I took matters into my own hands. Plastering a fake-innocent smile, I widened my eyes. If killing someone with kindness was a literal act, I endeavored to smother that bitch with fake sugar.
"Nic, so nice to see you," I cooed, mustering every bit of southern charm I could find within.
"Yes. Nic, good seeing you," Garrett said.
"I'm here with my friend Jennifer." She pointed to a woman on the other side of the restaurant. "I see you two are sharing a dessert. The cannoli cake is an excellent choice. What were your entrees? Jen and I came for girl talk and the linguine and clams."
"The lobster ravioli," Garrett answered.
"Good choice." She stared at him for a beat before turning her attention to me. "Well, Jasmine, I'm happy to see that Garrett is showing you what our beautiful city has to offer. I'll leave you two to your . . . dinner. See you tomorrow!"
Her parting words were cheerful, almost gleeful. I turned my head in time to see her bounding back to her table.
We finished the cake in silence. Garrett flagged our waiter and paid the check and tip. He guided me through the crowded restaurant, avoiding where Nic and her friend sat. Three minutes after handing his ticket over, the valet pulled the black Porsche coupe to where we stood.
After double-checking that I was safely in the car and tipping the valet, Garrett hopped in and sped away. He rested his hand on my thigh and maneuvered the vehicle with one hand through the traffic.
And that's when I broke.
"We should have been more careful. I should have been nicer," I whispered. "I shouldn't have provoked Nic like that."
If she was as vindictive as Garrett claimed, Nic wouldn't hesitate to call Junior, and probably Mister Wallace, himself to complain. I could kiss the partnership goodbye.
Tears gathered in the corner of my eyes as I stubbornly prevented them from falling. Expelling the breath that I'd been holding since she stopped by our table opened the floodgates. Big fat tears spilled from my eyes and rolled down my cheeks. Garrett took his eyes off the road and looked at me when he heard my sniffle. I avoided eye contact as I hoped that he couldn't see the tears.
"Shit." He uttered and pulled in behind a parked car. He unfastened his seat belt, leaned across the console and kissed me. He didn't use his tongue and didn't deepen it. The kiss was merely to provide comfort. He turned his attention to the tears streaking my face.
"You did nothing wrong. It will be okay. I'll make it better," he promised.
Underneath the streetlights, I saw the uncertainty in his eyes, and I knew he didn't believe his own words.
Garrett
An electrical charge filled the air. There was a change, like something big was brewing. One week after Jasmine and I ran into Nic at the restaurant, I had a gut feeling that something major would happen.
I'd just finished a department meeting when I ran into Nic as we crossed paths in the hallway.
"Good afternoon, Garrett," she said, flashing a friendly smile.
"Hello, Nic."
"I'm sorry that I had to cancel our one-on-one. I had a few things come up. I hope you enjoyed the hour that I gave you back."
"I did. Thank you."
"Well, I'm off to another meeting. Have a good day."
"Same to you." Mouth agape, I watched as Nic glided down the hallway.
For the first three years of my career, Nic and I were a dynamic duo. She'd been about the business of science, while I was about the technology. After many long hours and countless arguments, we'd launched The Scientist's Companion to critical acclaim. We took the world by storm. We won awards from trade publications, translated our product catalog into fifteen languages, and spoke at science conventions.
Our careers took off on different tracks. She was on the fast track that led to the executive offices, while I worked my way up from a web developer. Then our friendship changed. Nic changed into a power-hungry, unreasonable toddler. From time-to-time, I would get a small glimpse of the old Nic, and each time I would be reminded that nothing had changed.
The smiles? The friendly conversation? Consideration for my schedule? All of those questions had me convinced that Nic had a trick up her sleeve.
The next morning, a stirring in my cock awakened me. My eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness of the pre-dawn hours. Nothing could cloak the Jasmine-sized form underneath the covers.
Pulling away the hotel's white sheets, I found her lying next to me with her head resting on my thigh. My cock grew and stretched in appreciation. My eyes met the playful expression glittering in her dark eyes.
"Hi." I yawned and raised my arms in a slow, sleep-ragged stretch. Instead of returning my greeting, her soft hand wrapped around my hardening flesh. My back arched as a slow hiss of pleasure left my lips.
Jasmine's hand squeezing my flesh was my favorite way to wake up. My cock was no longer a part of me. Jasmine charmed him, and he surrendered to her whims. If I was tired, she used her special ways to make him spring back to life. Her voice. Her hand. Her mouth.
I placed an arm underneath my head and sunk deeper into the pillows and widened my legs to give her more access.
"I couldn't help myself. It's difficult to sleep next to you. Your morning wood poked my back." She added a cute little giggle and hovered over my now fully hard and standing tall shaft. I bit back a curse when her pink tongue flicked along the slit of the crown.
The hand not supporting my head roamed down my chest until it reached her head. I pulled at the hair tie, and her thick hair fell into a dark curtain, hiding her face. My fingers massaged her scalp before gliding down the long strands. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back onto my palm while her hand smoothly glided up and down my length.
I moved the strands of hair from her lovely face and held her chin in my hand while my thumb stroked her soft cheek. High cheekbones, upturned eyes, soft lush lips, and skin the color of honey. I didn't deserve her.
Starting from the ends, I wrapped the long tresses around my hand and thrust upwards, not the most subtle hint to what I needed. She happily obliged, running her tongue along her lips. Tilting toward my painfully hard cock, she suctioned around me. The move startled me, forcing a sharp inhale from my lip as if a jolt of lightning had struck.
Everything in my world felt good and right.
My God. There was nothing like being nestled in her sweet, hot mouth. Jasmine was heaven. She could have been with anyone, and I was humbled because she chose me. The glorious wet heat of her mouth felt amazing as she sucked me in until I hit the back of her throat. I’d thought I was going to burst as her muscles clenched as she struggled to adjust to my length and width. Slurping noises filled the room as she licked and sucked me, guiding me to climax. I thanked all things holy for bringing her into my life. In return, I pledged to give her anything she wanted and everything I had.
Shit. I was in deep.
What we shared was no longer a work thing. It was a real thing.
"You're mine." The words came out in a whisper. For a moment, I thought that she hadn't heard me. The golden haze of the rising sun cast a soft glow across her face, highlighting the full, plump mouth wrapped around my cock. She lifted off my cock and met my gaze. She replaced her lips with a hand and slowly stroked up and down. The movement briefly jilted me out of my love-struck stupor, hitching my breath.