Belong to You (18 page)

He spoke with his lips in my hair as he kissed the top of my head. “I couldn’t leave you this morning.” I knew what he meant. I needed him next to me that morning after the night we had too. “I’m glad you couldn’t.” I spoke softly.

I rested my head on his naked chest, playing with the smattering of hair, 355/408

twirling it between my fingers. “My mom is coming down for a visit next weekend.” His hand had been stroking my hair and stopped in its place. “Do you want me to meet her?”

I thought about the question before asking. “I don’t think I have a choice. I sort of mentioned I met someone and she started an interrogation over the phone. If she doesn’t get to meet you, she won’t sleep for a month.”

Jack laughed lightly and I was relieved that he didn’t seem bothered by my response. “Where is she staying?” I hadn’t thought about it. My apartment was small, but she could share my bed with me for a night or two and deal with the close space. Although there would be ab-solutely no escaping her inquisition in such a 356/408

small area. “My place I guess, we didn’t really talk about it.”

“I’ll book you a suite here, so you can each have your own bedroom. I’ll tell the manager to book you both a day at the spa so you can relax and get pampered together.” I raised my head to look at him.

“That’s very sweet, but I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t ask, I offered, and I want to do it. Plus, I have my own secret agenda. It keeps you closer to me and butters up your mom for me.” I laughed. “I can’t image any woman would need any buttering for them to not fall head over heals for you.” Jack rolled on top of me playfully.

“Is that so?”

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“You’re a mother’s dream. Tall, dark and handsome, good manners, straight teeth and wealthy.”

“What about her daughter’s dream. How am I doing there?”

“Fulfilling them all.” I lifted my head to kiss him softly.

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Chapter 20

The next week flew by and I was surprised that I was actually looking forward to my mom’s visit. Lyle had complained, but gave me Saturday night off, and the thought of staying at the Heston Grand and having all day spa treatments with my mom was exciting. At first, my mother balked at the idea of staying at a hotel, but then I filled her in on Jack and his hotels and she warmed to the idea quickly. She sounded excited to visit and I realized that I had missed her and was excited to see her too.

Jack had insisted on Mateo picking up my mom Saturday morning and had arranged what sounded like an amazing day.

Brunch in Café Dumo, the hotel’s five star restaurant, followed by massages, manicures and pedicures, and wash and blow outs at 360/408

the Luxor Spa. He had booked us into the Presidential Suite, one floor below Jack’s Penthouse, which occupied the entire top floor.

Jack gave me the key to the suite Saturday morning and told me that he had work to do all day and would meet us at our room at seven, before dinner. I took the elevator down one floor and found the entire floor had suites named after presidents.

Each single door had a carved sign with a president’s name and a silhouette of the president’s profile. Following the signs for the presidential suite, I passed Ford, Lincoln, Washington and Kennedy. As I passed the Kennedy suite, I remembered that Jack had said that he kept a “sex suite” and wondered if one of them was his secret love shack. Perhaps the Kennedy suite? After all, his name was Jack and he was known as the womaniz-ing president. I hated the thought of Jack’s suite seeping into my brain to darken the day 361/408

after all that Jack had done to make the day perfect for my mom and I.

I arrived at the double door Presidential Suite and slipped in the key to open it.

The smell of fresh flowers hit me immediately as I entered. The suite was beautiful and enormous. Floor to ceiling windows overlooking Manhattan, glistening white marble floors and three huge bouquets of all white roses sat in sparkling crystal vases spread across the grand living room. To the right was a working fireplace, with a huge wooden carved mirror hanging above the mantle. To the left was a dining room, a small kitchen and a long hallway, which I assumed lead to the bedrooms.

I had expected the suite to be nice, but it was beyond anything that I could have imagined. It hadn’t dawned on me that the suite was truly a presidential suite and it was likely that it had housed actual presidents in 362/408

the past. I walked to the dining room table, where a card was perched up on one of the vases that houses at least two dozen roses. I opened the card, recognizing Jack’s handwriting immediately.
Syd, Hope you enjoy
the suite. The thought of you being so close,
yet not in our bed, is going to kill me tonight. Jack.

