Sweetness (36 page)

Weird.
After bringing over our dinner and pouring the
wine in silence, Gabe breaks the tension with a very odd
question.
“So Emma. Are you going to be staying at HMA
now that things are changing?”
“Yes, of course. Why wouldn’t I stay?”
“Just a question. I wasn’t sure if you were going to
stay here in New York, or if you were going to tour the
world with your husband to be,” Gabe asks taking a slow
sip of his wine.
“Is that your way of firing me?” If he thinks I am
going to go peacefully he is gladly mistaken.
“Firing you. Why would you think I would fire
you?”
“It is obvious that the only reason you put up with
me was because of my father. Since he is out of the
picture, you no longer
have
to keep me around. You can
send me to the mailroom or whatever, just to get me out
of your hair,” I calmly state, desperately hoping it
doesn’t come to that.
“Is that what you think? That I would send you to
another department or get rid of you?”
I nod.
“Well than, you don’t think very highly of
yourself. Or me for that matter. I will admit, I had my
reservations about you at first, but you have proved you
are up for the challenges this job brings,” he admits.
My nerves are so on edge I more push my food
around then eat it. There is so much that has happened in
such a short period of time, I think it is just now sinking
in that my life plan is changing. I don’t know how I feel
about that. For so long I have focused on the end game, I
never really planned the middle steps. I thought my
father and I were always on the same page in regards to
his expectations of me. I guess in his eyes I really let him
down.
“So now what? Where do we go from here?” I
drop my fork on my plate. The loud clatter of steel
against ceramic draws Gabe’s eyes to mine.
“Well, I spoke with, Stephanie, today and she has
agreed to stay on as my office assistant, as long as she can
keep her hours the same and not travel. So, I thought
instead of you being my intern, you could be my full
time personal assistant. Stephanie would handle the
schedules, appointments, correspondence. All the
nonsense she is absolutely great at. You would be with
me when I travel, go to business meetings with me, takes
notes, and assist me with my projects.” His brown eyes
soften as he patiently awaits my answer. He looks almost
eager for my response. I notice a few beads of sweat have
formed on his now wrinkled forehead, but as he stares
directly into my eyes the corner of his mouth lifts
slightly.
“Great, it’s settled,” he announces.
“I didn’t say yes,” I tell him, irritation dripping
from every syllable.
“You will,” he states confidently, popping an olive
in his mouth. He is always so smug. It drives me insane.
“What makes you think that?” I raise my brow in
question. I may just decline to prove a point.
“I can’t read you very well. Which is odd, because
I can usually pick up on what women are going to do or
say. But you, I don’t know. I can’t seem to get a handle
on you.” He studies me like he is trying to read my
thoughts. I don’t like it.
“Really? First, I am not most women. And second,
why is it exactly that you feel the need to get a handle on
me.”
“I just like to know what I am getting into.” Gabe
mutters into his wine glass.
“Well you are not, getting into me, so there is
nothing to worry about.” My statement makes Gabe spit
his wine into his cup as he attempted to take a sip.
“What?!” he chokes, wiping a drop of stray wine
from his chin with the cloth napkin he removed from his
lap. “I am not trying to get sleep with you Emma. I am
just trying to figure out what makes you tick. We are
going to be working closely together so I would prefer no
surprises slipping out of your mouth.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Hernandez, I know what is
expected of me at the office. So, if you can keep your Jedi
mind tricks under wraps, I will gladly accept the job as
your assistant.”
“Really?”
“Really. But under one condition.” I put my index
finger up as if it is a serious request. Gabe nods for me to
continue. “It is not in my job description to ward off
drunken blonds who try to hit on you. That was a onetime thing. You are on your own next time.”
Gabe laughs and extends his hand, “Deal.”
When our hands connect I feel a rush of warmth
throughout my body. I better stop drinking all this
Spanish wine. It is going right to my head.

