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Danny’s rescuer was the most handsome man you had ever laid eyes on.
Yes, he was horribly beaten and bloody at that time. But as he recovered in that bed, they cleaned the blood from his face, and put bandages over his scars, you felt like lightning struck you through your skull and down your spine. He had the bluest eyes you had ever seen, short, neat blonde hair with a sheen that was in between red and brown, and spoke with a sonorous voice that chilled you to listen to. And that was not going on about his body- the summery T-shirts they gave him didn’t hide his lean, muscular physique with biceps peeking down the sleeves.
“Can I go to him? Maybe I can be the one to give him his meals- it’s what I can do as thanks,’ you’d suggest to Roper.
“Oh, yes- but can’t you address him by his name? He’s not ‘you’, Y/N. He told me what it was- it was Thomas. Thomas Quince.”
You nodded. You went up carrying a plate of dinner to the room, opening the door gingerly with your foot.
This man- Thomas- looked up from his book, eyes bright. You placed the tray on his bed.
“Here you go. Hope you like roast duck,” you offered.
He smiled lightly with a nod.
“Thank you.”
You gave him your name and he repeated it with repeated thanks. That voice made you feel warm inside and a smile grew on you. Your body felt as if it was full of champagne bubbles as you walked out.
●◉◎◈◎◉●
You made sure to sort out, clean, fold, and wear only your nicest clothes and some dresses the second you left your room. You used to not be as self-conscious on days when you were just around some friends or not going out. Now you put on makeup religiously every day, making sure each stroke was right and your heart picking up if you had to redo the corners of concealer.
Why? Why?
You didn’t want to admit it, but you knew why. Because then Thomas would see you.
It was just silly infatuation you felt for Thomas. Yes, infatuation. But you had to admit, also lust. When you awoke early enough, from your window you could glimpse him running on the beach- shirtless. Not to mention he liked to swim in the pool. You’d make excuses to sit by there to enjoy a cool drink and an untouched hardcover. But you would don your nicest swimsuit and sit there on the chairs or close by. You were grateful you wore sunglasses you wore because you could not rip them from the broadness of his back, glistening with water, or the small black hairs on his chest that stuck to him when he emerged from it, shaking his head. It looked like that Hardcover you bought at the airport would have to wait even longer for it to take your interest.
You wondered what it would be like to embrace him, how warm he would feel, and how much of his back would cover if he laid on top of you… and then you had to excuse yourself quickly to your room. Locking the door, you would then close your eyes, and picture him as you used your toy on yourself and with your other hand over your mouth to muffle the sounds you made when you found that release, grateful you stowed it for the trip. Better than boiling in the Spanish sun and sexual frustration.
But on the second day of doing this, you kept noticing Jed- by now, the tall, graceful mistress of Roper had become a kind friend of yours- as she walked about in her own bikini and a light, dreamy swim robe draping over her shoulders to sit by the pool and drape the scrim of the water with her long, white fingers. Or sometimes sneak out, you knew it was to take a skinny dive in the ocean. She smiled at you and hugged you and complimented your outfits and confided her secrets in you- you didn't have in it to hate her. She was your friend by now.
Thomas kept looking at her over the pool, at dinner. You tried to ignore it. Maybe you were overthinking things.
Thomas always used good manners with you. He’d knock on your door to alert you when it was time for lunch. But what warmed your heart most about Thomas was that he was so gentle with the little boy, Danny, that seeing him pick stories to read, throw stones into the ocean, and spoil the boy with ice cream on walks made you smile. As he dipped to carry the boy over his shoulders, you began to wonder- would he even make a good father some-
You shook as you stood there on that city walk watching them. No! Y/N! Stop it! you insisted to yourself.
The next afternoon, You had been sitting in the garden, enjoying a nice, cold glass of lemonade and the new edition of your favorite magazine. You had to get away from people's chatter and instead find one spot- shady beneath the green trees and when you crouched onto the cool grass, the bushes hid you. No one, not even Roper himself, would ask you to do anything. You thought it would be an hour of peace and quiet.
So when you heard Thomas’s sonorous voice saying “I don’t know what you mean" from just a bit away, you jumped out of your skin. You heard Corky's voice.
“You know well what I mean- don’t think of laying one hand on that precious fruit. You can have whoever you want- maids, kitchen wenches, locals, nannies, even Jed’s little pet, Y/N- but if you ever touch a finger on her, on Jed…”
You couldn’t help but overhear their conversation the second your ears picked up on your name. You then froze despite the sweltering heat and listened. Through holes between the green leaves, you saw them- Thomas Quince and Corky, one of Roper’s least pleasant henchmen. It would have been very funny with the dramatic height difference between Corky versus Thomas if it wasn’t for the content of what they said.
