Queen In Play (The Manhattan Tales Book 2) (20 page)

“I’ll show you my new cheers, and we can get lunch from the little place in town.  You don’t have plans tomorrow, do you? I bet your boyfriend won’t care, will you?”  She spoke so quickly, barely allowing me any time to respond.

“Alison, calm down.  Nobody can keep up with you.”  Aunt Mel said to her daughter with a piqued brow.  Allie seemed to relax only slightly in her chair and sipped her iced tea.

“I think a girl’s day would be nice,” Mom added.

At that moment, Travis arrived through the front door.  He appeared tired, still in his dark suit.  His tie was loosened around his neck. 

“We’re in here, honey.”  Mom called out to Travis as he nearly passed the entry in the dining room.  He stopped in his tracks and spun on his heels. 

Of course I had to get up immediately and hug him tightly.  I’m sure everyone in the room was able to feel the tension that immediately radiated between Mason and my brother.  The two barely acknowledged each other.  Travis cast a brief glance at Mason, and that was all.

“I had a late lunch so I will be in the apartment settling down. I just wanted to see Jill.  I have to prepare for an important meeting on Monday,” he murmured as he walked away, but he turned and looked at me.  “You owe me a movie night, by the way.  I’ll be back down in a bit.”  He smiled at me, and then left the room.  There was uncomfortable silence for a few moments following.

“So, about that girl’s day tomorrow..” my Aunt Mel began.

“I can spend a few hours out, definitely.  I missed everyone,” I answered as I sipped my iced tea.  I felt bad about neglecting Mason all day though. He brought me to Ohio just so I could leave him for an entire day? What would he do all day?

“Go.” Mason said directly, sensing what was on my mind.

I looked up at him in question.

“You’ve missed a lot of time with your family.  You have a lot of catching up to do.”  He grinned down at me.

“What will you do?”

“Don’t worry about me.  I can take care of myself.”  He winked with a smile.  “Go and enjoy yourself.”

I smiled, feeling warm and fuzzy inside. 
My Mason
.

21.  Mason Woodward

I had not planned on Jillian being gone for an entire day, but it worked well in my favor.  I wasn’t counting on having her at my side the entire weekend.  I knew her family wanted to spend time with her, hence the reason for this trip. 

Shortly after Jill left with her trio of ladies, I took a walk around her uncle’s property.  I could have stayed at the hotel in town… and do what?  The paint was peeling off the house and shed.  It needed work, and I hadn’t seen a house this run-down close up.  I most certainly stepped into another world.  I made for the house, intent on getting some work accomplished from the laptop.

The lyrics of familiarity suddenly blasted over the property.  AC/DC’s
Back In Black
blared so loudly and was directly coming from the shed behind the house.  Travis had made himself scarce as long as I was around, but I knew he was home.  His blue Nissan was parked in the back and evidence was leading toward the old detached garage beside the shed.  The door was half-closed, but only Travis blasted music to that ungodly volume.

Now or never
, I told myself. 
Fuck all
.   I turned on my heel and approached the garage.  I peered into the dimly lit area just as Black Sabbath reverberated from all four walls of the small structure.  There was a strong smell of oil, and a black 1968 Chevrolet Impala was neatly centered on the cement, but there was no Travis to be seen.  The clang of metal came from beneath the Impala, and I rounded the car.

“Fuck!”  I heard a familiar voice hiss.  A pair of denim, ripped at the knees, and work boots were stretched out beneath the vehicle.

“Need a hand?” I finally asked.

Travis moved out from under the Impala and looked up at me.  His face was streaked with black grease.  His crew neck t-shirt was white at one time.  The man looked up at me grimly.

“The last time I got a hand from you, it landed me in the ER.”

“Well deserved, don’t you think?” 
Bad form.
I silently scolded myself for that remark.

“Fuck off, before I return the favor.”

I allowed that comment to slide.  He repositioned himself under the vehicle again, and I remained standing there.  Travis was attempting to resume work on the car, but was clearly distracted by this point.

With a huff, he removed himself from the car.  “Do you need something?  Other than my sister?  What the fuck is up with
that
?”

Travis had gone into overprotective brother mode.  He straightened, looking at me. I had a good five inches on him, but I could see that he would clock me if I said one wrong thing.  At this angle, this close up, I could see that his nose was slightly crooked- a reminder of our history.

There was stiff, intense, and uncomfortable silence between us.  To be perfectly truthful, I was at a loss for what to appropriately say.

Travis wiped his hands on an old rag that was on the wooden work bench closest to the car. 

