Special thanks to IJS0904 for editing this story and serving as a sounding board for all my crazy ideas.
—————————————–
They say we dig our own graves. After my encounter with Brooke, I felt like mine was most of the way to China.
———-
The weekend after Jesse’s reunion, I was working on the Fairlane. A thought had been passing through my mind all week, and I had avoided dealing with it. I couldn’t avoid it anymore.
I stopped what I was doing, went to a storage area upstairs, and pulled out a box of things I had kept from my time with Alicia. At the bottom was a picture of us, her parents, Brooke, and Jimmy, her fiancé, at a Christmas party for their father’s company.
My eyes went straight to Brooke. She was slightly below average in height (maybe 5’5″) and a little above average in weight (maybe 150 pounds). She had wavy brown hair down to the middle of her back, glasses, and very little make-up, despite the fact that it was a formal event. She wore a baggy dress to try to hide her figure. She wasn’t pretty, but she was VERY cute.
I then took out my phone and pulled up Jesse’s Facebook page. She had posted a picture of the four friends at the reunion. I pulled up that picture full-screen and put the two side-by-side.
Jesse’s friend was the same height as Alicia’s sister. While Alicia’s Brooke was borderline pudgy and modest, Jesse’s had a very toned figure (easily 30 pounds lighter) and wore clothes to show herself off, especially her pronounced chest. Jesse’s Brooke had straight blonde hair that was cut just below her jawline. Alicia’s Brooke wore glasses; Jesse’s did not. Jesse’s Brooke wore enough make-up for the whole group.
The expressions on their faces were completely different as well. Alicia’s sister looked like she hated being in front of the camera. Jesse’s friend had an expression that screamed, “Come and get me!”
But if you looked carefully, the gray eyes were the same. The jawlines were the same. The smile, though strained for different reasons in each picture, was the same.
They were the same.
I stared at the pictures for an eternity, hoping I was wrong.
Jesse’s Brooke hardly said a word to me at the reunion. Other than our introduction and the glance she gave us as she was walking away, I barely remember her even acknowledging my existence. Maybe I was wrong.
“Don’t kid yourself. It’s her.”
The right thing to do would have been to go to Jesse and say something right away. We could have dealt with it and moved on. Or not. Either way, it would have been out in the open.
The wrong thing to do would be to act like the two Brookes weren’t the same person and/or hope she didn’t recognize me.
I had a nasty habit of doing the wrong thing.
———-
The night after I ran into Brooke, I paid Mark a visit.
Lindsay answered the door.
“I’ll go get Mark for you.”
“Lindsay, are the boys home?”
“Number one, they’re at a friend’s house for a few hours. Number two, you never address me by my name, so something’s wrong.”
“I didn’t just come here to see Mark. I want you in on the conversation.”
“And number three, you never talk to me, so something’s REALLY wrong.”
“I’ll wait in the living room.”
I sat down on the sofa and stared at the floor.
Mark walked in with Lindsay right behind him. They sat in chairs across a coffee table from me.
“What’s up? Lindsay seems to think someone died.”
“I wish it was that simple.”
I put the picture in front of Mark and my phone in front of Lindsay.
“I remember this. This is the bitch and her family at a Christmas party, right?”
“Yes sir.”
Lindsay was confused.
“I take it this is from Jesse’s reunion?”
“Yes ma’am.”
“What am I missing?”
“Put the pictures next to each other.”
They both kept going back and forth between the two pictures.
“I’ll make it easy on you. Look closely at the blonde on the phone.”
Lindsay was the first to speak.
“No! That’s not…”
“Jesse introduced her to me as her friend, Brooke. It didn’t hit me for a few days who she was.”
Mark was shaking his head.
“This blonde is Brooke Ross? The same Brooke Ross you played Twister with at a fancy hotel a few days after her sister dumped you?”
“One and the same. She lost a bunch of weight, completely changed her hair, and paid a lot of money to feel better about her endowment, but it’s the same person.”
