Waiting for Jo (15 page)

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I probably
wouldn’t like it, but I just don't like the way he brought it up.
Why couldn’t he have just asked me nicely to stop wearing it?”

“Because men are dumb. It has probably
bothered him ever since he found out James gave it to you, but
instead of talking to you about it, he just held it all inside and
then got angrier than he should have.”

I sigh. I know that she’s right.

“Also, you have to remember that the male ego
is like a fragile little tea cup,” Harley says. “It breaks so
easily and once it’s broken, you have to put in a lot of time and
effort to glue all of the tiny pieces back together. Or you can
just throw it away. That’s always an option.”

I chuckle at Harley’s attempt to be deep.

“Why do you keep wearing the necklace
anyway?” She asks.

“I don’t really know. I suppose that I’m not
ready to fully let go of James.” Malcolm jumps up on the sofa and
lays down on me.

“You like Will, Jo. I know it. I can tell. So
why don’t you just be the bigger person here and stop wearing the
necklace. I know that you aren’t fully over James, but if you don’t
force yourself to move on, then you will never move on. Do yourself
a favor. Ditch the necklace and forget about James. Or, if you
still want to pursue James, then break it off with Will. It’s not
fair to lead him on.”

Harley is right. I’m like an addict when it
comes to James, and if I don’t quit cold turkey, then I am just
never going to overcome my compulsion.

I hear a knock at the door and it makes my
heart race. I’m not expecting anyone, and I have a bad feeling.
What if it’s the stalker?

“Harley, someone’s at the door. Stay on the
line with me, okay.”

“Okay,” says Harley.

“Who is it?” I ask.

“It’s Will. Open up.”

“Hey Harley, it’s just Will. I’ll call you
back later.”

“Sounds good. Take the necklace off before
you answer the door,” she says.

I quickly unclasp the chain and throw it in a
basket that I keep next to my door for mail. I open the door and
there’s Will holding a single rose in his hand. “Hi, Will. Come
in.”

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten upset
with you. You’re completely right. I should have just asked you to
stop wearing the necklace.” Will hands me the flower. “Here, this
is for you.”

I take the rose and put it to my nose to take
in the scent. “Thanks, Will. I’m sorry too. I should have thought
about how wearing the necklace would make you feel. I was being
insensitive.”

Will puts his arms around my waist and pulls
me close. “Let’s never fight again, baby.”

“We won’t, sweetheart. I promise.” I kiss him
on the cheek and then take a step back from him. “So, do you notice
anything different about me?”

He looks me over for a few seconds with his
gorgeous blue eyes and smiles. “Did your boobs get bigger?” he
asks.

I laugh loudly. “Hmmmm. I don’t think so.
Anything else?”

“You’re not wearing the necklace, and I love
it!”

“Yes. You’re right. And I don’t plan on
wearing it ever again.”

“You’re amazing. Did you know that?”

I smile coyly. “Yeah, I’ve always had a
sneaking suspicion.”

“Well, good, because you are. I’m pretty sure
your boobs have gotten bigger too though. I think I need to take
you to the bedroom and investigate.”

I laugh. “I submit my body to you for further
investigation. Anything for science,” I say.

Will unexpectedly lifts me up and throws me
over his shoulder. There’s nothing sexier than a man who is strong
enough to pick you up and carry you around. He takes me to my
bedroom and tosses me down on the bed.

“Time for these to come off,” he says as he
unbuttons my jeans. Will’s hands move quickly and before I know it,
I’m only wearing a t-shirt and a black thong. “Now we need to check
out what’s going on under this shirt. Take it off,” he demands.

I lean forward to a sitting position and pull
my shirt over my head while Will watches. “Don’t stop there,” he
says.

Being told what to do in bed turns me on so
much. I reach behind my back and unhook my bra.

“They do look bigger,” Will says. “But I
won’t know for sure until I touch them.” Will leans forward on the
bed in an attempt to get me on my back, but I hold up my hand.

“There’s something wrong with how this is
going,” I say. “Why am I the only one who’s wearing nothing but
skivvies?”

