Wilde Velvet (16 page)

“You look like you wanna ask me something.”
he says looking up from the plate. The wine has given me enough confidence that I don’t have to blush every time he looks at me. He tops up both of our glasses, again. I look at the bottle, it’s nearly empty. I feel a little light-headed, maybe I drank too quickly. I set the glass down onto the table, and I wipe the beads of sweat that have formed on my forehead away. He looks really good, too good. I am frightened that the wine and the heat are going take their tool on me. I am scared that I might let him in. What if I give into to my deepest desires?
Would that really be so bad Ashley?
I shake my own subconscious out of my head. I focus on him. His dark eyes are sparkling and his full lips are parted.

“Yeah, why did you come here tonight?” My words are slightly slurred. I am such a light-weight.

“I’m here because I sensed that you were a little … down today and I wanted to see you.” I laugh and I need the help of my wine. I glug down the remainder of my drink and I slam the glass down onto the table.

“What about your girlfriend?”
I ask slurring again. He laughs at me.

“What girlfriend?”

“Precious, Candy or whatever the hell her name is.” Jonathon chuckles and reaches for his wine.

“I think someone’s getting a little tipsy.”
he says playfully. I shake my head and I jump out of my seat. I steady myself and I walk into the kitchen. I rummage in the fridge and I pull out two beers. I sip one and I bring one back to the table for Jonathon. I slide the beer in front of him and I say.

“Do you wanna see how tipsy I can get?”
he looks intrigued and I can’t believe the way that I am acting. But who cares, it’s time for me to let loose. I drag Jonathon off of his chair and I pull him into the living room. I hit play on the stereo and another ‘Rihanna’ tune fills the air. “I love this song,” I gush.

“Oh na na, what’s my name, what’s my name,”
I sing as I sway my hips to the music. Jonathon’s eyes widen as he watches me come alive.

“Hey boy I really wanna be with
you, cause you just my type, ooh na na,”
I sing. He can’t take it any longer; he slides in front of me. I look up at him as he places his hands around my waist. I sip my beer for courage and I drape my arms around his shoulders. He moves our bodies to the music. I relax and give into the pleasure of his arms around me. His scent is strong and very alluring. I could literally die in his arms and I wouldn’t care as long as he’s holding me. The song ends and it must be the end of the CD, the room is quiet and another track doesn’t play. He’s still holding me and I am powerless to push him away. He slides his hands onto my each side of my face and he jerks my head towards his. His eyes lock on mine and his breathing quickens. The alcohol has consumed me, and I am the one who lunges forward and rests my lips onto his. I let the beer bottle fall out of my hand. Luckily it was empty. I grab onto the back of his head and I explore his lips. His hands slide down my back and rest neatly on my hips as our kiss deepens. My eyes flicker from the feeling and my whole body aches. He spins me around and pushes me against the wall. His breathing is strong as his mouth collides with mine. He drags me into the bedroom, without taking his lips away from mine. He throws me down onto the bed and rips off his shirt. I gasp at the sight of his stunning body. I squeal when he crashes against me. I run my fingers along his back and when I reach his head, I pull off his cap. He laughs and rips it out of my hands. He places it onto my head in a sexy move. I giggle and pull him back towards me. His lips meet mine and then they swirl and circle around the nape of my neck. His tongue is warm and tender against my skin. My hands are running down his back and reaching his bottom. He senses my next move and he disapproves. He grabs my hands and pulls them together. He rests them on my chest and he whispers.

“Don’t do that,” I’m confused. I stare at him. He softens and explains. “Not yet baby.” I smile as I am greeted by his lips. My head is spinning and I can’t breathe. Four weeks of tension and chemistry has led to this moment.
I have given into my demons and I am ready and willing to give it a shot with him. I want him. I have to tell him how I feel.

