This Man (53 page)

I make it to the stool, and I’m greeted by a new age type, with wild dreadlocks and plenty of piercings.

‘Hi.’ I smile, reaching up to grab the cloth bag from the shelf.

‘Afternoon,’ he says. ‘Do you want some help with that?’ He joins me by the shelf, helping me retrieve the cloth bag.

‘Thanks.’ I feel Jesse’s warm palm on me again as I open the cloth bag and pull out the contents.

‘What’s that?’ Jesse asks, looking over my shoulder.

‘These,’ I shake them out, ‘are Thai fisherman pants,’

‘I think you need a smaller size.’ He frowns, running his eyes across the huge piece of black material that I’m holding up.

‘They’re one size.’

He laughs. ‘Ava, you could get ten of you in them.’

‘You wrap them around. One size fits all.’ I’ve been meaning to replace my worn ones for months.

He moves to the side, keeping his hand exactly where it is, and looks at the pants dubiously. Admittedly, they do look like a pair of trousers for the world’s most obese man, but once you figure them out, they’re super comfy for knocking around the house on a lazy day.

‘Here, let me show you.’ The stall owner takes the trousers from my grasp and kneels in front of me.

I feel Jesse’s palm tense on my back.

‘We’ll take them.’ he spits out fast.

Oh, here comes a trample!

‘You need a demo.’ Dread’s says cheerfully, jiggling the opening of the trousers at my feet.

I lift my foot to step into the trousers, only to have myself tugged back slightly. I glance up at him, flashing a warning look.

He’s being ridiculous. The man’s just being friendly.

‘You have great legs, Miss.’ Dreads says happily.

I cringe. ‘Thanks.’
Don’t encourage
him!

‘Give me those.’ Jesse snatches the pants from Dread’s before positioning me with my back to a shelf full of candles.

Shaking his head and muttering under his breath, he kneels on one knee and opens the pants for me. I smile sweetly at Dreads, who seems to be oblivious to Jesse’s trampling performance, probably too spaced out to notice. I step into the pants, pulling them up while Jesse holds onto the two gaping sides, his frown line deep on his forehead. God love him!

I quickly take control of the wrapping for fear of Dreads trying to intercept. ‘Like this, see?’ I fold the pants over, tying them on the side.

‘Wonderful,’ Jesse mocks, looking at them in confusion. His eyes find mine, and I break out in a full smile. He shakes his head, his eyes twinkling. ‘Do you want them?’

I start to unfasten and remove the trousers under Jesse’s watchful eye. ‘I’m paying.’ I inform him.

He rolls his eyes on a disgusted snort, taking a wad of notes from his pocket.

‘How much for the oversized trousers?’ he asks Dreads.

‘Just a tenner, my friend,’

I fold them up, shoving them in the bag.

‘I’m paying for the trousers, Jesse.’

‘Is that it?’ Jesse shrugs as he shoves a note at Dreads.

‘Cheers,’ Dreads shoves it in his bum-bag.

‘Come on.’ he says, his hand replaced on the exposed flesh of my back.

‘You didn’t have to trample the poor man.’ I moan. ‘And I wanted to pay for the pants.’

He pulls me into his side, pressing his lips into my temple. ‘Shut up.’

‘You’re impossible,’

‘You’re beautiful. Can I take you home now?’

I shake my head at my challenging man.

‘Yes.’ My feet are aching. And I have to commend him on his tolerance of my leisurely meander today. He’s been pretty reasonable.

I let him lead me through the crowds until we emerge from the packed alley, where the sound of booming, heavy techno music assaults my ears. I look over, seeing neon lights creeping from the darkness of the factory building and crowds of people gathering at the entrance. I’ve never been in the place, but it’s famed for its off the wall club wear and wild accessories.

‘You want to see?’

I look up at Jesse and find he’s followed my gaze to the entrance of the factory. ‘I thought you wanted to go home.’

‘We can have a quick look.’ He redirects us to the entrance, leading me into the dimly lit space.

The music pounds my ear drums as we enter. The first thing I notice is two club dancers,

kitted

out

in

hi-visibility

underwear, performing some pretty jaw dropping moves on a metal suspended balcony. I can’t help but stare. You would think we were in a nightclub in the early hours. Jesse directs me to an escalator that takes us down to the bowels of the factory.

As we reach the bottom, my eyes are assaulted, being attacked by florescent clothing in every colour and description.