“Because that’s how I want it.” Will pushes
me down on the bed and pins both of my wrists above my head with
his left hand while firmly rubbing my breasts with his right. This
is so unbelievably hot. I want him to rip my panties off and then
have his way with me.

Will releases my wrists after a few moments
and jumps to his feet. I watch as he unbuttons his shirt and lets
it fall to the ground. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of looking
at this man’s sculpted upper body. His jeans come down next, and
now he’s in nothing but his navy blue boxer briefs. Seeing how
excited he is makes me melt.

“Take off your boxers,” I command.

“Oh, do you think you’re in charge here?
That’s cute. I’ll take off my boxers when I’m good and ready.” Will
steps toward me and reaches for my panties, but I slap his hands
away. “Looks like you’re playing hard to get tonight. That’s okay.
It’s more fun for me this way.”

I look him in the eye and smile, daring him
to try and get a hold of my thong again. Will straddles me and
starts kissing my collar bone. His wet, hot mouth moves down to the
apex of my right breast before moving to the left. He then kisses
me all the way to my navel and finally stops at my panties. My body
quivers beneath his lips.

I have no desire to play hard to get any
longer, and when his hands move down the sides of my panties, I
don’t protest. He slowly slides them off of me.

“Now get on your hands and knees,” he
demands. I quickly abide. Within seconds, Will positions himself
behind me. He places his left hand on my hip and uses his right
hand to guide himself into me. I’m so moist that his large, hard
erection slides into me with ease. I let out a quiet moan as he
moves in and out of me at a deliciously slow pace.

“I want you on top now,” Will says after
several minutes behind me. He lies down, and I straddle him, slowly
lowering myself onto his manhood. He places his hands on my
backside and pulls and pushes me, controlling our rhythm.

Our eyes meet. “I love looking at you from
this angle,” he says. “You’re absolutely beautiful.”

“And you’re absolutely handsome.”

Wills hands move to my breasts. He squeezes
them both at the same time and then rolls my nipples between thumb
and forefinger. Then, suddenly, he pushes me off of him, and in one
fell swoop he manages to get me on my back and position himself
between my legs. His lips meet mine and we kiss deeply and
passionately.

I run my fingers through his thick, blond
hair and force his face to my neck. Will’s lips move from the top
of my jaw down to my chin. He knows exactly what to do to make me
go insane. He enters me again, and then he pulls out completely. I
use my legs to try and pull him closer, but he doesn’t budge.

I smile up at him. “You’re being a tease
tonight, aren’t you?” I say.

“Yes. It’s fun, isn’t it?”

I ignore his rhetorical question and then
pull him toward me again. This time he obeys. I’m so turned on at
this point that I can hardly stand it. I’m fighting the urge let go
and climax. I don’t want this to ever end.

“Come for me, baby,” Will whispers in my
ear.

And that’s exactly what I do. It feels as if
something inside of me is wound up as tightly as possible and in
that moment it is released, letting all of the pressure escape
almost instantaneously.

“Oh, my God,” I scream as intense waves of
pleasure wash over me.

“That is so hot,” says Will as his pace
quickens. “I love watching you come.”

Within seconds, I feel him release inside of
me. He moans loudly as his body jolts slightly on top of me.
Exhaustion soon takes over and he collapses onto the side of me. I
lay my head on his chest and listen to his heart beat rapidly as he
strokes my face.

“My sweet baby,” he says after kissing me on
my forehead.

After lying together quietly for several
minutes, Will breaks the silence. “I’ve been thinking that we
should go away together. There’s this amazing bed and breakfast
down in Lake Girardeau and now would be the perfect time to stay
there. Are you free next weekend?”

I reach over Will’s chest and grab my phone
from the night stand. “I think that I am, but let me check my
schedule.”

I scroll through the calendar on my phone.
“I’m free. Let’s do it!” I say.

“Great. I’ll set it up. We can leave right
after you get off of work on Friday night and then drive back
Sunday after breakfast. Maybe you could even get off a bit early so
that we can beat the traffic.”

“I think I can do that,” I say giddily.