Mark groaned. “I know which version you wish you had plowed like a cornfield.”
“Mark!!!!!” Lindsay punched him in the shoulder.
“So do I. Neither.”
“You are 100% sure it’s the same woman?” Lindsay didn’t sound convinced.
I told them about the encounter at the grocery store.
“The second I turned around and saw her, I knew.”
Lindsay’s accusatory tone came back. “But you decided being rude to her was a good idea?”
“I couldn’t help it. If you had heard the tone in her voice, you would have done the same.”
“Dude, now I need a beer. You want one?”
“Three.”
Mark went into the kitchen.
Lindsay was staring at me.
“I’m going to assume Jesse doesn’t know or you wouldn’t be here.”
“You would assume correctly.”
Mark walked back in with alcohol for everyone. They spoke at the same time.
“Cole Watson…”
“I’m an idiot.”
———-
A few days later, I had to make a parts run into the city for some of our equipment that was down for maintenance. I tried to make a lunch date with Jesse, but she had a meeting with an important client and couldn’t break away.
Before I left town, I stopped at an electronics store to get a new set of security cameras for my parents’ home. As I walked out the door, I noticed someone leaning on a column outside the 24-hour gym next door.
Brooke was wearing a skin-tight set of workout clothes and had her hair pulled back in a ponytail.
She had her phone up to her ear, but given the way she was looking at me, I seriously doubted there was someone on the other end.
She gave me a finger wave, moved her hand to just below her breasts, lightly licked her lips, and seductively ran her hand down her body.
I shook my head and walked to my car as quickly as I could. I hauled ass away from her even faster, hoping she didn’t bother to attempt to follow me.
When I thought I was far enough away, I pulled into a vacant parking lot, jumped out of the car, and started yelling and pounding the roof with my fist.
“How the fuck did she…”
(Lightbulb.)
“Shit. Jesse told her.”
I buried my head in my hands.
She wasn’t lying, was she?
———-
I needed to talk to Jesse, and I needed it to be face-to-face.
Our schedules didn’t line up, so I hadn’t seen her in three weeks. It was a Friday, the kids were with Robbie, and we both had to work over the weekend, so I wouldn’t be able to stay overnight, but I needed to see her anyway. I left work early and headed to her house.
I parked a few houses down from where she lived and made myself invisible. When she pulled in the driveway, I started walking toward her house. I was able to hide but was close enough that she was barely inside when I knocked.
Jesse opened the door, squealed, and jumped into my arms.
I stood there holding her until my arms got tired, not wanting to let her go.
When I eased her down, she tried to pull my face to hers. I put my hands on her cheeks and gave her a prolonged kiss on the forehead.
“Is something wrong?”
“You could say that.”
“Cole, what’s going on?”
We sat down at the dining room table directly across from each other. I set the shoulder bag I was carrying down in front of me.
“Remember Lindsay’s pet name for me?”
“Yeah. She calls you an idiot.”
“She’s right. When I told you about what happened with Alicia, I left off part of the ending. I shouldn’t have but I did.”
Jesse leaned back in her chair, crossed her arms and legs, and locked eyes with me.
“I’m listening.”
“I made plans for Alicia and me to spend the weekend after I proposed at a hotel in the city. The room was paid for, so I decided to use it. I didn’t want to be anywhere near the apartment.
“Alicia’s sister had tried calling me several times over the course of the week, but I ignored her. She had always seemed sweet enough, but I just couldn’t deal with her.
“Her father is a good man and was concerned about me, so he told her about the hotel. She found me in the hotel bar that Friday. I had already been drinking for a while. We talked for a long time before I decided to call it a night.
“When we walked out of the bar, we hugged each other. She took her time letting go, and when she finally did, she pecked me on the lips. It wasn’t long before we were in my room.
“We spent the weekend together, rarely getting out of bed.
“That Sunday, we got in a huge fight. She left screaming at me. That was the last contact we had for a long time.”