Do people wear this stuff?

‘It’s not lace, is it?’ he muses, catching me gawking at a bright yellow miniskirt, with metal spikes protruding from the hem line.

‘Lace, it’s not,’ I agree. It’s hideous.

‘Do people wear this stuff?’

He laughs, nodding at a group of people, who look like they might pass out with excitement. They must have a million piercings between them. He leads me through the maze of corridors. I’m completely engrossed by my surroundings.

This is serious clubbing attire for the hardcore clubber.

We wander around the metal maze of steel corridors and down some more stairs, finding ourselves closed in on every angle by…sex toys. I cringe. The music is louder and absolutely vulgar. I gape as I listen to some demented woman screaming about sucking cock on the dance floor, while a leather clad dominatrix type grinds her crotch up and down a black metal pole.

I’m not a prude, but this is way past my comprehension. Okay, we’re in the adults department, and I’m feeling extremely uncomfortable. I look, very nervously, up at Jesse.

His eyes are twinkling, his expression displaying an abundance of amusement.

‘Shocked?’ he asks.

‘-ish,’ I admit. It’s not so much the merchandise – it’s the pierced, tattooed, virtually naked bird in the corner, wearing eight inch platforms and performing some highly illicit moves. That’s what’s got me scooping my tongue up from the floor.

Holy fucking shit!
Does Jesse go for all this shit?

‘It’s a bit over the top, isn’t it?’ he muses, pulling me over to a glass cabinet. I exhale a sigh of relief at his statement.

‘Wow!’ I blurt, coming face to face with a huge, diamante embellished vibrator.

‘Don’t get excited,’ Jesse whispers in my ear. ‘You don’t need one of those.’

I gasp, and he laughs lightly in my ear. ‘I don’t know. It looks like it could be fun.’ I respond, thoughtfully.

It’s him that lets out a shocked gasp this time. ‘Ava, I’ll die before you use one of those.’ He flashes the offending object a disgusted look. ‘I’m not sharing you with anyone or anything,’ He pulls me away.

‘Even battery operated devices.’

I laugh. He would trample a vibrator?

His unreasonableness is off the scales. He looks down at me, giving me his roguish grin. I melt.

‘I might stretch to some handcuffs, though.’ he adds quietly.

Oh?
Handcuffs? ‘This doesn’t turn you on, does it?’ I gesture around the room before tilting my head up to him.

He looks at me with warm eyes, pulling me closer into his side to drop a tender kiss on my forehead. ‘There’s only one thing in this world that turns me on. And I love her in lace.’

I melt with relief and turn my eyes up to the man I love so much it hurts. ‘Take me home.’

He gives me a half smile, landing a worshipful kiss on my lips. ‘Are you making demands?’ he asks against my lips.

‘Yes. You’ve not been inside me for too long. It’s not acceptable.’

He pulls back and watches me carefully, cogs flying, teeth chomping. ‘You’re right, it’s not acceptable.’ He resumes chomp and re-focuses his attention ahead of us, leading me out of the dungeon and back to his car.

Chapter 34

We burst through the door of the penthouse in a tangled embrace. I’ve waited all day for this. I’m about to explode with lust. I need him all over me, right now.

He removes my bag from my shoulder, throwing it to the floor and grabs me around my waist so I straddle his hips. He walks us into the kitchen, flicks a few buttons on the remote control and my ears are soon flooded with Placebo’s
Running
up that Hill
. This only serves to spike my desperation for him more. He’s a man of his word.

‘I want you in bed.’ he says urgently as he takes the stairs at an alarming rate.

I kick my ballet pumps off on the way up, in an attempt to reduce the time constraints of undressing when we get upstairs. The door to the master suite is kicked open, and I’m placed on my feet at the end of the bed.

‘Turn around.’ he says softly. I oblige, giving him access to the back of my dress.

‘Please tell me that you have lace on,’ he pleads, unbuttoning my dress. ‘I need you in lace.’

‘I have lace on.’ I confirm quietly. I wear nothing but these days. I hear him exhale a long, satisfied breath as he pulls my dress over my head and let’s it fall to the floor.

I turn back around to face him, finding a lax mouth and hooded eyes. He’s as desperate as I am. He reaches forward, slowly pulling down a cup on my bra, brushing his knuckles over my nipple. My heart starts a relentless sprit in my chest.

He’s in gentle mode – I love gentle Jesse.