The feeling of a warm
, strong hand on my outer thigh,
the scent that is only Dominic, and a hot mouth on my
neck, teasing me, makes me squirm between my
Egyptian cotton sheets. I love it when I dream of him. I
am somewhere between asleep and awake; this much I
can tell. I will myself not to wake up. If I make any
sudden movements he will be gone and my bed will be
empty again.

Without opening my eyes I run my hand down
my stomach and into my panties. As I massaging myself
under my fingertips in small circles I roll onto my back. I
must be waking up a little because I can’t feel him on me
anymore; I can still smell him. Smelling him is nothing
new. His cologne is sprayed everywhere around my
room and on my bed.

A small groan beside me causes my eyes to shoot
open and my body to freezes. Because it is dark in my
room, I can only see a shadow figure between me and the
window. I instinctively try to move away; to the other
side of the mattress so I can make my escape. A strong
arm pulls me back and even though I can’t see him, I
know that touch anywhere.

“Why’d you stop? I was enjoying the show,” he
snickers.
“Dominic!” I leap up and throw my arms around
his neck, pulling him down onto my bed from his
standing position next to it. “Baby what are you doing
here? You weren’t supposed to be here until this
afternoon.”
“Want me to come back later?” he jokes.
Hell no. There is no place I would rather him be
right now. I missed him so much over the past few
weeks. I ache for him to be near me. Inside me.
My hands firmly on his shoulders hold him in
place, “You are not going anywhere. I get you all to
myself until after Christmas.”
I kiss him hard, not allowing him to speak. I only
break our contact when I slip my tank top off and toss it
carelessly to the other side of the bed. My need for him is
feral and urgent. His clothes as a barrier to his skin
underneath are causing me some annoyance. I need him.
I want him, sure, but I
need
him, right now. I need to feel
his heartbeat with mine. His body covering my own. I
need our bodies to be one, without a molecule of space
between us.
His callused hands kneed my breasts with the
same determination. His rough touch tells me that he is
just as wanton as I am. It has been almost six weeks since
we have been together and virtual sex is just not the same
as the real deal.
“I missed you, baby. I need you inside me,” I
groan as he pulls me toward him and pops one of my
nipples into his mouth. I arch my back, watching as he
sucks and rolls it between his soft lips.
I need skin on skin. I need to feel him in me, on
me, with me. I pull up his shirt and toss it on the floor
next to the bed. He rolls me off him and clumsily
removes the rest of his clothes. I roll my now wet panties
down my legs and make a show of tossing them towards
his face. I know how much he likes my panties, so of
course there is a seductive smile laced across his face as
he watches them fly through the air. He catches them
mid air, sniffing first, before tossing them on the floor. I
have no idea why it is so hot when he does that, but it is.
Tossing the blankets off the bed he grabs my
ankles and pulls me toward him. “You have no idea how
bad I need you, too. I have been miserable without you
with me.”
His tongue traces my instep causing me to wriggle
on the mattress. I get the whole seduction thing but
seriously, I’m ready. “Dominic, please.”
Settling between my thighs he runs his shaft
through my wetness, coating himself. He groans in
appreciation when he feels how wet I am for him
already. Without further hesitation Dominic slowly sinks
into me, hissing through his teeth until he so deep I can
feel his balls against my ass. The pleasure of that first
thrust causes a moan to emanate from deep within my
soul.
“God baby, you feel so good. I have been
dreaming of being balls deep in you for weeks.”
“Very romantic, Mr. Ross, now fuck me harder
because if you keep going slow I am going to go insane,”
I demand.
Dominic grunts a, “Yes ma’am” as he slams into
me. His hard thighs clench every time he pounds into
me, mercilessly. He is filling me to the top end of what I
can accommodate without it being painful. My nails rake
over his back leaving behind thin red streaks along the
way. The feeling of our bodies melding into each other is
euphoric. There are no more words spoken, only
grunting and moaning from the both of us as we release
six weeks of pent up sexual frustration together. Damn,
that was good.