Corky basically told this man to stay away from Jed. That making a move on her would result in something nasty from Roper’s jealousy. That Thomas could be castrated. That Jed’s lovely face would be bruised by Roper himself. You knew his warnings were all right. They sounded ridiculous- but he was right.
But not that it would stop how Thomas really, really felt about Jed.
You heard the flop of their shoes on the stone pathway as they parted ways. Your magazine laid open, but you couldn’t focus or process one word or image of it. Your drink sweated despite the shade- getting warmer. Untouched.
“It’s not a big deal, he just loves someone else. It’s not like he was your boyfriend! He isn't yours at all! And you know better than to be some clingy, possessive bitch for a guy who’s not into you, snap out of it!” you thought, urging yourself.
You tried to flip the page to an article to distract yourself, but you found that in spite of it, a tear from your eye landed on the page. You wiped it off and then stood up, sticking your magazine under your armpit and walking out to the little beach down the slope, alone.
Yes, it was pure suicide to hit on Jed. But he would risk death to be with her. Not you.
Sitting down on the sand, hearing the gulls, and feeling salt air on your face, and finally alone, propped your knees up, hugged them, and buried your face in it so no one, not even Roper himself from high above like a king, could watch you cry.
●◉◎◈◎◉●
The next day, late in the afternoon, you sat there playing Go Fish with Danny. The child smoked you and grinned in triumph. He ran up to his father, talking with Thomas across a table. The salty breeze curled its way through the open door and ruffled the boy's hair.
“I beat her, daddy! I finally beat her!” he boasted.
“He earned it!” you confirmed over your shoulder with a smile.
“Oh, she should get credit for trying! She needs a reward!" his father argued with his eyebrows shooting up.
Roper waved his hand, patting his guest on the back and you felt yourself clasp your hands together, forgetting to breathe at hearing the words.
“Thomas, here- our guest, Y/N! You must know her already. She just lost to my son and she’s seemed bored out of her mind this past week- Go buy her a drink! Walk her there to the city and take her out! and walk her back”
Roper threw a credit card Thomas’s way which he caught awkwardly. He looked at you.
“Would you like that?” he asked, his oceanic eyes wide in their earnestness.
You nodded and off you both went. Down the sloping hill to the little town nearby. The sun blazed as it was reaching its setting point and locals bustled around you in sundresses and hats, chattering. But other than small talk, you both were quiet.
“It’s always much too hot-speaking of hot, which do you prefer, Thomas? Summers or Winters?” you would ask.
“Uhm…” he would pause, licking his lips briefly and thinking of it.
His brows knotted, as if it was deeper than perhaps, he had to think of it in ages. He put both his hands in his pockets.
“Neither. Spring. It’s a good balance of both,” he answered.
“Huh, good answer. Not too bad! I’m more of a fall person myself!” you replied.
You both turned a corner. There was a little stone wall with a flat surface- it was about two feet tall. Eager to put some distance in a way, to feel superior to this fine glass of water who loved another woman, you parted from him to walk on it. Thomas glanced up and paused for a second as you got on it. Foot by foot and arms out like a tightrope walker, you walked on it. But Jonathan kept his pace, his blue eyes up at you nervously occasionally. You grinned childishly- it felt good to be significantly taller than this tall, broad man. You were big and he was small- he had no power over you.
“So Thomas, tell me- why is Spring your type of season?” you asked, eyes away from him to the end of the little wall.
“I think so. I’ve had too many extremes- I’ve been in places that are scorching. And places that were freezing cold. I’ve gotten too used to them- it’s better to have something in between”
“I get sick of everything being hot with no A/C here. You should have seen the sunburn Caro got on her back last week- she was wincing at the aloe vera I helped put on he-”
The word was cut off from you as your next step was on a brick that loosened under your foot. You lost your balance and with an intuitive shriek realized you were falling, arms flailing.
Thomas cried out your name and lurched forward. You dreaded the hard landing of the gravel. But you stopped, hanging in midair.
It then registered that Thomas had caught you. He quickly placed his arms and set you so that one arm was on your back and the other under your legs, holding you in mid-air to save you from the fall. He was so, so close. You could hear his heartbeat and feel the sweat from his skin and catch the scent of his soap. He was still carrying you as he caught his breath. But your heart kept racing. His eyes were directly on you and you were on him.
“Here, I got you,” he voiced.
As if you were made of glass, he gently set you down on your feet. But his arms were still on you, resting on your shoulders.
“Are you alright?” he asked.
“Yes, I am.”
A tense second passed, and he then let you go. You noticed his face was bright red. Perhaps it was the sun today. It had to be. It couldn’t be…
You wiped off the dirt from your sides and Thomas scratched the back of his head before pointing to the next block.