Jesse’s response was terse, but I could tell she knew something else was coming.
“So, you had rebound sex. You weren’t the first person and you won’t be the last. The fact that it was with Alicia’s sister makes it worse, a LOT worse, but I don’t see how that’s a major problem now. That was almost ten years ago.”
We stared at each other for a few moments before she spoke again.
“I’m curious. Is there a reason you won’t tell me her name?”
“Yes.”
I pulled out the Christmas picture and set it in front of her.
Jesse picked up the picture. Her eyes were darting from one face to another.
It was just a matter of seconds before it registered with her.
She covered her hand with her mouth, gasped, and tears started rolling down her cheeks. She looked at me briefly, back at the picture, then back at me again.
Jesse was trying to compose herself. “You didn’t think I needed to know this?!?”
“At the reunion, it never occurred to me that they were the same person. It wasn’t until later that week that it dawned on me, and that picture confirmed it. At first, I didn’t think it would matter. Now it does.
“I’m not asking for you to forgive me right now. I don’t deserve it. But you do need to know what happened. You’ve needed to know for a long time, and I should have told you.”
“Why now?” She was still crying. She just stared at the picture.
I told her about my two encounters with Brooke.
“So. You think she wants revenge?”
“Probably, and she’s one of the few people who can get it.”
When she finally looked up at me, she was beet red.
“There is something else I need to tell you.”
“No! I can’t take any more revelations from you right now. I need to think and you need to leave.”
“Jesse…”
“Please, Cole. Go.”
I grabbed my bag and slowly walked to the door. As I opened it, I turned and looked at her.
“Jesse?”
“Yeah?”
I told her the same thing Brooke told me in the hotel that Sunday morning,
“I love you.”
She looked away and I left.
———-
The next week was absolute torture. I spent every night blankly staring at the TV and drinking, not sure what, if anything, I could do to fix things between Jesse and me.
I was sitting in my office one afternoon, trying unsuccessfully to concentrate on some paperwork, when Nathan O’Neill, our lead engineer and an old high school classmate, barged in.
“Dude, I thought you had a girlfriend.”
“Huh?”
“You said you were seeing a short little brunette. There’s a sexpot at the front desk asking for you. She ain’t a brunette, and she ain’t little.”
“What does she look like?”
“Average height, short blonde hair, and her tits are in suspended animation.”
I had the sudden urge to run for the hills when Shannon, our receptionist, buzzed my phone. I spoke before she could.
“Let her in the conference room. I’ll be there in three minutes.”
I looked up at Nathan with my face half buried in my hands.
“I take it that’s not your girlfriend. Do I need to run interference for you?”
“As much as I would like to take you up on that offer, I’m going to have to deal with her sooner or later.”
“If you need me to do anything…”
“Hopefully, I won’t. I’ll let you know either way.”
I headed for the conference room with the worst case of dread I can ever remember having.
———-
When I opened the door, Brooke was sitting at the head of the table, acting like she owned the place.
“Hello, Mr. Watson. I’m glad you could find the time to see me at such short notice. Surely you understand I wouldn’t drop by unannounced unless what I had to say was extremely important.”
I desperately wanted to slap the smirk off her face.
“Cut the bullshit, Brooke. You’re not here for business, seeing as we have none, and I don’t bring my personal life to work. I don’t know how you found me, but I suggest you UNFIND me, and the sooner, the better. Whatever you have to say, it won’t be here.”
“I would love to see your place sometime. I can only imagine what you have hidden behind that security gate.”
A chill went up my spine.
Brooke winked at me, stood up, threw her purse over her shoulder, and strutted towards me until she was standing inches away from me.
She put her hands on my chest and started rubbing me seductively.
I grabbed both of her wrists.
“Don’t you take a hint?!?”
“We have a lot to talk about, Cole, and the longer you wait, the worse I can make things for you and Ms. Jesse.”
“Not here. Not now.”