Holy. Shit.
Our bed.
Did he even realize that he wrote it? My heart swelled at the thought that Jack thought of his bed as our bed. I was falling deeper and deeper for the incredible man and all of the little thoughtful things that he did for me. He made me feel taken care of on so many levels. He took care of me physically, emotionally and definitely sexually. As I looked around the suite, feeling engulfed by Jack, I realized that what he needed to hear from me was true, I belonged to him.

***

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By the end of the day, I felt like a princess. I knew the spa was exclusive and expected good service, but Jack had made sure that my every need was taken care of. I was positive that the staff had to have been advised of who I was because they couldn’t possibly be that attentive to every customer every day in the same way they were to my mom and I. We sipped champagne and wore plush robes that were embroidered with our initials and were truly treated like royalty.

The young girl that did my manicure was sweet, but chatty. She told me that the spa had brought in one of the top celebrity stylists for our blowouts and that Mr. Heston selected our masseuses personally. I was impressed, but not surprised, at the length that Jack had went to. I was starting to realize that one of the reasons that he was so successful was that he didn’t do anything half way.

***

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I hadn’t even realized that the suite had a doorbell until it rang at promptly 7pm.

Of course, I was running late and Jack was right on time. I opened the door and flung my arms around his neck, giving him a big kiss and hug. Jack smiled down at me,

“What was that for?”

“It was for being the best boyfriend ever. We had the best day. Thank you baby.” I reached up on my tippy toes and kissed him again gently on the lips.

“Well, I really hope that you are Jack, with the kind of welcome you just got.” I heard my mom speak from behind me and blushed at the thought of what she had just watched me do. I must have looked like a schoolgirl running up to the boy that she had a crush on.

Jack smiled, his insanely perfect smile and full lips, extending his hand with 365/408

one arm and keeping the other wrapped tightly around my waist. “You must be Mrs.

St. Claire, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” Good god, I decided right there and then that my children were going to the same boarding school that Jack went to, just so they could come out with his incredibly alluring manners.

Mom, shook Jack’s hand and I could swear she blushed a little bit as she said, “Call me Renee, please.”

“Renee.” Jack nodded and released her hand.

“Go get ready honey, you are always late. I won’t tell Jack too many stories about your childhood if you hurry.” Mom laughed, but I knew she wasn’t kidding.

I gave her a silent “I’ll kill you if you do” face as I walked by and then rushed 366/408

to finish getting ready. I heard Jack and mom laughing a few times in the other room and, although I was afraid of what horrible childhood stories she was sharing, the sound of them laughing together warmed my heart.

Jack stood as I entered the room.

The only time the man didn’t have perfect manners was in the bedroom. In the bedroom, he was domineering and command-ing, such a stark contrast in some ways to the please and thank you gentleman that stood before me. Although, if I really thought about it, both bedroom and gentlemanly Jack had one thing in common, they took care of me.

***

about the time that I took off all my clothes and rode my bicycle down the entire block naked. Apparently, I had only made it about a dozen houses before the old lady next door called to report that she was upset at my lewd behavior. I knew from Jack’s face during that particular story that I’d be hearing more about my little naked endeavors later.

Mom didn’t grill Jack as bad as I thought she would, but she seemed satisfied at the answers she got to the questions she was able to get in. The glass of wine with dinner, coupled with the massage during the day and how well things were going, allowed me to relax. But my relaxation didn’t last long, every muscle jumped back into a tight ball of stress, the minute I saw Jack’s father walk into the restaurant. I silently said a prayer that he wouldn’t see us, but God wasn’t listening.