“Here…the bar is around the corner…tell me what you’d like to drink?” he asked.
You were grateful for the cold margarita you ordered as Thomas swirled his mocktail in its triangular glass. It wasn't so noisy that you both couldn't talk. He asked you about your family and friends, where you came from, how you met Roper and Jed, and what you had been doing with your time here. You sipped slowly. And not just to enjoy the drink. He listened to everything you said. And added onto it. Not that he explained too much about himself. All he said was that he lost his father and a past girlfriend suddenly- apparently, the poor woman was shot and he was the first to discover her corpse. You could see the hints of tears in his eyes mentioning the woman and it stilled your heart. But he did not give you, her name. Maybe it was better not to push it. Let him grieve her how he chose. And you were on sensitive territory.
As you were returning, the night getting dark, you felt safe going back to dinner even when you passed dark corners and you had alcohol in your system. Both of you made it in time for dinner but you wished it was a long walk instead.
●◉◎◈◎◉●
Poor Caroline Langbourne was curled up on the steps crying when you found her the next day. Once you found her, you walked her into the kitchen, coincidentally as Jed lounged on a chair on the counter snacking on apple slices. She nearly dropped the slice at her lips at the tortured look on Caroline’s face.
“What’s going on?” you urged, placing a hand on Caroline’s shoulder.
“My husband’s fucking the nanny,” she answered.
“What! Oh, Caro, that’s awful!” Jed replied.
You even got up; fists curled. You heard some footsteps in the back.
“God, Sandy’s an asshole! I ought to find a baseball bat and hit him with it on the dick 20 times right now!” you hissed.
Caroline’s head poked up, and for a second her tears paused. She laughed for a second before delving back into crying. She opened her long arms and wrapped Caroline in a hug. Soon you joined them as she continued to cry. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Thomas going down to get a glass of water. Your eyes met as he reached for the jug, and then you flipped back to Caroline.
“It’s alright, what if we…we did something fun to get your mind from it- we can have a little girl’s night. The three of us! No boys allowed! you suggested.
You heard Thomas’s footsteps leave the kitchen immediately, to give the women some space.
“But my boys…They’ll need her to look after them,” She hissed.
“Leave them to Corky! Roper, even! I’m sure Danny could use some other kids! But the point is we’re all going to have some drinks and relax, doesn’t that sound nice?” Jed added on.
You offered to start the new Caroline-Please-Feel-Better party first by walking her down to the town to get you both two scoops of chocolate ice cream. As you put a hand on her arm and walked out of the building and outside, you couldn’t help but pass by Thomas sitting by a small table with his glass of water. You wondered if his eyes would turn to you. A creeping suspicion, a naïve, desperate hope said that they did. But you did your best to keep your eyes forward. It was Caroline’s pain that needed healing now. And you couldn’t let yourself be distracted by your own.
After a good amount of ice cream and childcare negotiations, the three of you gathered in Jed’s room, opening wine bottles for each of you. You all poured hearty amounts into three glasses. Caroline raised a glass.
“Here’s to men- they can eat shit,” she toasted.
“Men can Eat Shit” you and Jed repeated as the three of you had your first sip.
After a glass, the chick flick on the TV chosen by Caroline lost any interest. Instead, there was a game of truth and dare between the three of you, the alcohol in your systems making you bolder, and more relaxed without being drunk…at least not yet.
“Ooof, Y/N- you’re on a dare! It’s your turn! Don’t wimp out and ask for the truth!” Caroline teased, cheeks pink with the drink.
“Okay, I can take that…” you said.
“Jed, you give it- please! You’re better at the dares!” she pleaded, grabbing at the flesh of Jed's upper arm.
Jed folded her hands before her and smiled.
“Y/N, I dare you…to swim in the ocean…”
She paused and then added the next word with a wicked smile.
“Naked!”
You looked down, clutching your glass, feeling your eyes increase in size.
“Come on, don’t give me that face- the water’s amazing! No one will see you- only us!!” she added on.
Letting out a sigh, the three of you walked out. It was sunset by now, getting close to twilight. You hoped this would be over soon. You all arrived a the little nook you knew Jed liked so much- a small bit of the beach overlooking the ocean with shady trees not too far along the shore. And no one else was around.
Gingerly, you took off your own sundress, underwear, bra, and sandals. The two ladies clapped and whistled in encouragement as if you were giving them a striptease. It felt cooler already to your exposed skin. You headed down there, stepping quickly into the water until only your head poking out.
