I’d
put out a hit on him if he didn’t back off.  After that he pretty much folded.”

“Really?  Like a hit man?  You’d do that?” I asked
curiously.

“No, but he didn’t know any better.  All he knew was that I
had plenty of money and have no patience for men who beat their women.  Last I checked,
he had gone back to Armenia.  I think everyone’s better off having him out of
the country.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.  So what do you think of Max?”

“I like Max.  He’s definitely passionate about the custom
guitar business.  He needs some help on the business side with promotion and
pricing, but he’s definitely got talent.”

“That’s why I called you.  I knew you’d be able to get him
going in the right direction.”

“Yeah, it seems he and RJ are hitting it off, too.  RJ’s
about as well connected as they come.  If he likes the guitar Max builds for
him, the floodgates will open up.  I want you to get-on Max about his website. 
He needs to get that up and running.”

Sure, I’ll get-on Max!  Can we go back to shore now?

~~~