“I want you …
now.” he smirks and kisses me again. He jumps off of the bed and he slips off his jeans and sneakers. I stare at him through my heavy eyes. Man he’s stunning. He’s the perfect version of what a man should be. He’s tall and muscular with stunning eyes and lips. He’s amazing and I want him to be mine. My vision is blurry and my perfect guy is hazing out of my apparition. I feel myself falling into a deep sleep. I try to fight it with every fibre of my being, but I can’t.

“Ashley, wake up,” I can hear his voice faintly, but I can’t open my eyes to ease him from the embarrassment.

Thirteen

The sun is bright and my eyes sting from its rays as it pours in through the large windows. My throat is dry and there is an aching in my head. I clear my throat and force my eyes to fully open. The room is quiet, so I fall back against the bed. My head hits the pillow and I try to fit the pieces of last night together. Everything is hazy and my head pounds even harder as I try to force myself to remember.
Note to self: never drink again.
I am such a light weight. What was I thinking? My leg stretches across the empty bed. A Gucci cap comes into my vision.
Fuck!
Of course Jonathon was here last night. He brought dinner and he was the one who I shared the wine with. I cringe as I remember dancing with him. I faintly remember my poor attempt to seduce him. Crap. I hope he’s gone home. I couldn’t bear facing him right now. I’m way too embarrassed. Man why did I have to get myself into this situation?

“I’m glad to see that you’ve returned to the land of living.” I leap up in the bed. Jonathon is gliding across the room. Does this guy ever look bad? He’s only wearing his dark jeans. His eyes are a little puffy and his hair is messy and carefree. I like it better this way.
He’s carrying two cups –coffee I presume. He reaches the bed and I feel a little self-conscious, so I pull the quilt over myself. Jonathon hands me one of the cups and he sets himself down onto the bed. He sips his coffee as he meets my embarrassed stare. I exhale and then I take a massive gulp of coffee. Wow that’s strong. I set the cup down onto the side table and then I feel that I need to say something. God help me.

“Good morning,” I say in a throaty voice. Jonathon smiles at me and then he leans over and lightly kisses me on the cheek.

“Good morning Ashley,” he whispers as his lips leave my skin. I burn. Man it’s hot in here. Or maybe it’s just me. It’s like a hundred degrees outside, and here I am cooped up in bed with a thick, heavy quilt fixed over my body. I let the fabric fall away from my body. Jonathon smirks and I blush. Our sweet moment is interrupted by my thoughts of last night. I need to explain or at least say sorry.

“Jonathon…” I
begin to say, but he stops me by placing his finger over my lips. My eyes widen and fix on his. He raises a dark eyebrow and I swoon. 

“Don’t,” he pleads. I protest.

“You have to let me explain or at least apologise.” he shakes his head at me.

“What’s there to explain, that you can’t handle your drink?” I blush again. Is he mocking me?

“That’s not funny,”

“Did I say that it was?”
his answer is short and sweet.

“No
, but that glint in your eyes tells me all that I need to know.” he giggles and runs his finger along my chin.

“Ashley last night was … strange, but in the best way possible. You finally showed that you’re human after all. You gave in to your feelings. I was bummed out when you feel asleep, but I have a plan to ensure that it will never happen again.”

“Oh and what’s your plan exactly?” he laughs at my reply.

“It’s simple; you won’t be drinking alcohol any time soon.” I pout and he grins. “Now, I’ve ordered breakfast. You should shower.”
he says as he pushes himself off of the bed. He smiles at me and then he walks out of the room. I watch as he leaves.
Man, am I in trouble.

I have showered and dressed for today. My hair is still wet and I have applied some make-up. My eyes were puffy and my alcohol breath was deadly. Luckily
, I was able to make myself look half presentable. I make my way into the kitchen. Jonathon is nowhere in sight. I scan the house. I can hear the TV from the living room. I stride across the room and there he is, sitting on the sofa, still shirtless and more gorgeous than ever. He takes my breath away as he looks up at me. I smile and sit down onto the leather chair across from him. We stare at each other for a few moments, and then the door buzzes. He jumps off the sofa and walks over to the door. He turns to look at me before he opens the door.