It was bitter cold, but you forced yourself to wade around to get used to it, your teeth chattering. Your body temperature adjusted to it after a few minutes. And there was the expanse of the water and the town in the distance against the pink skyline. And it hit you Jed was right the water was amazing. You started to swim, diving through, and feeling the absolute freedom of being suspended under the clear water with no clothes around you. Or even drifting along and enjoying the pink of the sunsetting sky. The sound of the waves and their smell. Privacy and peace. It was freeing and refreshing on your own body sweating from the heat of the afternoon.
But you didn’t realize that some time passed by. In a moment, you turned your head and realized you didn’t see that pretty head of short, blonde hair or Caroline’s light brown one.
“Jed? Caroline?!?” you called out.
You looked around and saw that they had vanished without a word. You were alone. You took the final minute to enjoy the feel of the saltwater on your bare skin. Then you eyed your clothes on land and began to swim towards there.
It happened so fast that you wondered if you were in a nightmare. As you took two breaststrokes towards land, a man with a pale face, a red shirt, baggy shorts, and a seedy look in his eyes came forth and grabbed your clothes.
“Wait…sir- that’s mine! Please!” you pleaded from the waves.
“If you want it, how about you get up out of those waters and get them yourself?” he asked with a lascivious smile bearing his teeth.
He began to slowly step away, your clothes in his hand in a bundle. At this point, the only thing covering you if you got up and chased him was your sandals.
“Asshole! Stop it! Stop it now!” you began to shriek angrily.
“Try and stop me then!” he dared, his eyes darting down your face to below.
You realized that you were close enough to where your feet touched the ground- could he see more of you already!? You felt hot and began to cover your breasts with your arms. Would it be better to wait until night when at least there was no light for a humiliating naked walk back to Roper’s place, perhaps!? Your mind was racing how on earth you would recover from this-keep screeching until anyone- Roper, Jed, Caroline, Corky even heard you.
“Please! Someone! Anyone! He has my clothes! Please- I need help!” you cried out at the top of your lungs, adding a scream.
After your shout, a tall, slender figure emerged from the shadows of the trees- Thomas. He caught the Creep by the collar of his shirt and pulled him back. He glared the stranger down, giving new meaning to the phrase "if looks could kill." Thomas spoke firmly. His British accent giving a hint of elegance to the seething words.
“Give. Her. Back. The clothes. Now.”
“Or what?” the stranger asked, shoving himself away.
The asshole was going to find out what. Thomas gave him a good, clean, powerful punch. Any flimsy attempts at attack were blocked and answered with another punch from Thomas’s powerful hands. You watched in awe. Thomas then saw that his blows made the stranger let go of the clothes. They fell in a crumpled heap across the stony part of the beach. Thomas picked them up quickly. His opponent nursed the bruises on his face.
“Now leave.” Thomas threatened.
He didn’t need another word. The stranger darted off to the far distance. You looked at Thomas, seeing his shoulders relax and his eyes stay on your face and nowhere lower.
“Where’d you like me to leave them?” he asked.
“On that spot, please” you pointed, still wading in the water.
It was as if he was a prince on land and you were a mermaid having a conversation. If it weren’t for the modern clothes and the near humiliation moments ago, it would have been very cute, you admitted. He set the clothes down and turned away. And part of your throat tightened- his cheeks seemed to be red. No, it was the exercise, you reminded yourself.
“I’ll stand by. In case anyone comes over.” He offered from over his shoulders, not glancing at you.
Once you began to swim closer to the surface, the water getting lower, he kept his back and eyes turned to grant you privacy with firm discipline. Once you had changed back, you tapped his broad shoulder. The sun was getting even lower and it was about to be nightfall.
“I’m good now” you voiced.
He turned around and even smiled.
“Thank you, Thomas …could you walk me back? I’d feel safer. He might come back,” you requested.
“Of course.”
Once you walked back, Roper’s eyes shot up. Jed ran up to you, hugging you in urgency. You looked up and saw she was crying and Caroline was absolutely white.
“Oh Y/N, are you alright? I’m so sorry we had to leave- something urgent came up.
You nodded. Though you noticed how Jed’s other hand was her phone with 10 missed calls from her mother. So that was what drove them to rush back without you.
You leaned into Jed’s ear and whispered.
“Your little boy- is he okay?”
Jed nodded and answered.
“In the hospital now. They say he’ll be fine.”
“Good,” you answered, leaning in for a second hug.
All of you sat down with shrimp salads on all of your white and blue plates. Roper leaned back, not even eyeing the bread slice he was buttering.
“Why Y/N, dear- what were you doing with Thomas?” Roper asked.
“A stranger almost stole her clothes as she was swimming. Stopped him and got them back,” Thomas explained.
“Ah! Do elaborate! Thomas, you’re quite the knight in shining armor!” Roper joked, his eyes lighting up at you and him.