“I won’t be put off, Cole.” She was now on her toes, almost nose-to-nose with me, and so close I could smell what she ate for lunch.
I was getting the feeling that she really wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard I tried.
“There’s a Starbucks five miles from here. I’ll meet you on their patio in 20 minutes.”
“What guarantee do I have that you will be there?”
“Give me your keys.”
“Excuse me?”
“Give. Me. Your. Keys.”
Brooke reluctantly pulled her car keys out of her purse. I snatched them from her and handed her mine. I walked towards the door and never turned around.
“Don’t be late. There’s a 7-11 on the way. Pick up some Tic-Tacs. You need them.”
Once I was out of sight, I sprinted to the supply room and “borrowed” a small piece of company equipment before heading to the parking lot to find my ride to Starbucks.
I hit the lock button on the key fob and looked for the blinking lights. She drove a yellow Audi TT. Why was I not surprised?
Two minutes under her hood and I was on the road.
———-
I couldn’t help but laugh as I passed the 7-11. My car was parked by the front door.
I knew her insecurity would give me enough time to do what I needed and still beat her there.
———-
I was sitting at the table furthest from the front door when Brooke pulled up. She strutted up to the table, placed both hands on it, and bent forward, giving me an unobstructed view of her cleavage.
“I need a latte. Would you like me to get you something?” Her tone was so full of fake sweetness I almost threw up.
“Bottled water will be fine. And I’d prefer you let me open it.”
“What’s the matter, Cole? Don’t trust me?”
“No, honey, I don’t. I’ve seen Forensic Files. It never ends well.” I gave her the biggest closed-mouth smile I could muster.
Brooke snorted at me and walked inside.
I went back to playing with my phone until she sat across from me a few minutes later. Brooke slid the water to me.
“You know, Cole, it would serve you well to drop the attitude around me. I’m the one that holds all the cards here.”
“I already told Jesse about what happened between you and me. That was ten years ago. She and I are past it.” I was lying my ass off, but Brooke didn’t know that, and I was gambling that she was too self-absorbed to call my bluff.
She seemed a bit disappointed, but only for a few seconds.
“Our little escapade is only part of the story.”
Brooke began rifling through her purse until she pulled out a folded piece of paper. She slid it over to me.
I unfolded the paper slowly. It was a microfilm copy of a newspaper obituary page from over twenty years ago. The deceased was Andrea Caldwell.
“It’s amazing what you can find if you look hard enough. I found the list of ‘loving grandchildren’ rather interesting. Jesse L. Barber and Cole J. Watson in particular.”
I froze. This bitch really was crazy.
I spent a lot of time when I was younger researching my family. My maternal grandmother had remarried after my grandfather’s death, back when the internet barely resembled what we now know it to be. According to Google, she didn’t exist except in death records and only under her second husband’s name.
I couldn’t imagine how much work Brooke had gone through to find that obituary, which I had never managed to come across. That feeling of dread I felt less than an hour earlier was getting deeper and deeper.
“What do you want, Brooke?”
“Right now, to watch you squirm. To see that look on your face. To know that you know I could ruin yours and Ms. Jesse’s lives with one phone call.”
Brooke stared at me intently, not saying a word for several moments.
She finally stood up, resuming the pose she had taken when she first walked up to the table. This time, she squeezed her arms into her chest, making her cleavage even more pronounced.
“You ripped my heart out of my chest, Cole. Now, I’m going to slowly and painfully return the favor.”
Brooke grabbed her keys from where I had set them on the table. She threw mine at my chest, turned, and disappeared into the parking lot.
I dropped my head down in resignation, looked at my phone, and hit stop on the recorder.
———-
When I pulled into my driveway, Tanya was waiting for me. She was sitting on the edge of the porch on her phone. I got out of my car and she was in a full sprint straight for me.
She shoved me square in the chest, knocking me back several feet. When I regained my balance, she was right in front of me, pounding my chest with her fists.
“YOU ASSHOLE!”