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Jack’s back was to the door, so he had no warning until he was standing aside our table. “Sydney, how nice to see you.” I watched as a Jack’s face changed, his smiling eyes shuttered and his jaw tensed as he turned with a face of steel. “Son, it wasn’t enough to take out one pretty girl this evening, you had to bring her sister too?” Shit. I had to do something, if Jack had to say more than two words to his father, I knew it wasn’t going to end pretty. I jumped in head first, “This is my mom, Renee, Mr. Heston.” My mom turned to face Jack’s dad and I watched her take him in.

He was an older, more polished looking version of Jack. Jack was sexy with chiseled features, but there was still something about him that was rough and rugged looking. His dad, on the other hand, screamed old money and polish and didn’t look like he ever had a fistfight in his life. But he was still a very 369/408

handsome older man, a fact clearly not lost on my mother.

“Didn’t I tell you to call me Jack, Sydney? The way you two have been inseparable lately, you might be calling me Dad one day.” His father winked at me with his comment.

Jack’s father held out his hand to my mother and I thought Jack was going to explode when he brought my mother’s hand to his mouth and gently kissed the top of her hand. Luckily my aim was good, and my foot met Jack’s shin under the table just as he was pushing his chair back to get up. He looked at me and I sent him warning eyes, begging him to stay put. I was shocked that he listened.

My mother blushed a bit “Nice to meet you Mr. Heston.”

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“You too, my dear. I can see where Syd gets her beauty from.” Shit, Shit, Shit. From the look on Jack’s face, I knew he was about to blow and I had to do something quick. I stood awkwardly. “It was nice to see you, Mr. Heston, mum Jack, you’ll have to excuse me I was just going to go the ladies room before you walked over. Mom, why don’t you join me?” Mom looked disappointed to be dragged away from the debonair Jack Heston Sr., but she stood to go, nonetheless. “It was nice meeting you Mr. Heston.” My mom shook his hand again and I nodded, knowing a physical touch from his father to me could send Jack right over the edge.

“Be right back Jack.” I smiled and widened my eyes to Jack, another attempt at a warning.

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I took as long as I could in the bathroom, trying to wait out whatever storm had to come to pass in the restaurant. My mom didn’t seem to notice anything unusual about Jack’s dad’s visit to our table, or, if she did, she didn’t say anything. Either way, I was grateful not to have to explain anything to her. I reapplied my lipstick, stalling for time, and then took a deep breath as we made our way back to our table. I was relieved to find Jack’s father gone and didn’t dare look around the restaurant for him, for fear finding him would cause him to re-appear. Jack was sitting at the table and I noticed he had an empty small cut crystal glass in front of him that wasn’t there earlier. As we sat, I realized that he had ordered a drink and downed it while we were in the restroom.

“I ordered us dessert to be delivered to my suite, Renee said she wanted to 372/408

see my floor.” His voice was harder than it was earlier, but I knew he was trying for me.

I mouthed thank you to him and he responded with a small smile and nod of the head.

Jack kept his hand at the small of my back and didn’t look back as we walked out of the restaurant. I saw his dad out of the corner of my eye, sitting at a table with a woman who looked at least 20 years his junior.

***

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“You okay? You had me scared there for a few minutes when I saw your face when your father stopped by our table.”

“I’ll deal with him later.” He buried his head in my hair and nibbled on my neck.

I giggled. “Stop, my mother is in the next room.”

“You could sneak upstairs after she goes to sleep.” Jack teased as he continued trailing kisses down my neck.

I ducked out of his reach. “No way. I think she really likes you. I’m not messing that up.” I teased playfully as I walked around him and started to push him towards the door.

Jack turned at the door and took my face in his hands. “You think she likes 374/408

me?” He could be so irresistibly adorable when he wanted to.

“Yes, I think she loves you.”

“I’ve never met a woman’s mother before.”

I’d forgotten that he didn’t have any relationship experience and that things like meeting my parents would be first experiences to him. He just seemed so confident and secure in doing them, that it was easy to forget that it was new for him. I adored that he cared that she liked him and that he was nervous about it. If it was possible, it made him even more endearing to me.