“It’ll be the food,” he says, almost asking for my permission to open the door. I half-smile at him and then he pulls open the door. A delivery guy hands him a paper bag
, he pays the guy and then thanks him. He carries the bags into the kitchen. He shouts for me to follow him. He asks me to plate up the food, whilst he throws on his shirt. I smile at him. Why can’t I stop that? My jaw is starting to hurt, yet I continue to show my emotion. I shake my head and prepare the food. Jonathon has ordered quite a lot of food, consisting of eggs, bacon, pancakes, other pastries’ and fruit. He jogs back into the room. Now dressed in a maroon t-shirt. His arms are really tanned and he really suits that colour. He catches me staring. He doesn’t say anything. He just carries the plates of food over to the table. I make some more coffee and bring the pot over to the large dining table. He signals for me to sit. I do as he says and then he flashes me that megawatt smile as he pops a forkful of food into his mouth. I pick at my breakfast. Jonathon notices my actions and he quickly questions me.

“Is there something wrong?”

“No, I just feel a little fragile, you know?” he nods and shovels another forkful of food into his perfect mouth. I laugh. “I see that your appetite is prominent.” He dismisses my comment and quickly changes the subject.

“Are you excited about tonight?”

“I’m more nervous than excited.” I confess. Jonathon drops his fork and locks those deep brown eyes on mine.

“You have no reason to be nervous.”
he says in a soothing voice. I feel warm inside. I like to hear his praise. I want more. He delivers without fail. “You have an amazing voice and a spectacular stage-presence to match. I have every faith in you. You’re the whole package. You’re beautiful beyond words and your voice is like liquid-gold.” I melt. His words are kind, sinful and make me feel utterly speechless.

“I want to thank you for everything.”
he laughs and starts to eat.

“Fuck, I forgot that I have something for you.”
he says leaping out of his chair. I am stunned. What could he have for me? He rushes back to the table. He is holding a white envelope in his hand. I am confused. What does he have for me? He sits down at the table, and he slides the envelope across the glass surface, he instructs me to open it. I lift the envelope from the table and I gently tear at the seal. The paper screeches as it rips. I pull out what looks like two airline tickets. I am stunned and confused.

“What is this?” I ask.

“What does it look like?” he’s sarcastic. I feel lost and his reply has done nothing for my confidence. I look at him with my heavy eyes. His hard shell softens and he explains.  “I believe that you were having some money troubles. You said that you needed to book a flight for your mothers wedding, so here are your tickets.” I don’t believe this. I am shocked.

“I can’t believe that you did this.” I say looking at the tickets in shock. Crap the seats are in first class and there’s also a ticket for Sydney. I can’t accept them. They must have cost a fortune. “This is too much, I can’t…”

“Don’t start. Of course you can accept the tickets and you will.” he orders. I frown at him.

“No I can’t. I appreciate the gesture, but it’s just too … much. I know how expensive a coach flight is, so I can’t begin to imagine how much a first class seat costs.”
he looks impatient with me. I don’t care.

“Ashley, money isn’t a problem for me.” I narrow my eyes at him.

“There’s no need to brag,” I scold. He exhales.

“I wasn’t, but it’s the truth. I have more money than I will ever care to spend.
Let me help you. I want to do this for you.” his voice is firm and I get the feeling that I shouldn’t press this matter any further. But I am going to ignore my inner warnings, and question him until he is blue in the face.

“Why do you want to help me?”
he rolls his eyes. He senses my intention.

“I know your game and I’m not playing.” I pout at him he looks frustrated. I laugh. “You’re so annoying,” he screams.

“I know, now tell me.” he looks defeated and I bask in the sight.

“I don’t want you to miss your mothers wedding. I would hate to see you unhappy, especially if I can help and
spare
you that sorrow. That’s my reason, are you satisfied now that I have spilled my guts?”

“Yeah, I am actually.” Our stare is intense. I get the feeling that he’s over this conversation.