“Tanya, please…”
“Mom hasn’t stopped crying since you surprised her. What the hell did you do?!?”
She hit me repeatedly. I just stood there and took it. I didn’t want to stop her.
When she finally stopped, I put my arm around her shoulder and made her sit back on the edge of the porch.
“Your mother should be the one telling you this, but if she won’t, someone has to.”
I held her head up so that she had to look at me.
“Your mother and I are in love with each other, and I fucked it up. I’m an idiot, and I fucked it up.”
“YOU’RE WHAT?”
“We’re in love with each other.”
“You’re cousins. That isn’t supposed to happen.”
“Well, it did. I can’t explain why or how, but it happened. I don’t expect you to understand.”
“I don’t believe you.”
I pulled out my phone and showed her my text history with Jesse.
“By the way, how did you get in here?”
“Mom never put a security code on her phone.”
As Tanya read months’ worth of texts between Jesse and I, she started to cry. When she was done reading, she buried her face in her hands and started bawling. I sat down next to her in silence.
“That night in the hotel?”
“I didn’t lie to you. I was very respectful towards your mother. I won’t tell you exactly what happened, but we enjoyed each other’s company that night.”
“You had sex with her knowing she still wasn’t over Alex?”
“Not me, we. Whether you want to believe it or not, she wanted me as much as I wanted her.”
“I knew everything seemed too perfect with the two of you.”
Tanya stared off into space, slowly calming down.
“What did you do to fuck it up?”
I told her.
She shook her head. For the first time in over ten minutes, she looked at me.
“Her name isn’t Brooke Ross. At least, it isn’t anymore. She was married, at least for a little while, and kept his name. She goes by Brooke Frederick. That’s going to change again pretty soon.”
“That doesn’t really matter.”
“It might. Do you have a computer inside?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Let’s go.”
———-
Tanya sat in front of the keyboard and started typing.
“Mom took me out to dinner with her friends not long after they reconnected. I had never met Dana or Lauren, but Brooke lived a few houses down from a close friend of mine for as long as I can remember.
“Brooke is a real estate agent. She has a reputation as a bit of a slut. Word around town is that a lot of the biggest clients she has are men she has slept with. We used to joke that her driveway was a used car lot.
“From what my friend told me, she has had a change of heart. Her mother mentioned that Brooke isn’t at home as much as she used to be and, when she is and someone is with her, and it’s always the same man.”
Tanya found the website of Brooke’s employer. She went to the ‘Who We Are’ page, which included mugshots and group pictures from events the company either held or attended. Among them was last year’s Halloween party, where pictures of everyone in attendance, along with their significant others, were displayed. Brooke was dressed as Princess Leia. Next to her was her Han Solo for the evening.
“STOP THERE.”
“What?”
“Tanya, leave that picture up. Find out who her galactic hero is. I’ll be right back.”
I returned five minutes later. Tanya had multiple windows up on the monitor.
Tanya turned to look at me.
“They took a couples picture that night. His name is Randall J. Olsen, Jr.” She brought my attention to his Linked-In profile. “Apparently, he’s a big-wig vice president at a financial company.”
“What does the ‘J’ stand for?”
“James. Why does it matter?”
I handed her the Christmas picture.
“Hello, Jimmy.”
———-
I immediately called Mark. He and Lindsay were on their way home from dinner. They agreed to stop by my house.
I brought them into my office and made the requisite introductions.
Lindsay gave me a strange look.
“Why is she here?”
“I told Jesse everything. Well, almost everything.”
“COLE!”
“I shouldn’t be defending him, but Mom made him leave before he could finish.”
I looked at Tanya and winked, “She came here to kill me. I may have charmed her into helping.”
“I’m still debating whether or not to leave you in a body bag.”
Mark and Lindsay sat down across my desk from Tanya and I. Tanya turned the monitor so they could see.
“This is Brooke’s current fiancé,” Tanya said.
I showed them the picture.
“This was her fiancé when I was with Alicia.”
