Jasmine (9 page)

She flushed. “I don’t even know
how they found out I did that. I swear no one wants to keep secrets anymore.” She
looked up at him as he continued to stare at her. “You’re about to tell me that
I have to tell them, aren’t you?”

“I think it’ll come out, yes. I’m
sure that your other lawyer is right now making plans to let someone in his
office know and they’ll tell someone else until the right someone gets the
story. How do you want me to handle it?”

“You’ll be my lawyer then?” She
didn’t realize how much she’d needed to hear him say that.

“Of course I will. It will be a
pleasure.” He sat up again. “We’ll have to tell Janice. She’ll need to know,
then you’d better make the rest of the family aware. Things are about to get a
whole lot more public for you.”

She nodded. “I know. But I
don’t…I’m terrified.”

Janice came in and he told her to
have a seat and nodded at Jazzie.

So she told the first person she
knew that wasn’t on a need-to-know basis. Well, she thought with a smile, other
than Nathan. And telling him hadn’t been her idea either, but now that he knew
she was glad for it. So far he’d not told anyone and she knew that he was close
to Drew.

Janice took it well. Jazzie wasn’t
sure if it had to do with her professionalism or that she didn’t believe her,
but she got right to work on setting up a press conference and a meeting with
the head of HBO. Things were moving at an alarming rate and, before long, Drew
was setting up a luncheon with her family for today. Jazzie was suddenly very
terrified.

“Take deep breaths. If it helps, I
didn’t invite your mother.” She looked up at him grinning. “Yeah, I figured
that’d help. It’s going to be fine, love. You can’t believe that any of them
will be nothing but happy for you.”