“I understand why you hate my guts,” Travis broke the silence as he threw the rag down on the bench, and then lowered the volume on the stereo.  “What I don’t understand… is what you are doing with my kid sister.”

His face was turning red at the mere thought of it.

“That’s simple.  I love her.”  My tone was direct and not open for argument.

Travis barked out a laugh, then shook his head.  “Man, you’re going to break her heart. And then I’m going to land myself in jail.”

My nostrils flared and my jaw was set in a firm line.  He doesn’t know a damn thing about my relationship with Jillian.

I watched him pick up a wrench, twirl it in his hand thoughtfully, and then set it back down on the bench.  “Let me get this straight.  You rejected my calls when I tried to apologize years ago… told me to fuck off, and pretended I didn’t exist for the next five years.”  His dark eyes looked at me directly and his face was stormy.

“Meanwhile, Jillian turns out to be a beautiful, intelligent woman and suddenly you find room in your heart to forgive and forget?”

“Forgive, yes… but I will never forget that you betrayed me.”

If the conversation continued down this path, I would not be sticking to my original plan.

“Fuck, man.”  Travis breathed in deeply and then exhaled.  “I don’t even remember any of it.”

My expression was questioning, yet wary.  I was not about to fall for any of his bullshit.  “By all means.  Enlighten me as to what you
do
remember.”  My reply was sardonic.

Travis returned to his natural, pensive state as he contemplated quietly.  “The day you found Ella in bed with me, you were supposed to come over that night.  We were going to grab a pizza and some beers.”  He shrugged.  I screwed up some files earlier that day at work and my boss chewed me out. He threw me off the case I’d been working on. I was so stressed. I ended up at the bar at three in the afternoon.  Ella was there…”

I watched my ex-friend wipe grease from his face.  “She sat with me and I told her about my day. I was drunk by this point, but I remembered she told me she had feelings for me.  I remembered thinking that I needed to get the hell away.  I took a cab back home.  Took a nap.  Woke up with Ella next to me in only a thong… just as you busted in.  Got punched in the face. Went to the ER. The end.”

“You expect me to believe that load of bollocks?”  I asked incredulously.

“Look. Woodward.  That woman was never my type.  You know the type of women I went for.  I never had patience for her bitchy attitude.  I
tolerated
her for your sake.  We
all
did!  I don’t know why the fuck she was in my bed, but I wasn’t drunk enough for
that
. I tried to explain that to you.”

The pensive nature was long gone.  Travis was fuming.  He began storming toward the door, but stopped and turned toward me.  “You’re so hell bent on believing that everyone is ready to fuck with you.  Not every person in the world is like your father.  Sometimes, you just have to trust the people who care about you most.  I don’t know why that bullshit happened the way it did, but perhaps it did me a favor.  It showed me your true colors as soon as times got rough.”

He threw the towel down and left me standing there in the garage, like a damned idiot.  I followed him outside.  He stormed far ahead of me.  He sensed me close the distance behind him and stopped momentarily to bark out one last request.

“Do me one favor, at least.  Stay the hell away from Jill.  Please.  I couldn’t bear it if you broke her heart.” 

He turned to continue walking toward the house.

“I can’t.” My words stopped him in his tracks.  “Believe me, I tried.  I thought it was for the best… but I’m a selfish bastard.”

He scoffed in agreement at that last bit.

“I want to ask her to marry me.”  This got his attention.  He looked at me, profoundly confused. Furious.

“Why would you want to marry my sister?”

This question angered me.  “Why the hell not?”

“Do you even remember what you said to me that night you broke my nose?”

Apparently not. Judging from his expression, it was condescending and demeaning of his social class.

Travis shook his head.  “You said, ‘I should have known better than to mingle with low-class paupers.’ You confirmed your true feelings when you ignored my sister as she tried to invite you to her high school graduation.”

There was a sharp, stabbing pain in my gut, but Travis was persistent in driving his point home.

“You threw Jillian into that label when you made that sentiment, wouldn’t you agree?  She can never fit into
your world
.”

Come to think of it, I do recall saying that. It was said in anger. Did I mean those words?  Perhaps I did at the time, but it’s all in the past.  History.  Nothing we do will change what has already transpired.

“I can’t rewind time and change what I said, or reverse the things I’ve done.  I can only move forward.  I don’t intend to change who Jillian is.  I love that she doesn’t fit the mold expected within
my world
- as you delightfully call it.  She and I will find middle ground.”

Travis stood there, quietly contemplating.  He was greatly conflicted and it was expressed all over his face.  “I’m sorry man, I just can’t wrap my head around you with my sister.”  His face contorted.  “... Nor do I want to.”