Mark spoke up. “So, she recycles boyfriends. What’s the big deal?”
“I never told anyone about why Brooke and I had a big argument in the hotel. I felt guilty about what I did and didn’t want to make any excuses.”
I patted Tanya on the shoulder. “This may be a bit graphic for an innocent, impressionable young woman such as yourself.”
She elbowed me in the stomach. “I’m a big girl. I can handle it.”
“When I woke up Sunday morning, she was lying on top of me. We talked about a lot of nothing before she started getting frisky. She pinned my arms to the bed. We kissed for probably five minutes. She broke away and just stared at me. She dropped her head on my chest and told me she loved me.”
The three of them sat there, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Mark finally spoke.
“Apparently, insanity runs in the family.”
I showed everyone the obituary.
“She told me she’s going to wreck my relationship with Jesse in the most painful way possible. That’s her proof.”
Lindsay was the first to speak.
“Where did she find this?”
“I have no clue. I hadn’t seen it until she showed it to me.”
“I’ll do a records search and see if I can figure out where she found this. In the meantime, Cole, you need to figure out if there is any more dirt that she can dig up on you.”
“I’ll work on getting mom on board with whatever we decide to do and milk her for any information she might have on Brooke.”
“Ladies, I appreciate your help, but this is my mess. I should be the one to clean it up.”
Mark spoke up.
“Cole, when Lindsay goes into bulldog mode, don’t get in the way. She’s got her teeth in Brooke. She isn’t going to let go.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“I’ll let you know when I figure it out. Did you record your conversation with her?”
“Of course I did.”
“If she contacts you again, record it, no matter how brief or meaningless.”
“Got it. I also gave her a present before she left.”
Lindsay shook her head. “Do I want to know?”
“A few years ago, someone stole a telehandler from one of our job sites. Since then, we put GPS trackers on all our equipment. Brooke’s Audi is the latest addition to our fleet.”
I showed them the app on my phone. Brooke’s car was in her driveway.
Mark laughed. “How did you pull that off?”
“She wanted me to guarantee that I would meet her, so I swapped keys with her. It took me less than five minutes.”
Lindsay had a concerned look on her face. “Right now, use it, but don’t let her presence change your behavior. We don’t want to spook her.”
“Yes ma’am.”
When we parted company, Tanya was the last to leave.
“Cole, I don’t know what to think about you & mom right now. But I do know that when you were around, she was happy. If being with you makes her happy, I’m going to do everything I can to make that happen.”
I watched her pull out of the driveway, wondering if I was pulling everyone I knew into a mess we couldn’t clean up.
———-
A week later, when I got home, Tanya was parked in front of my garage and waiting for me on the porch.
I pulled up next to her, got out of the car, and walked up to where she was sitting.
“I still can’t get used to so many people having access to this place. For years, it’s been just Mark and I.”
She hugged me for the first time in a while.
“I have no plans on going anywhere, so you’ll just have to deal with it.
“Lindsay asked me to go to the state archives on campus and look up your grandmother. They made me show them my ID and wouldn’t give me access to anything because I had no proof that we were related. I called Mom, and she spoke to them. All they would provide me with was a list of anyone who had accessed her records.”
“What did you find out?”
“Nothing, which is a good thing. No one has made a request for any of her records since the succession twenty years ago. It’s a dead end, but it helps.”
“I guess that’s one way to look at it.”
“I wish I could stay, but I have to work early tomorrow.”
Tanya walked over to her car, pulled a sweater out of the trunk, and handed it to me.
“You left this at Mom’s. It’s supposed to get cold next week, so I figured you would want it.”
“Thanks, Mother.” I winked at her.
We hugged again and she left.
I walked inside and went straight to my bedroom to put the sweater away. When I walked through the doorway, I stopped dead in my tracks.
Jesse was leaning on the back wall on one arm, looking out the window. She was wearing the exact same outfit she had worn to her reunion. I got a knot in my stomach.