●◉◎◈◎◉●
As you were going around your business two days later, you found yourself bored with the same walk across the gardens and poolside. Perhaps you could talk the girls into exploring the shops in town. Or maybe offer yourself to look over Danny and do something- free childcare was always welcome here. You didn’t even notice him. But as you turned the corner, who you should butt into but Thomas. You jumped from the almost collision and took a step back intuitively to steady yourself. He wore a blue shirt, the first few buttons on his chest unbuttoned and the skin peeking out seemed to glow from just being in the heat of the sun. You forced your eyes from his chest to his piercing eyes, to resist thinking about the rest of his body.
“I’m sorry!” you mumbled.
“No, the fault is mine- here!” he said.
You saw he had a small circular vase with a few of the white flowers that decorated the gardens- none of the expensive tulips imported from France, but some of the little wildflowers that stretched along from the ground. You looked down and then up. There was a pause.
“What are you doing?” you asked.
“I got you this…a gift…” Thomas explained.
He handed over the flowers.
Seriously?!?! This crap only happened in rom-coms, not real life. This was too good to be true. This had to be an act. A pretense. You could smell it a mile away. Part of you wondered if you should take the flowers and chuck them at his handsome face in retaliation. But his eyes were big, and his mouth was in a soft, childlike frown. That would be only a touch too harsh. Then again, no way was he just giving those to you because he actually wanted to. You know who Thomas would give those flowers to if he had the choice. Maybe you could relax. Enjoy the pretension. Like you were both kids in a high school production of Romeo and Juliet and he had to lean closer on your balcony to fake kiss you before avoiding you backstage. But you could play your own part well.
You hesitantly accepted them. You brought them to your nostril and sniffed their faint, flowery scent.
“Thank you…how come? Do I owe you something from this?” you prodded.
You raised your eyebrows. Maybe he expected you to squeal and coo over the blossoms. To thank him for a hundred times or even with a kiss on the cheek. He must think you were some dumbass who would fall for the trick of old-school courtship without seeing what was really going on, as badly as you wanted it. As much as you fantasized about him giving you flowers three times a day. You couldn’t let yourself do that. You couldn't let yourself enjoy this. You knew better than to.
“I just…I…I saw you admiring them. Thought you’d like them.”
That had to be bullshit and a half, but you painted on a smile.
“I do. It’ll look nice in my room…” you replied.
As you took a step away, you heard him address you again. The skirt of your sundress swirled as you did a turn to see him, but still, you couldn’t make yourself continue to leave him. Thomas was too delectable a vision.
“The party’s soon. Have an outfit picked?” he asked.
“Going shopping with the girls later-do you?” you replied.
“Yes, Y/N, I do. Roper treated me to a new suit…” he answered.
You took a step backward. The two halves of your brain yelling at you- one voice telling you to stay and continue to talk with him, and the other one insisting you leave at once.
“Thomas, I…I have to go. I need to find the right place for this…I have a lot to do before shopping, too.” You lied through your teeth.
He kept looking at you as you took another step backward. You turned to go up the spiral staircase. But as you turned, he was still there, looking up at you.
“What do you want from me? Just say it! Do you need something from me?” you asked angrily, letting your true feelings out just a wee bit. Better than letting the pot overboil itself.
“No, Y/N. I don’t want anything from you…you don’t seem happy. Are you still scared from that evening? Is there anything I can do?” he asked.
“No- what is it you’re doing!? Why did you give me those flowers?” you asked, trying to keep from raising your voice.
“I just…I wanted to give you a gift. Make you relax after the swimming fiasco.”
You clutched the vase. Your tongue felt heavy and your stomach queasy from how he made you feel. He even had a smile that looked kind, as if he genuinely wanted to make you happy. He was an excellent actor, you thought.
Words sputtered out of you, but none to form a sentence.
“Alright…I just I…I didn’t know I…I.. Goodbye Thomas- I have to go.”
He nodded his head, his eyes soft.
“Goodbye, Y/N…”
You hated how much you liked him saying your name. You clutched the vase. Your tongue felt rubbery in your mouth and your brain was malfunctioning. What could you even do? You couldn’t even think straight when he was around.
“I have to go,” you repeated, making a dash to your room.
You closed the door and made sure to lock it. You realized your hands had a slight tremor once you set them down carelessly on the first surface you could find. Then, curled up on your bed, finally alone, you took in a first deep breath and let yourself cry again.
I’m so stupid- stupid, stupid, stupid, you thought. I’ll just have to avoid him. Ignore him. Any way I can. No matter what it takes.