I gave a slight laugh.  “I’d prefer if you didn’t…”

Silence.

He finally gave a slight smirk and then a chuckle. The tension was still there, but no longer smothering. “You hungry?  I was thinking about ordering a pizza.”

“Black olives, no mushrooms.”  I stated.

“Fuck, no mushrooms.”  Travis agreed.

We walked in silence for a few minutes.

“I believe you, by the way.”  I shattered the quiet between us as we walked through the back door.  Travis eyed me momentarily as he grabbed the house phone.

“About?”

“There have been some revelations in my life that have come to surface recently, and I believe that you did not sleep with Ella, nor did you intend to.  I’m only sorry it took me so many years to see that.”

Travis squinted his dark eyes at me warily, as though he did not believe my statement.

“Did you just say you’re sorry?  Wow.”

“Shut the hell up and order the pizza.”

“First you said you want to
marry my sister
and then you
apologized
.  My God.  I’m in a parallel Universe-”

“Shut the fuck up, bloody bastard.”  I could only smirk.

Travis laughed and fished the menu for a local pizza parlor from a side drawer. He phoned the order and then tossed me a beer from the fridge.

“I don’t mean to sound like a girl… but when do you plan to ask her?” 

One empty pizza box and three beers later, Travis was asking that question.

“Soon,” I answered. 

“You’re not recycling the ring you bought for Ella.”

“You’ve had one too many beers, my friend.”  I took the half-empty can from his hand and set it on the coffee table.

“I am giving her my grandmother’s ring.  It will mean much more to both of us than some purchased ring.  Jillian appreciates things that have sentimental value.”

Travis nodded his approval and grabbed his half-empty beer can from the table. 

“I’m going to ask her, but it will mean so much more to her if I can tell her that you gave your blessing.”

My reunited friend gave me a cock-eyed glance.  “If you make her happy, then absolutely.  If you break her heart, I’m going to kick your ass.”

“Fair enough.”

22.  Mason Woodward

Jillian returned home later that afternoon with her cousin, mother and aunt.  She was the first to walk through the door, and her mouth nearly dropped to the floor when she found two old friends playing Guitar Hero in the living room.  Naturally, Travis was winning by a long shot but nobody was paying attention to the score. 

My love simply stood there by the door with a half-empty iced coffee in one hand, gawking.  Then a slow smile crept up her face and she was beaming. 

“Oh my God, I want to play.  I can kick both your asses with this!”  Allie immediately jumped into the scene, oblivious about the animosity that existed between Travis and me for the last five years.  Travis handed his little cousin the guitar and then he received a work-related call and had to step outside to answer.

Jillian wrapped an arm around me and stood on her toes to kiss my lips.  Her eyes were sparkling.  “I’m so happy,” she whispered into my ear.

I leaned over and whispered, “How happy?”  My tone was suggestive as I winked.

She sucked on her lower lip and then smiled again.  Her face radiated with light.  “I’ll show you tonight.”

“Mm. I hope so-”

“Jilly will you help me put these things away?”  Her mother interrupted our moment, gesturing to the groceries they’d brought home.  My wicked thoughts would have to be put on hold.  Instead, I pretended to be a gentleman and helped the ladies unload the groceries.

****

The afternoon drifted into a perfect Summer evening.  After dinner, Jillian’s uncle lit a fire pit and some of their new family friends stopped by to roast marshmallows, which they sandwiched between Graham crackers with chocolate. That sounds sickeningly sweet. Jillian had a very big sweet tooth and ate about three of those disgusting concoctions.  Melted marshmallow on top of chocolate is much too sweet for my tastes, but it was fucking hot to watch her suck the melted chocolate off her fingers and lick those pouty lips.  She was completely ignorant to how badly she was tormenting me in that moment.

As she fed her cousin advice about girl problems, I looked around toward the small gathering.  Jillian’s aunt and uncle were laughing and talking with her mum, and a few of their friends.  Travis sat on the other side of the fire pit, strumming a classic guitar. 

Jillian licked the last of the chocolate from her fingers just before she glanced over to me from an adjacent bench across the fire.  Her face glowed from the kindle, and there was a sparkle there that I hadn’t seen in a long time.  There was such love in her eyes, and it sent me reeling.  Sure, I sound like a pussy.  I don’t give a fuck.

“Mason, honey, I’m going into the house.  Do you want anything to drink?”  Mrs. Pryor interrupted my thoughts.

“No, thank you, Mrs. Pryor.” 