“You had no right to tell Tanya about the two of us. She is my daughter, and I should have been the one to talk to her about it.”
“I’m tired of using half-truths and lies to get through life. She needed to know why you were upset. I wasn’t going to mislead her again.”
She turned her head and glared at me.
“You should have come to me first.”
“I wasn’t aware we were back on speaking terms.”
Jesse turned her back against the wall, never breaking eye contact with me.
“I did what I did because I didn’t feel like I could trust you.”
“And you had every right not to trust me.”
She looked at me intently for several moments before shaking her head and speaking again.
“You absolutely refuse to make this difficult, don’t you? No being argumentative and defensive. You just accept your fate and move on.”
“What would you rather me do?”
Slowly, Jesse began to close the distance between us. She reached for the sash around her waist, untying the dress and letting it fall to the floor as she walked. When she was right in front of me, she put her hands behind my neck, pulling my face to hers.
Our kiss was long, passionate, and sensual. Every part of both of us seemed to be trying to consume the other.
When she broke the kiss, Jesse put her hands on my cheeks and spoke in the deepest, most erotic voice.
“I would rather you remind me why I fell in love with you.”
I picked Jesse up and carried her to my bed. I laid her down and resumed our kiss. I slowly and tenderly kissed my way down her body, removing her remaining clothing and all of mine as I did.
I worked my way back up her legs, gently licking and nibbling between them until I reached her vagina. As I was about to begin pleasing her, she put her hands on either side of my head and pulled my face up to hers.
Jesse stared at me with a level of desire I had not yet seen from her.
“I don’t need you to make me come. I need you.”
I entered her slowly, watching her intently as I did. I was going to take my time with her tonight. I wanted to relish the feeling of being inside Jesse, being with her, the connection we had.
When I was completely inside her, Jesse locked her heels behind me, holding me in place. She pulled my head down to hers, the tips of our noses touching.
“I don’t just want you. I want all of you. No lies, no half-truths, no omissions.”
We stayed locked together like that for what seemed like forever, just staring into each other’s eyes.
Eventually, she moved her hands to the sides of my face, gently caressing my cheeks. I moved my mouth to hers, and we once again battled each other for control. I broke the kiss, took each of her hands, and pinned them by her head, our fingers interlocked.
I began rotating my hips and rocking back and forth, rubbing her clit with my pubic bone, never leaving from inside her, our bodies remaining pressed together.
Jesse’s moans and yelps only egged me on. The more noise she made, the more pressure I applied.
“Oh God, Cole, if you don’t stop…”
I moved my mouth to her ear, gently bit her lobe, and whispered to her…
“I want to hear you scream.”
And she did. Her orgasm seemed to start at her toes and work its way up her entire body. She trembled as the waves of her climax ran through her. When she exploded, she was loud and guttural, as if a demon was leaving her body. She only said one word, my name.
I stayed inside as she regained her composure. She opened her eyes and wordlessly stared at me intently.
I slowly rolled us over. I was now the one gently caressing her face. I softly kissed her, never breaking eye contact.
Jesse began to rotate her hips, but I grabbed them and held her still.
“Not tonight. You don’t owe me anything, and I don’t ever want you to think you do.”
We stayed just like that for what seemed like forever, just staring into each other’s eyes. Eventually, she leaned forward and kissed my chin.
“I love you, Jesse, and I always will.”
She laid her head on my chest and soon fell asleep.
———-
When I woke up the next morning, Jesse was gone.
I spent the day running in and out of the office. When I came back from my last outing, there was a package sitting on my desk.
I tore it open and dumped the contents. It was a hotel “care package.” Pens, shampoo, conditioner bottles, and bars of soap. Basically, it was everything someone would steal from a hotel after spending the night there. It was all from the hotel where Brooke and I spent that weekend together.
Brooke also wrote a note on the hotel stationary.
Pazza Cagna Bistro
Saturday 1:00
See You Then!!!
Let the games begin.