“Welcome home,” I giggle through the post coital
bliss.
Dominic settles his weight on his elbows and
looks into my eyes. “This,” he grinds his hips into me, “is
my home. Wherever you are, Sweetness, is where I want
to be.”
I slide my hands into his hair and pull his face to
mine so our foreheads touch. “Ditto.”
Dominic rolls off of me and pulls me close into the
crook of his arm. The proximity of him makes me want
him all over again. When my hands start to wander
down his torso he chuckles and takes my hand in his,
pulling it over his heart. I can feel his heart rate calming
under my hand until our pulses synchronize.
Home. Home? Where is home for him? During all
of our conversations and time together, I don’t even
know where he lives.
“Dom?”
“Yeah.”
“Where do you live?” My question causes a slow
rumble of laughter to start in his chest. Dominic kisses
my forehead and turns so we are both lying on our sides
with our hands intertwined together between us near our
chests.
“With my parents, in Jersey.”
“Oh.” I feel bad for asking now. Maybe he
couldn’t afford a place of his own before. But since, Lost,
is doing better now, surely he could get his own place.
“When I finished college there was no sense in
moving out. We used the garage to practice and Chris
and Roc lived there too, so we stayed. My mother said
there was no sense in us wasting our money when we
could stay there. I think she just likes taking care of us
all,” he explained.
“What about now? Are you going to still live at
home? Or you could…you know…stay with me. If you
want to? No pressure or anything, I just-“ Dominic
pressed his finger against my lips to make me be quiet.
“I want to. I can either move in here or we can get
our own apartment in the city. I know this is your dad
place, but maybe we can buy it from him. I don’t want to
be indebted to him for anything. Your relationship with
him is strained enough. I don’t want him thinking I am a
mooch or something.”
My father still has not come around to Dominic
and I getting married. Two weeks after he officially
retired, him and Mia went on a tour of Europe for
vacation. I haven’t heard from him. Mia emails me and
sends me pictures, but my father has shunned me
completely so it seems. He thinks that my relationship
with Dominic is just a phase I need to get out of my
system.
“My father won’t let us buy it and he doesn’t think
you are a mooch. He just thinks you aren’t going to stick
around, being a successful rock star and all,” I joke as I
kiss the back of his hand. “I would really like to stay
here, but I understand if that makes you uncomfortable.
As long as we are together that’s all that matters to me.”
“Baby, if you want to stay here I have no issue
with that. We have to go to my parent’s house tomorrow
so we can pack up some of my stuff and bring it here. It
isn’t much, just some clothes and my guitars. You may
will have to share your closet, you do know that right?”
I pretend to scowl at his statement. “Yes, I know,”
I sigh. “The things I do for love.”
Releasing our hands and grasping my hip firmly
he pulls me closer to his body. I can see the wicked smirk
on Dominic’s face, even in the dark. “What else would
you do for love?”
“What do you want me to do?” I quirk my brow to
challenge him. To be honest I would do anything for this
man who is lying naked beside me. The love I have for
him supersedes any emotion I could ever have. He is my
first love. My only love. I will love him forever and do
anything I can to make him happy. That is how he makes
me feel so I will spend the rest of my days making him
feel the same.
“Be creative.”
Creative, huh. What could I possibly do to-I got it.
I don’t think it is exactly what he was talking about but
he said be creative. I give him a quick peck on the lips
and hop off the bed.
“Where are you going? Come back,” he whines.
“Being creative, now hush.”
I turn the dimmer up slightly so there is more light
in the room. Not too much, because if I can read the
expression on his face I may die of humiliation during
my performance. I grab Dominic’s shirt from the floor
and slip it over my head. Doing this naked isn’t going to
help the humiliation factor either.