I had been on-edge about visiting Ohio to see Jillian’s family.  I’d spent so many years harboring anger and bitterness.  The methods I’ve used to get what I want in life have not been the most wholesome.  All of it was forgotten that evening.  I’d forgotten how the Pryors and their family had treated me.  With them, I was never the heir to a large-scale empire.  I was never drilled with questions about business or life’s pressures.  I was treated like one of their own, and they’d all but forgotten about the falling-out I’d had with Travis years ago. 
These people are my family.  She is my family.
  That thought only prompted me…

I took several deep breaths, trying to gain my composure before I stood.  I crossed the small area surrounding the fire pit and sat on the bench beside Jill. 

Bloody hell.  Why am I sitting?
  Beside me, she giggled as she listened to something Allie was saying.  Then, Jill turned to me with light in her dark eyes.

“Are you having a good time?”  She asked this with concern.

“Of course,” I grinned.  I cleared my throat and stood.

“May I have a word, Jill?”

That sounded much too stiff and rigid as I offered my hand to her.  Her eyes flared with worry.

“Is everything okay?”  She asked, taking my hand.

“It’s fine.”  I clasped her hand firmly and began walking away from the fire.  I didn’t intend to drag her along, but I was nervous as fuck.  With tunnel vision, I walked straight toward the shed.

“Mason, slow down.  I can’t walk that fast.”  Jill was sprinting behind me, and I slowed.  This was not the ideal, romantic start I’d planned.  I knew in that instant that I was acting distant and strange and it was making her nervous. 
Fuck.

“You’re scaring me.  What’s wrong?”  She asked and pulled her hand away from my grasp. 

My head was spinning.  There was no doubt that I wanted to do this.  She is my everything… but there was a small intrusive thought that plagued the back of my mind.  What if she says no?  And I’ve already screwed up the romantic walk.

“Mason…?” 

The automatic lights of the garage were triggered as we neared the shed.  I could see that her face was slightly panicked, staring up at me with wide, questioning eyes.

I hoped my smile would ease her, and I took her hand in mine.  I clasped it firmly, and cupped it with my other. 

My heart was thundering in my chest. 
Was this the right move?  Here?  Perhaps I should have taken her to an island or some romantic getaway.  Fuck if I know how to do these things the right way...

I felt like a Goddamned idiot. 
Get it together, Woodward.  I can manage two large enterprises, but this woman has me nervous as bloody hell.

After exhaling deeply to calm my nerves, I gently squeezed her hands and cupped them both within mine.  A gentle Summer breeze blew a few stray tresses of her wild waves into her face. 

“You know I love you…” I began stiffly. 
Fuck, that didn’t come out right.
 

She nodded, looking up at me with questioning eyes.  “I love you, too, Mason.” 

I licked my lips, because my mouth was suddenly quite dry.  “You and I have been… dating for only a few months, but you know me better than any other person in this world.”

I dug into the pocket of my denim, but the small velvet box was lodged in there quite tightly. 

“One moment,” I held up a single finger, while she waited patiently.  I had to dig the damn thing out of my pocket.
Christ.

“Are you trying to give me another overpriced keychain?”  She joked.  Her voice quivered slightly.

I smiled stiffly, and finally pulled the box out. 

She suddenly sucked in a sharp breath, and cupped her hands over her mouth.

I knelt to one knee.  My heart was officially in my throat.  I don’t recall having any of these anxieties when I proposed to Ella so many years ago… I shook those memories from my mind, and looked up at the woman I adored more than anything else in the world.  I’d give my life for this woman.  She brought light back into my life when I knew only darkness.

“Jillian Katherine Pryor, will you marry me?”  I blurted those words out.  I had a whole speech planned, and while I normally prided myself on my excellent public speaking skills, it all left me. I’d already botched the romance out of it. 

Her hands were shaking as they remained cupped over her mouth, and I saw tears pool in her eyes. 

“Oh my G- Oh my…  Are you serious?” She was at a loss for words.

What the fuck? I was hoping for a different reaction.

“Of course I’m serious.  Why would I play around with my Grandmother’s ring?” 
Please don’t keep me on my fucking knee like this…

She simply stood there, staring down at me, with a hand cupped over her mouth.

The wait was killing me.  “Christ, Jillian.  Say something.” 
Just don’t say no…

“Yes.  Yes, please… yes!”

A sense of euphoria and relief washed over me in that moment.  I exhaled, realizing that I’d been holding most of my breath.  I took her hand possessively and felt how it was still visibly trembling even as I slid the princess cut yellow diamond onto her small finger.  I’d have to get it resized because her fingers were so tiny.