●◉◎◈◎◉●
The party couldn’t have been better. Drinks were flowing and everyone had some kind of cocktail. You adjusted your pink cocktail dress in the mirror, checking your lipstick and making sure you didn’t accidentally put on mismatched earrings. Danny was running around in his suit and pink shirt with a book under his arm to entertain him from the stuffy adult talk. People laughed and cooed over how cute he was as he ran about from one spot to another.
“Y/N! See this picture here- it’s a giant squid!” he explained, opening it up.
“That’s amazing! What can you tell me about it? I never read this one!” you responded.
As Danny was showing off the pictures and you provided your own commentary, you glanced up to see a familiar set of blue eyes nearby.
But so was Thomas, a deep blue suit that brought out the color in his eyes and crisp and clean, free of wrinkles as new snow. It made your lips curl to see how well his blue went with your pink. You could hardly look at him without your own pulse going insane, suddenly aware of every sensation in your body when he was close.
“Y/N, you look nice. How are you?” he asked warmly.
Danny opened another page, bewitched by pictures of sharks and far from saving you by being the third wheel.
“I’m fine, Thomas, but I need to speak to Caroline. I need to check in on her,” you answered curtly.
You tried to hold your ground, but your own knees were locked. You had to force yourself to look away. Try to amuse yourself with anything else. You forced yourself away and walked to make small talk with any group of strangers from the other side of the room, regardless if Caroline was among them or not.
You did find her- Caroline herself was smiling, dressed in white like a casual summer bride. Her shoulders relaxed. Her eyes were beaming. Her husband was on the other side of the room. You wished you could have broken the glass in your hand and stabbed him in the crotch for cheating on that sweet woman, but you only made yourself sip your pre-dinner martini. He had so many dark circles under his eyes that you wondered if he even knew what sleep was. Caroline was ignoring him to swirl the wine in her glass and gossip with the other women around her. Good. And Jed laced an arm around Caroline to join her, beautiful and statuesque as a goddess in her light blue.
You were helping yourself to appetizers. Jazz crooned with live musicians. You saw Roper snake an arm around Jed, clinging to her. Claiming her. If Roper knew about how Thomas drooled over his mistress, he wasn’t showing it. You kept your eyes down, trying to seem like you weren’t going to take note. And that you didn’t care.
Once you were all at dinner, you were relieved. The sooner to be away from him, the better. As you got to your seat, you heard Roper’s voice.
“Ah! Y/N! Darling! Catch on- see the names?” he asked.
Looking down, you noticed cloth envelopes with the names of everyone at the party.
“I’m sorry!” you pleaded.
“Oh, don’t be! Just find your dear,” he said. Though something in his smile told you something was up, as if he placed a whoopie cushion in the chair that was supposed to be yours.
You went over and saw your own next to a man’s name- “ANDREW BIRCH.” Sighing, you went into your seat. But to your great horror, Thomas walked up and claimed the seat next to you.
“But this is for Andrew,” you insisted, looking around for this mystery man, the real Andrew, to reveal himself.
“Well, I am Andrew.”
“No, you’re-“
He gestured for you to keep quiet. You were cut off as he leaned closer, eyes insisting in deep seriousness, and a chill ran down you.
“Please. I’m Andrew. Birch.”
“Alright, Andrew…” you added on.
When you turned over, you saw Roper biting back the urge to smile as he glanced at how this man was next to you. You took note to eat quickly and keep your eyes forward from him to get it over with. The band began to slow down to ballads. Waiters began to pour everyone samplings and tastes of more wines than you could name. Salad bowls became filled with greens as if they grew there. Tiny meats garnished with herbs and drizzled with delicate swirls of sauce were served before you.
“Andrew! Much congrats on your company starting!” Roper crooned out in his smooth, thick voice that moved despite its lower pitch.
“Yes, thank you,” you heard him- Andrew, Thomas, whoever the fuck he was in his stupid sexy, sexy suit- answer beside you.
Roper gestured to where you sat.
“You see here We’ve all been discussing your little fairytale rescue of Y/N the other day."
“It was just the right thing to do. She cried for help-I happened to be walking down there- I had to.” Andrew responded, politely cutting his food into bits.
You sighed, mixing the dressing in your salad to even it out, biting into it.
“Especially for her! Y/N’s a lovely woman, isn’t she? All those looks you give each other can’t lie…”
You set your fork down. You slowly chewed and swallowed the greens. Where was he going with this? Roper threw his hands up, smiling widely.
“So naturally, I’ve reserved the nicest, most secluded restaurant in town to give you two lovebirds a romantic dinner reservation tomorrow night!”
Andrew nearly spat out his drink and caught himself on his sleeve. Your jaw fell and you nearly coughed out your salad in your throat.
“Wait…what did you say?” you asked.