“You’ll love it,” Will says. “It’s right on
the lake, and you can take out row boats or fish if you want to.
Oh, and there are some wineries we can check out too. It’ll be
fun.” Will strokes my arm as he discusses the plan.

“I’m so excited! I don’t know how I’ll even
be able to focus on work all week. I’ve lived here all my life, and
I’ve never been to the lake.” I kiss Will’s cheek. “It’s very sweet
of you to go to all this trouble to plan it.”

Will wraps both of his arms around me and
squeezes. “It’s no trouble at all. I’m happy to do it.”

My excitement is interrupted as thoughts of
James float into my head. I’m going to have to tell him that I
can’t work late on Friday, and I know he’s going to ask why. I
don’t want to deal with whatever inappropriate reaction he’s going
to have. Maybe I should just lie to him. Or maybe it would just be
better to tell him the truth and make it clear that I’m with Will
and that I won’t take his bullshit anymore. Thinking about the
inevitable confrontation makes me queasy.

Don’t worry about all this now, I command of
myself. Just figure it out tomorrow. Enjoy this moment with Will
while it lasts.

Chapter 21

James’ office door is closed. I listen
outside for a moment to make sure he’s not on the phone before
knocking.

“Come in,” he says.

I open the door and stand in the doorway.
“Hey, I’m going out of town on Friday, and I was hoping to leave a
few hours early. Would it be okay if I worked extra hours during
the week to make up for it?”

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just going down to Lake Girardeau for
the weekend and was hoping to get an early start,” I nervously
fiddle with my hands.

James frowns. “Is this something you’re doing
with Will?”

“Does it matter if I’m going with Will?”

“Whatever. It’s fine. Just make sure you get
everything done. We have a pretty full workload right now.”

“Thanks,” I say.

“Sure. You can leave the door open.”

That wasn’t as bad as I thought. I assumed he
was going to give me the third degree or that he’d simply say no. I
feel a lot less stressed now, and I can’t wait to go away with
Will.

***

James leaves for a lunch meeting at about
11:45 a.m., and I don’t hear from him for the rest of the
afternoon. I decide that I’ve done enough work for the day, and at
6:50 I pack up my stuff and get ready to go home.

Just as I’m about to walk out of the office,
James comes in. He’s glassy eyed, his dress shirt is untucked, and
he seems to be stumbling a bit.

“James, are you drunk? You smell like the
Jack Daniel’s distillery.”

He looks down at my purse and then at my car
keys. “Where do you think you’re going?” he says with a stupid grin
plastered across his face.

“I’m going home, James. It’s almost 7:00. I
need to let my dog out and feed him. I finished that research memo.
It’s on your desk and is ready for review.”

I try to walk forward, but he blocks the
doorway.

“James, I need to go home. I’m serious. Move
out of my way.”

“Don’t be so serious, babe,” he says. He
gently pushes me up against the reception desk. Typically, James
will eventually leave me alone after I tell him to, but I’ve never
dealt with him while he’s been drunk. My heart starts racing. What
if he won’t listen? What if I have to try and fight him off? I
freeze up, unsure of how to react.

His hand makes its way to my blouse and he
starts unbuttoning it from the top. He strokes my cleavage with his
fingertips.

“Where’s your necklace? I’ve never seen you
without it” he says.

“I...I...?”

The grin has disappears from his face and a
stern looking scowl appears. “Where the fuck is it?”

Now my heart is pounding even faster. It’s
time to react. If I don’t do something now, bad things could
happen. Just as I prepare to use all my force to push him away from
me, a loud bang sounds at the door, and James and I both jump
slightly.

James turns his head quickly toward the
noise. Through the glass I can see that it’s Candy the pregnant
stripper.

“Not this bitch!” James says.

I quickly button my shirt back up as James
opens the door. “Candy, I told you not to come back here. If you
don’t leave, I’ll call the cops.”

Out of curiosity I’d like to stay and see
what unfolds, but my instincts are telling me to get the heck out
of there. I quickly pass by Candy, walk out of the office, and haul
ass across the parking lot to my car. I lock my doors and check my
rear view mirror to make sure James isn’t coming after me. The
coast is clear, and I speed away wondering if the events of the
last ten minutes actually happened.