Next stop is my iPod. After I am done flipping
through my library I grab the remote to the sound system
and click on the song that I have expertly selected. When,
I Would Do Anything for Love by Meat Loaf, starts to
pour out of my speakers Dominic laughs hysterically and
sits up straighter in the bed. As I get closer he leans
against the headboard to enjoy the show with a very
enthusiastic smile on his face.
Without consideration that it is only 3:27 A.M. I
belt out every word to one of my favorite songs. A song
that exemplifies what it means to love someone so deeply
you would protect them even though it causes you pain.
A song about love, and finding that one person who is
selfless enough to save you from the outside world. A
song that portrays my deepest feelings for the man in my
bed.
When the lyrics speak of dreaming about him for
the rest of my life his face falls; he realizes the
significance of this song…for us. Us being apart, us being
together, us falling in love, and us fighting for each other,
the things we will have to do be together. This song is the
epitome of our existence together. As long as we have
each other, we have it all. Others be damned.
As it comes to the final verse Dominic sits up on
his knees and sings the male part as I continue to sing the
female part. I get emotional when it talks about
everything my father said would happen. Him tiring of
me and leaving me for another woman, him cheating on
me, and just simply not wanting me for me. If those
things were to ever come true I wouldn’t be able to
handle it. I keep saying I love him, but love is too
common a word. I more than love him. I breathe him. I
live him. I feel him in my veins pumping through my
body like a live wire.
Dominic grabs my face and looks deep in my eyes
as he continues to sing with me, promising he would
never hurt me. Tears stream down my face and fall onto
his hands. I didn’t know singing this song would be so
emotional for me. For us. Dominic wipes my tears away
and pulls me against him. His strong arms hold me as I
cry on his shoulder.
“Are you two done now? Some of us are trying to
sleep,” Wanda yells down the hall in the direction of my
bedroom.
“Sorry!” Dominic yells through a laugh causing
me to giggle through my tears.
“Yeah, well, you are lucky I like you. I have to be
up in two hours. Between the sex screams and the
singing, who the hell can sleep,” she says right outside
my door.
“I’ll keep her quiet, Wanda.”
“Her? I was talking about you. Your singing is
good, but you sound like a grizzly bear when you fuck,”
she adds.
Still laughing he replies, “Thanks, roomie. We will
fuck quietly from now on.”
“Oh God, goodnight.” Wanda stomps down the
hall and shuts her door-or rather slams it.
I look up at Dominic shyly, embarrassed that I just
broke down crying when I was trying to be funny. He
brushes the hair away from my face and cups his hands
under my chin, forcing me to look at him in the eye.
“Wanna’ talk about what just happened?” he
questions, looking seriously concerned about my
emotional state.
I shrug my shoulders in response and try to turn
my head away but Dominic won’t let me.
“Talk to me, Emma. Don’t shut me out.
Jesus, how do I even start this conversation? Tell
him I am emotionally damaged? He knows that much
already. Tell him I am a mess since my father won’t
speak to me? Tell him I am afraid everything my father
says will come true? Tell him I hate him being away?
Nope. Those are my issues not his; my demons to
deal with. I knew going into this, our relationship would
not be conventional and the distance would be hard.
“I just missed you, is all. I am happy you’re
home,” I lie. Not a real lie, just one that will end this
conversation for tonight. My issues are my issues. I have
always muddled through them on my own. I will get
past this, too. I won’t put my insecurities on him. He has
done nothing to make me think he wouldn’t keep his
promises to be faithful to me.
“You sure? You know you can talk to me,
Sweetness. You don’t’ have to deal with stuff on your
own anymore. I’m here, if you need me. I’ll always be
right here for you.”
Dominic searched my face to see if I was telling
him the truth. I assure him I’m fine. I don’t think he
believes me but he doesn’t argue. Instead he pulls his
shirt off my body and lays me down on the bed before
wrapping his body around mine like a protective shell.
Somehow he knows that him being close to me was
exactly what I needed from him.