Roper got out the phone in his pocket and flashed the confirmation email across for the entire table to see. He smiled at the two of you as if he was a demented, imaginative five-year-old girl and you and Andrew were his Barbie dolls acting out his special, melodramatic soap opera he wrote for himself, smushing the doll’s mouths together. No doubt he would force you both to do that if he could.
And all so he could keep Jed his and away from Andrew!
“Here it is- Little Bartholomew’s tomorrow night, Seven pm sharp.”
You clutched onto the napkin draped across your lap, curled up. Andrew’s face went stark white.
“If the dinner’s not enough, all you both need to do is ask and I’ll call a hotel suite and I’ll ask them to make sure the walls are very, very thick. My treat. Perhaps, Y/N, you could ask Jed to take you shopping again and find you something lacy just for Andrew tomorrow night? I’m sure he’d love it. At this rate, there could be a happy announcement for you both soon- perhaps?” Roper added on with another shit-eating grin.
He was playing this stupid charade too! And rubbing it into everyone’s faces. Dangling it. Smearing it. Smearing it so Jed would know, So Andrew would know. So, everyone would know…except for you. For everyone except you to know the real subtext of it all. Of rubbing it in of how much a couple you both were only to make sure Jed never strayed from him. Roper would expect you to smile daintily and look away coyly in delight at his words, but you only kept your eyes down on your plate, wishing you could crawl and vanish beneath the table. You couldn’t even bear to glance at Andrew to see what face he made in reaction. Though smiles beamed in your direction in congratulations, you said and registered none of it. Your stomach flipped and you found you lost your appetite for the tiny meat served before you. You took in another gulp of wine. Maybe you should consider asking for a big glass or an upgrade to hard liquor. Getting drunk sounded more tolerable…than…than this. You couldn’t take another minute.
“I need to leave,” you excused yourself, your chair creaking as you pushed it back.
“Oh, how come sweetheart?” Jed asked. Roper’s eyes followed you, and his smile dropped.
“Stomachs in knots. I’m going to vomit. Something in the food, I think” You insisted, putting a hand on your stomach.
You sprinted back to your room, nearly dashing there before someone else could stop or question you. You slammed the door shut. You caught your breath, trying to calm your pulse and the emptiness in your chest, and the ache in your gut.
There was a knock on the door. Maybe it was Jed or Caroline or even Danny to ask after you. But no, when you opened. It was him. Thomas Quince, no- Andrew Birch. And you hated how you still felt giddy at the sight of him. You hated how you secretly hoped it was him.
“I just wanted to…” he started.
“You want to talk? Shut the door,” You muttered angrily.
He complied and closed the door behind him. You took a step back and then began pacing the room like a tiger in its cage. You’d love to claw at him and make his beautiful cheekbones bleed for this.
“Are you alright, Y/N? Are you sick?” he asked, taking a step toward you.
You backed off, flinching away from the hand in mid-air.
“You know what?! Yes, I am sick! I’m sick of you pretending like you have a crush on me!” you barked.
“Pretending to have a crush on you!?” he repeated softly, lowering his hand.
“Yes! I’m a person, you asshole- not some fucking toy for you to play with and throw away!” you scolded him.
“No, I don’t see you like that at all…” he answered, shaking his head.
“Then what was that?! What was that I just saw?!” you cried, pointing out the door.
“Roper got enthusiastic, and he wanted to show off his money in front of everyone…listen, I’m so, so sorry I made you uncomfortable,” he continued, taking another careful step toward you.
“The drink and the rescue and flowers and then this?! You’re being a dick, Thomas-Andrew, whoever the fuck you are!"
“Jonathan…” he corrected.
“What?” you asked, your hands relaxing from the fists they were in.
“I’d like you to call me Jonathan. My name is Jonathan- Jonathan Pine,” he said quietly.
“This shit again-ANOTHER name?! Why? Why Jonathan Pine!?” you asked.
He shushed you to keep your voice low.
“Because…because that’s my real name. Roper gave me a name to call me- Andrew Birch. I…I just wanted you to know my real name. You seem like the type to keep secrets. And I don’t think you’re a threat to me, Y/N.”
“Are you a threat to me, Jonathan?”
Outside, thunder broke out, rumbling throughout. He bit his lip and glanced down and then back up. You hated the quiet bolt of arousal the gesture brought in you and turned away from him, your head in your hands.
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are! Can’t you see what’s really going on? Roper’s trying to keep you from Jed by dangling me in front of you!” you accused.
You placed your arms on your hips, eyes back at him, squaring him up.
“Of course, you pretended to be in love with me- I’m not even your type! I’m not some dangerous man’s mistress!”
“You don't even know how right you are, Y/N... to a degree. I did have that as a type…” he sighed with a slight shrug.