“So it’s settled, you’ll accept my gift?” I think for a moment. I feel awful, but sort of relieved and flattered. I am grateful for his generosity and the fact that he wants me to be happy. However, at the same time I feel guilty and cheap. I know it’s wrong to accept gifts of this extravagance from guys. I have lived through that with Brandon. Do I really want to go back there?

“I want to be clear on something, first.”

“Anything,” he says in a deep, business like voice.

“I want you to confirm that I didn’t ask nor did I want you to buy me these tickets?”
he’s flustered and annoyed beyond belief.

“Yes, yes, you didn’t ask me to buy you the tickets. Now will you just say ‘thanks’ and drop the subject?
????” I sigh.

“Thank you Mr Wilde,”

The door buzzes again. I get out of my seat. Who could it be? My mind starts to rush and I pray that it’s not Tyler. I know how Jonathon can get and I don’t want to upset him. I reach the door and I look out the peep hole. Fuck, its Sydney. I totally forgot that we made plans to go to the beach. I take a deep breath as I pull open the door. Sydney brushes past me and enters the house. She’s already wearing her beach outfit, consisting of a black bikini top and cut-off jeans. She stares at me. Looking me up and down and disapproving when she sees that I am not ready. I don’t think she realises that Jonathon is still here. I hate to think what she will say when she finds out that he stayed over. I cringe inside with shame. I try to compose myself, as I bid her good morning.

“Hey,” I say and she smiles at me.

“Hi, so are you ready?” I frown and scratch my head as I think. Sydney senses my edginess. “You look rough, girl. Did things not go well with Mr …” I shoot her a look of ‘please don’t finish that sentence’. She senses my urgency and she smiles. “He’s still here isn’t he?” I blush. Here we go. 

“Yeah,” I cringe. She smiles at me. She obviously approves.

“Well good on you girl.” Someone make her stop.

“Sydney…,” I say, but I pause as Jonathon walks into the living room. He rests his arms on the edge of the sofa and he looks over at us. I feel bad. I have my friend who I promised to spend time with
, and now there’s Jonathon. He has been so good to me and I want to spend more time with him. I don’t want to choose between my best friend and the guy that I like.
Think Ashley.
I wonder if Sydney would mind if Jonathon joined us that beach.

“
Jonathon, Sydney and I made plans to go to the beach today.” he nods and walks over to me. He extends his arm and gently runs his fingers along my cheek.

“Go and spend time with your friend,” he says in a soft voice. I smile at him
, and then I remember that I was about to ask him to join us. Luckily Sydney jumps in and invites him on my behalf.

“Why don’t join us? That’s if you aren’t busy?”
he briefly smiles at Sydney and then he turns to me, with his eyes soft and playful. He needs my approval before he agrees. He’s so sweet.

“I will if you want me to,” he says in a sexy voice. I swoon and agree.

“I would really like that,” he laughs as he moves his finger over to my nose. He lightly squeezes the tip of my nose. I smile and he paralyzes me with that stunning line. I wonder if he knows the affect he has on me?

“Okay, which beach are you going to?”
He asks looking at Sydney.

“Santa Monica,” he nods and looks at me again.

“I’ll meet you there in a bit?” I am confused. Why does he have to leave? My mind erupts, Candy. I realise that I haven’t asked about her. Oh crap, have I just become the third person in his relationship?
Ask him about it Ashley.

“Jonathon I need to ask you something,”

“Anything,” I clear my throat and try to close my ears. I need to know the answer to my question, but that doesn’t mean that I want to. I would hate to be the cause of a failed relationship. Candy and I aren’t best friends, but there’s still a female code to obey.

“Are you still with Candy?”
he smiles at me.

“No, I thought I told you that I ended things with her?” I beam.

“No, you missed that part out,” he laughs and kisses me on the cheek. He excuses himself and I watch as he leaves. My heart flutters and spirals to the pit of my stomach. Sydney approaches me and gives me a little shake.