She hoped he was right. A few
minutes after nine, and two hours after she’d walked into her new lawyer’s
office, she was walking toward Nathan’s to see him. His note had told her to
come there after her meeting and he’d make it worth her while. His secretary
told her to go in after she’d buzzed him. Jazzie pressed her hand to her belly
and went in.

~~~

Nathan had never done what he was
about to do with a woman before. He’d worked all morning in setting this up and
hoped it wouldn’t backfire. When she walked in he could tell she was surprised.
He had to smile at the slight flare of disappointment when she’d seen what he’d
done.

The blanket on the floor was
covered with small containers. He’d wanted to have a picnic with her and knew
that it was too chilly, especially in early April, for them to have one. The
rain had also stopped it, but only in the setting. He’d set up the food to be
delivered today by calling in a favor on his way into work. His friend had been
more than happy to send him a basket of goodies.

“I thought you’d skip breakfast
and wanted you to have something to power you through the day.” He kissed her
lightly and led her to the repast. “I didn’t know what you’d like so I had him
send over a little bit of everything. Also, I got some of that tea you like to
drink.”

She looked at him from across the
blanket and he noticed the tears. Before he could say anything, she told him
she was fine. “No one had ever done anything like this for me before. I don’t
know what to say. It’s lovely.”

He sat her on the edge of the
blanket and began opening some of the food. Tony, his friend, had gone to the
extreme, but he was happy. There were small bowls of fruit; cantaloupe, grapes,
and honeydew. There was a container of strawberries and another of soft
chocolate. When he opened one of the larger containers, it was to find meats
and cheeses and a long sleeve of delicate crackers. There were other items as
well; mustard that Nathan knew the restaurant that Tony owned was famous for,
silver knives, and china plates. Long stem glasses and a bottle of very nice
champagne. The last large container he opened held an assortment of small thin
slices of cheesecake and chocolate truffles.

“This is so lovely,” she told him
as he fed her a grape. “I feel like one of those beautiful women in those
romance movies that meets her lover for an afternoon of decadent pleasure.”

“If your smile is any indication I
would say that you may have your own romance movie soon.” He fed her a piece of
cheese on a cracker. “So did he make fun of you and tell you you were a hack?”

She flushed slightly. When he’d
told her to go to Drew last night she’d told him that she was worried that he’d
throw her out of his office. She said that she didn’t believe that she was all
that good and believed completely that he would see her for the fraud she was.

“No. He didn’t even blink an eye.
He did say that Quinn said the sex scenes were the best she’d ever read. I got
the feeling that he benefited from those scenes just a little.” He could tell
she had more to say. “Drew is setting up a press conference for day after
tomorrow. And I have a meeting with my family today at two. He said that it’ll
be out soon who I am and that I should tell them before it comes out in the
paper.”

Nathan nodded. He figured that
Drew would do that. The other lawyer that she’d had told her that she was
stupid for dropping him, that he’d been the best thing that had ever happened
to her. She’d been so upset after talking to the man that Nathan wanted to hunt
the guy down and beat the shit out of him.

“I want you there,” she said
quietly. “I want to tell them that we are seeing each other…unless you’d rather
we kept this, whatever we’re having, quiet?”

He wanted to shout it to the world
that Nathan Allen Howard the Forth had his sub, but he was reasonably sure
that’s not what she meant. He picked up another cracker before he answered her.
“What it is you want?” He held up his hand before she answered. “You know what
I am. What I’ll always be. And I’m sure that now that you’ll be public people
are going to be doing some major back stories on you. You don’t need to see
‘Famous
Author Sleeps With Drug Addict’
spread across the headlines.”

She smiled at him. “No, I don’t. But
I wouldn’t mind seeing,
‘Famous Author has Gorgeous Man Tie Her Up and Make
Her Scream Her Release Every Night,’
though.”

“You do scream very loudly when
you come. Do you know how hard it makes me when you do that? My cock aches to
be inside of you right now.” He watched her eyes darken. “The way that you
tighten around me, my tongue or my cock, makes me want to feel you come again
and again.”

She moaned his name as she moved
closer to him. He wanted her now, wanted her to lie down, and he wanted to fuck
her hard. She opened her blouse and he felt his cock jerk in his pants. He
stopped her with his hand on hers.

“I can’t. Not right now at any
rate.” Her moan made him want to tell her he’d changed his mind. “I have a
meeting in twenty minutes. Not near enough time to do all the things I’m
thinking about right now.”

She moved his hand away and
reached for his belt. “Like what? Like me sucking on your cock again? I need to
do that right now. I want to feel you coming down the back of my throat again.”

He leaned back and let her open
his fly. He wanted her in the worst way and couldn’t seem to stop her from
taking him. When she freed his cock and wrapped her lips around him he moaned. Christ,
this woman was going to kill him.

“Wait. I want you to lay over me.”
He pulled her dress up and over her hips as she settled over his head when he
was flat on his back. “We’re going to do this so we both get something out of it.
But you can’t scream.” When he was on his back he turned her so that her pussy
was over his mouth. He licked his way up her thigh.

“I wanted this since I put this on
this morning. I thought about you, thought about you taking me across your desk