“I’ll have it resized in the morning,” I whispered against her ear.

“It’s beautiful,” She breathed; her voice was slightly choked. A single tear slipped down her cheek. “You gave me your grandmother’s ring?”  Her mind was buzzing with shock.  I knew she was still processing what had just happened.

“I never thought I would give this to anyone else.  It’s remained locked away for years, but I want you to have a piece of … something very special from my childhood.  My grandmother.”

She watched as I wrapped my hands around hers.  Her eyes were bright and filled with such love.  Instinctively, a part of me wanted to shield away from it, but I caught myself. 

“You never spoke of her before.  You loved her very much?” Her voice was no more than a soft whisper.

“Yes.  She died when I was eleven, too soon.”  My hands remained cupped around hers.

“I’d love to hear more about her.”

“I will have all the time in the world to tell you,” I bent forward and kissed the nape her neck.  “In the meantime, I’ll take the ring back before it falls off that tiny finger of yours.”

I removed the ring from her finger and returned it to the velvet box for safe keeping.  Without a word, I cupped her face in both hands and enveloped her lips with mine. 

I felt her damp cheek against mine.  Her lips still tasted of chocolate and I had the sudden primal desire to take her. Own her. Ravage her.

“Shed. Now.” My growl was low in her ear.

“Mason…”  She breathed softly, our lips still touching but not kissing.

In the distance, her family could be heard laughing.  Their voices were muffled conversation.  The smoky scent of burning charcoal hung in the air, along with the lighter scent of beer. 
Her family could remain preoccupied for another half hour for all I care…
  Without warning, I gripped that peach of an ass and lifted her to my level.  Fluidly, she wrapped those thighs around my waist. 

We were a tangled mess of intimate passion.  My lips never left hers as I walked her towards the shed.  A gentle breeze whipped her hair again, while my fingers dug into the globes of her ass, through the cotton fabric of her navy sundress. 

I walked her into the shed and pressed her body against the wood of the wall.  My mouth tasted her ravenously while her fingers raked through my hair, digging into my scalp.  This aggression only fueled my need for her. 

My cock was raging, swollen and constricted beneath my denim.  My hips thrust into her repeatedly as my tongue circled roughly within her mouth.  I had her pinned exactly where I wanted her.  I kept her pinned against the wall, using my hips and one arm.  I used the other to yank the fabric of her dress up and I savored the steaming juices that pooled in her lace. 

“Oh Mason…”  Her breath was warm against my neck as I pushed the lace of her panties aside and rubbed her slick clit. 

Two fingers thrust into her warm, wet slit, and she gasped into my ear. 
Christ.  I’ll never get used to how tight she is.  I’ve been the only one.  I’ll always be the only one.  My Jilly Bean.

Her gasps turned into whimpering moans as I thrust my fingers harder, deeper.  Her body began quivering against mine.  Her legs were growing weak, losing their strength around my waist.

“Tonight, I’m going to show you just how much I fucking love you, Jill.”  I growled into her ear.  I could barely control myself.  The throb in my pants was an aching need and I’d lose my mind if I didn’t feel her soon.

Her breathing was ragged as I supported her weight with my pelvis, and one arm.  I continued fingerfucking her at a quick, hard, rhythmic pace. I knew exactly how she needed it, what made her come.  I thrust in deeply, and curled two fingers and she sucked in a long, shuddering breath before she clenched fiercely around my fingers. 

Goddamn.
  I reveled in the feeling of her coming undone.  I continued the tempo as her body trembled, releasing around my quickening fingers.  I prolonged her orgasm for as long as possible, and when she finally returned from her state of ecstasy, she looked up at me with glazed eyes.

She inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to catch her breath as she stared up at me.

I gave her a wicked smirk, still keeping her body sandwiched in place against the wall.  Keeping my eyes directly on hers, I sucked on those two fingers.  Her eyes widened as I savored her taste, sucking every last drop from my fingers.  Then, I placed those fingers on her lips and she knew what to do.  I’d given her a silent command.  She parted her beautiful, pouty mouth and sucked on both fingers. 

I closed my eyes as her tongue caressed my fingers.  I could imagine that tongue around my cock.

She must have known what I was thinking.  My little Jilly Bean suddenly pushed away from me, grabbed the collar of my shirt with both hands and pushed me against the wall.  The act was so aggressive, and surprising.  It purely caught me off-guard.  Her expression was intense as she dropped to her knees and wasted no time unzipping my pants.