Chapter 24. Tum, tum, tum.
Jackson Johnson
I stood in the parking lot watching her car leave my parents' house. My heart was racing, "thump, thump, thump." I sent Richard a message to discreetly escort Lilly to her home. The lights of the SUV parked at the main entrance followed a few moments later.
What had just happened? Why did I feel this way about her? My mind started replaying the moment, but it was interrupted by my father calling from the main entrance.
"Is everything okay, Jackson?" I cleared my throat and turned around, walking towards him and nodding.
"Everything's fine." I climbed the rustic steps, and my father squinted at me. "What?" I asked, pretending not to know.
"Was that Richard following your employee?" I raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Then I went inside, ignoring his look. I heard the door close behind me and continued to the grand dining room. Everyone was eating cake, and when they saw me enter, they looked at me expectantly.
"So, what happened? Has Lilly left already?" my mother asked, and I nodded.
"I have to go too. I want some cake to take with me." I noticed a discreet smile on my mother's face.
"So?" she insisted.
"So what?" I asked, pretending not to know what they were asking.
"I want to know if you apologized." I looked at the other guests until my gaze landed on my mother. I was about to say something, but someone else spoke first.
"He apologized," my father said as he entered beside me. I could see his smile directed at my mother, then he looked at me. "Damn, he saw us."
"I'm leaving," I said, cutting the moment short. I said goodbye to the two couples, then to my father and mother. Jacob kept watching me; I knew from his face that he would bombard me with questions about our father's words. My mother gave me a plate of cake to take with me. I already imagined myself sitting on my terrace in the Hamptons, eating with a glass of my best wine, listening to classical music.
"Are you going out of town?" Jacob suddenly asked in front of everyone. I shot him a look that said, "Why are you talking?" Then my mother raised an eyebrow.
"That's why you're leaving. It's my birthday, Jackson."
"That's not why I'm leaving," I confessed, holding the cake. "I have work to do," I looked at my brother. "And no, I'm not going out of town."
"Then if that's the case, can you come tomorrow? I'm having a lunch for my birthday."
"And this gathering is in honor of whom?" she huffed.
"I'm getting older every time you contradict me, but more so when you pretend you don't have time for your mother." I knew it was her typical emotional blackmail. Everyone found it amusing, but I didn't.
"Okay," I gave in to the others' looks. "Give me a time." She smiled happily.
"It starts at one in the afternoon." I nodded and left. The wine had worn off quite a bit since the incident with Lilly. I walked to my sports car, where I had my suitcase of clothes to take to my house in the Hamptons. I would find an excuse not to come tomorrow... it was my weekend, and it was sacred. On the way to my new sanctuary, I listened to music and waited for a message from Richard. When it arrived, I felt—oddly enough—more at ease. I stopped and took my phone to send a message to Lilly. I hit send and got back on the road.
An hour later, I was pulling into the garage. The lights came on, and I opened the trunk to get my sports bag. As I entered, music filled the place, and the fireplace was lit. I immediately relaxed.
"Welcome, sir," said the new housekeeper I had hired a few days ago. She had explicit orders to have everything ready for my arrival.
"Thank you, Connie. Everything looks perfect." She smiled.
"Thank you, sir. Dinner is in the oven, the meat stuffing, and the vegetables are underneath. I put two bottles of wine to chill."
"Very good," I hadn't eaten much at my mother's house since I loved eating my favorite food. It was my weekend, and I would start it the way I wanted.
"Do you need anything else before I leave?" I shook my head.
"Of course, you can go. Thank you very much, great job." She smiled again and left. In the distance, I heard her car. Finally, I was alone in my sanctuary. After a shower in my new bathroom, I went downstairs in my pajamas, got my wine glass and bottle, put it on ice, and left it on the terrace table. I went back inside to get some of the cake my mother had given me, and I finally sat in one of the armchairs and poured myself a drink. "This is the life, Jackson, this is the life..."
A while after starting the second bottle, the doorbell rang, pulling my gaze away from the stars. Intrigued, I went inside and walked to the door. When I opened it, she was there, standing in front of my door.
"Lilly? What are you doing here?" I asked, very surprised. Richard had sent me a message saying she was already home, safe and sound.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come here and bother you." I raised my eyebrows, then quickly shook my head and stepped aside to let her in. "Thanks. I won't stay long..."
"It's okay, don't worry. How did you get here? No, the right question is, who told you I was here? No one knows about this place."
"I accidentally found out you own this place, and Maxima mentioned you get away from everything on weekends."
"Oh," Maxima was definitely crossing the line of privacy and trust. "Come in, come," I led her to the living room where the fireplace was lit, creating a warm and comforting atmosphere. "Do you want something to drink?" She nodded.
"Do you have any wine? I was in the mood for some at your mother's house." I nodded, somewhat puzzled. What was she doing here? Then I stopped.
"But you're driving, that wouldn't be safe. But I do have some juice..." I opened the double-door fridge, found some, and as I closed it, I jumped at the sight of Lilly right next to me.
"Can I stay? I'm a bit tired from driving from my house to your parents' place, then back home, and then here." I placed the jug of orange juice on the granite island.
"What are you doing here, Lilly? You shouldn't have come in the first place. I'm alone, in a house. Don't you know that could cause speculation?" She wasn't bothered by my words. In fact, she tried to get closer to me, but I stepped back at the same time. "Lilly?" She smiled, seeing how I reacted to her proximity.
"When my hand touched your chest, I felt your heart race. Did you feel it?" I swallowed while looking for a way to put some distance between us.
"No." She kept walking towards me until she stopped. She took off her coat and threw it on the granite island. "I think it's better if I call Richard to take you home. It's not safe to be on the road to the city at this hour." She smiled.
"What's wrong with you? Why are you nervous?" she asked, amused. "I know I make you feel something..." I swallowed again with difficulty as she started to take off her blouse, then I got alarmed.
"STOP. It's not necessary to undress." She didn't listen, then she took off her dress pants. I wanted to look away, I swear on everything sacred that I wanted to, but I couldn't. She stayed in her underwear and walked barefoot towards me. The bar was behind me, and I was glued to the floor.
"Don't be afraid, Jackson," she whispered as she reached me. Her fingers went to the edge of my pajama pants. I wanted to stop her, but her brown eyes hypnotized me. She began to slide and pull at my clothes. "Stop her, Jackson, stop her," my voice in my mind screamed, but my body didn't react until she sat on her heels, took my most precious part and started giving me oral sex. I gasped and shivered, my throat went dry immediately. I looked down, and she was focused. Her hand lifted to touch my chest under my shirt. Her touch was warm, gentle, and pleasant, something new. My heart raced even faster when she quickened her movements with her mouth until I was about to reach my climax, so I stopped her, lifted her in one motion, and sat her on the bar. I pulled off her lace panties and saw her intimate part. I had seen it in many pornographic movies, but seeing it live and in all its glory awakened something in me I didn't know was there. I put my fingers inside her and discovered she was very wet. I pulled her closer to me.
"I'm not afraid, but if I start, I won't stop." She smiled and pulled at my shirt, tearing it. We laughed like school kids.
"Don't stop." She took my member and positioned herself. "Finish what you started..."
A gust of cold wind made me shiver. She became blurry. My hands tried to embrace her, but she slowly faded into the air.
"Lilly?" I called out, confused. Another stronger gust woke me up. When I opened my eyes, I was on the terrace, lying on the couch. The bottles were on the center table. I touched the inside of my pants, and they were wet. My legs trembled as I tried to sit up. Then I realized what had happened. I had climaxed in my dream. My heart raced. "What are you doing to me, Lilly?"