and fucking me until I couldn’t walk. But I like this better.” She reached for
his cock. “Let me suck you dry.”

He buried his face in her thighs
and felt her mouth wrap around him. He rocked into her mouth as he sucked her
clit. She was hot, soaking wet, and he knew that he wasn’t going to last. Even
as he fucked her luscious mouth, he knew that he was going to have to bring
some toys to the office so that the next time she came in, he’d have her on his
desk. He couldn’t wait to lean her over it and pound her tight ass while he
tugged at her pussy.

It only took a few strokes and
lesser suckles at her clit. Her climax had her tightening her thighs around his
ears as he came hard into her mouth. Her moan rippled along his cock, making
his eyes cross. Christ, he thought as he rolled over and then pulled her lax
body over his, she was going to kill him.

Chapter 9

The meeting was held in her
favorite local restaurant. She figured Drew had set it up this way so that she’d
be less nervous. She wasn’t. Jazzie was pretty sure that at any moment she was
going to throw up. She smoothed her hands down over her dress again and took a
deep breath. This was going to be fine.

The dress had arrived today while
she was in the Howard building. The UPS man knew to put things in the garage;
he’d done it for her often enough. But this package couldn’t have come at a
better time. Her sister could make killer clothes and Jazzie so needed a boost
right now.

It was a shade of blue so intense,
so brilliant, that it probably didn’t have a name. And instead of taking away
from the wearer, it suited her perfectly. The top was a tight bodice that had
no sleeves of any sort. The short jacket in the same bright hue concealed the
fact that her boobs were barely covered and drew the eye, instead, to the long
line of her body while toning down the ample size of her breasts. She loved the
short skirt of the dress, the silky material gathered at her hips in a fanlike
pattern. The length of the dress was almost illegal, but she loved it. It made
her feel sexy and alive, made her wish that she’d not needed its boost and
could have shown it off for Nathan tonight.

“Do you know what this is about?”
her brother asked her. “I don’t mind us all getting together, but I’m curious. Drew
only said there was a big announcement to make.”

“Yes. But I’m not going to tell
you until everyone else comes in. Go away, Cain.” She pushed him a little and
all she managed to do was make him grin at her. “You’re not going to be able to
get this out of me, so just give it up.”

“Ah come on, Jazzie. You know you
want to tell me. Just like when we were kids. You never could keep things from
your big brother. Tell me now and I’ll be all surprised when the announcement
is made.”

She walked away. She had kept her
secret for this long, a few more minutes wasn’t going to kill her. She didn’t
think so anyway. She looked at her watch again. Nathan had told her he was in a
meeting until late, but he’d be there for her. She hoped so; she could use a
friendly face.

“Okay, everyone is here. I think
we should order first and then make the announcement.” Drew handed her a sheet
of paper. “I hope you don’t mind, but I made up something for you to say. This
way, if you get too nervous, you can just read from this.” She glanced down at
it, but didn’t really read it. “Nathan just called. He said to turn on your
phone and that he was on his way. Are you and him…”

“Yes. I thought I’d open with
that.” Jazzie grinned at his surprised expression. “Not very long and it’s
nothing serious. We just…well, he’s my… Yes. We’re seeing each other.” She so
didn’t want to get into him being her Master and her his sub right now. Nor did
she think Drew would appreciate her telling him that they’d had the most
incredible sex not three hours ago. She glanced up at the door when Nathan
appeared. She didn’t think Drew would be happy to learn that her thighs were
soaked because she was in love with her sister-in-law’s step brother. Nathan
kissed her on the mouth and closed any and all conversation on how she wanted
to tell her family. They pretty much got it.

The wait staff came in and took
their order. Jazzie’s belly was so upset she didn’t want to order, but Nathan
had taken her menu from her and ordered for her. She only hoped that whatever
it was, she’d be able to hold it down until she got home. Drew stood up and
picked up his water glass and knife.

After gently hitting the knife to
the crystal, he cleared his throat. “I’m so glad you all could make it today on
such short notice. I think that you’ll all be happy with the announcements that
I have to share with you. First and foremost, I took on a client today. I think
that I’ll have more fun with this one than I’ve had in a while. But first,
Jazzie has something to say.”

He sat as she stood up. She was
shaking all over. This was her family; they loved her, she kept telling
herself. She looked over at Alyssa when she burst out laughing.

“If this is you and Nathan you
want to tell us about, I want to be the first to say congratulations. I’ve
never seen either of you happier. Is this about a wedding?”

“No,” Jazzie said quickly. “I
mean, no. We’ve only just…that is, we’re just…” She looked at Nathan. “We are
taking things at our own pace. But that’s not why I had Drew ask you to come
here. I’m…that is to say, I have a…I didn’t think it would…oh shit. I’m Jasmine
Blackwell and HBO has approached me about a series deal on my series. And
because I fired my lawyer this morning Nathan suggested that I ask Drew to help
me.”

She sat down. There wasn’t a sound
around the table. Even the children seemed to know something monumental had
just happened. Nathan held her hand under the table and gave her a tight
squeeze when the silence seemed to stretch on.

“
The
Jasmine Blackwell? The
books that…you’re Jasmine Blackwell?” Alyssa leaned over and put her tattered
copy of her book,
Willow,
on the table. “This is yours?”