I watch him reach over his back and grasp his t-shirt, pulling it forward over his head. The leanness of him will never cease to have me panting. There’s not a scrap of fat on him.

‘Have you had a nice day?’ he asks softly. He doesn’t touch me. He just stands in front of me removing his shoes and socks, while I’m mentally begging for him to hurry up. He wants to have a chat?

‘I’ve had a lovely day.’ I say, trying my hardest to ignore the passionate beats of the music surrounding us, especially if he’s set on chatting for a while.

‘Me too,’ He’s all serious and pensive. I don’t know what to make of it. ‘Shall we make it even better?’

Oh God. ‘Yes.’ I breathe.

‘Come here.’

There will be no countdown necessary this time. I step forward, placing my hands on his solid chest and tipping my face up to meet his stare. We spend a few silent moments gazing at each other before his lips fall to mine, instantly catapulting me to Central Jesse Cloud Nine – my most favourite place in the universe.

I moan, moving my hands up in his hair to hold on to him as he lifts me and secures me against his body, our tongues lapping and circling slowly. He takes me to the bed, laying me beneath him, my hands placed above my head. He doesn’t hold them there, but I know that’s where they’ve got to stay.

He releases my mouth and sits up, leaving me hot, dazed and panting short, sharp breaths.

He looks down at me, the cogs going into overdrive in that beautiful mind of his.

I want to know what he’s thinking. He’s been slipping in and out of thoughtfulness for days now.

‘I could sit and watch you writher under my touch all day.’ he murmurs as he plays with my breast, yanking down the other cup and lavishing it with equal attention.

My nipples twinge, being pulled and elongated by his fingers as he watches himself work me into a crazy wreck, his lips parted and moist. I want them on me now!

‘Stay where you are.’ He gets up from the bed pulling my knickers off as he goes.

I whimper slightly at the loss of his weight from me. Where’s he going? I watch him slowly unbutton the fly on his jeans and drag them down his thighs, kicking them off calmly before drawing his boxer shorts down his legs. I clench my thighs together to control the dull pulse at my core that’s just advanced into a steady throb at the sight of him bared naked and stunningly spectacular in front of me. He crawls back on the bed, parts my thighs and runs his tongue straight up the centre of my sex.

‘Oh God, God God!’ I cover my face with my palms, sinking my teeth into my own hand as he plunges his tongue into me, withdrawing and circling slowly before dipping back in. I might pass out.

My hips rotate in time to his tempo, seeking further friction, his palm spanning my stomach to keep me from bucking under him. Why did I ever run? Of all the stupid things I could do, running away from this man would get the gold.

He lifts his mouth and blows a cold stream of air across my flesh before returning to his inexorable pattern of torturous pleasure. When my head start thrashing and I make a grab for his hair, he increases the power and I detonate around him, pushing my hips up on reflex and shouting out on a rush of desperate breath.

He closes his mouth around my core, literally sucking the pulses out of me as I shake like a leaf and my back arches to breaking point.

Jesse moans in pure gratification.

‘Hmmm, I can feel you throbbing against my tongue, baby.’

I can’t even talk. The influence he has over my body is extraordinary. I don’t think I’m weak, I think he’s too powerful –

he definitely holds the power.

My over worked heart starts to steady its beats, as I weave my fingers through his hair, relishing in his attentive mouth dropping tender kisses down the insides of my thighs, nibbling and sucking as he goes.

We’re in tender lover mode, but for how long could be anyone’s guess. I’m not going to try and kid myself that I’ve heard the last of my contraventions from last night, but I’m quite content to lay here with Jesse nuzzling between my legs for as long as he’ll allow. And that’s another thing: it’s always on his terms.

His teeth clamp lightly onto my clitoris and I shudder, hearing him laugh lightly as he kisses his way up my body until he finds my lips, sharing my release with me, brushing his soft lips over mine as he gazes down at me. My arms find his shoulders and accept his weight as he buries his face in my neck and sighs, his raging arousal thumping lightly against my thigh. I shift my hips so it falls to my opening.

‘You make me so crazy mad, lady.’ he breathes into my neck, lifting himself and slowly driving into me on a stifled moan. I whimper, gripping every muscle around him. ‘Please don’t do that again.’ He reaches down and snakes his arm under my knee, pulling it up to drape my leg over his shoulder before bracing his upper body on his forearms. Slowly, he withdraws and lazily works his way in again, his eyes fixed on me.