He blinked and then went to the counter, leaning on it. But he kept his eyes on you.
“Don’t act so surprised! I heard every bit of what Corky said to you! And now you have to act like you’re in love with me in front of everyone so they don’t think you’re trying to cuck Roper himself!”
“Corky did talk to me about Jed. More than once.”
You took a step closer and squared him in the eye.
“Listen, the point is- I will not be the one you settle for just because you can’t have Jed!” you cried.
The room felt cold. You shivered in your cocktail dress but stood your ground.
“ I’m not some replacement goldfish for you because you can’t have a puppy! …I’d rather have you risk getting killed and be with Jed because you genuinely want her than be your little pretend girlfriend just to get over her! You’re a…you’re a jerk, Jonathan! Not when…not when…”
You took another step. You wished you could beat your hands across his broad chest. But your arms remained heavy at your sides and you felt your eyes well up.
“Not when you’ve been the best person on this trip, the nicest man I’ve ever met, and Jonathan…and…and…all this time I…” you finally confessed, tears in your eyes. The words were finally being said after such a long time of silence.
He only looked at you softly, getting up from leaning on the counter. His eyebrows lowered with concern. He said nothing but listened to you, his hands out of his pockets.
“Not when…not when…all this time, I’ve been…dammit Jonathan, not when I’ve loved you all this time!” you confessed.
The thunder broke out again and rain pattered outside. He walked closer to you. You took a shuddering breath. He blinked rapidly.
“You owe me at least the truth- tell it to me then. Get it over with. Go ahead- break my heart now! I can take it!” you added on, arms open as if ready for the invisible blow of his words, feeling the taste of his name on your tongue.
He walked forward, only to gently lower your arms. You stood, your body shaking with your emotions, and then, slowly, he pulled you into a hug. You accepted it.
“Here, here…” he whispered to you.
Finally, you settled yourself in his arms, letting the sobs crash on you. He rubbed your back and if he was concerned about a stain of tears getting on his new suit, he didn’t say anything about it. He just let you cry as he held you.
“Y/N, I’m so sorry I made you think that. I’m so sorry…I never intended to hurt you…I’ll think of some way to make it up to you,” he apologized.
Finally taking in a deep breath from crying you pulled your face up to look at him, but you felt washed of your anger. You were raw. The center of a storm where things were quiet despite the raging around you, your own words from the past few minutes heavy in the air. He didn’t let go of your embrace. He raised his hand and you felt it as it grazed your cheek, wiping off a tear.
“Could you say that again?” he asked.
“About the crush?” you asked.
“No… when you said my name. My real name…”
You blinked up.
“Jonathan…” you mumbled per his request.
It made him smile when you said it. He held your cheek in his large hand, so warm with the chill in the room.
“It wasn’t an act. It was never an act,” he confessed quietly.
The breath stopped in your throat. Rain pattered more intensely. It was getting so dark except for the few lamps you forgot to turn off for the party.
“Then what…what was that with Corky about…” you asked.
“I did like Jed. I lusted for her for a bit. Corky caught me and shut me down. Then I keep noticing you. Seeing you with Danny. With Jed and Caroline. There’s a reason they all like you. You’re a sweet person, Y/N. I kept seeing how…how kind you were. And I kept talking with you. I wanted to talk with you. I wanted to be the one to walk with you for a drink. And that night I thought of you and thought of you and then I…I realized, somehow, I moved on…”
He blushed and broke into a smile. You let out a little laugh, hands over your mouth in surprise.
“Do you…forgive me?” he asked.
“Yes…yes, I do…” you answered. Not that there was too much to forgive. It was real...it was actually real...
“But…the point is, Y/N, I’ve grown to like you. To really, really like you….”
Your own breath caught in your mouth from how close you were. He moved in, cupping both your cheeks, holding your face with a light touch so you had no choice but to look at each other.
“I…I like you too…” you responded.
At the sound of his name, he finally crashed his lips onto you. You froze. Unable to what to think, what to do, if this was real or some dream you were having. You wrapped your arms around him to keep him close and he reached a hand around your waist to keep him closer. Then he released me but immediately kissed you again. Lips still locked, one hand of yours went up to his hair. You felt how it curled despite how short it was in your fingers.
“Just…just looking at you it…it does something to me, now…It took a lot for me not to turn to see you naked in that water,” he confessed.
You smiled, heat filling your face, and nuzzled into him. You felt his hands go lower on your back as he kissed you again and your own arm relaxed. He tasted like mint grass and the fruit on the dinner table. He groaned into it. He pressed you closer to him and on instinct, hips forward, you felt yourself get wet from your pussy between you. And the hardness in his pants could not lie.
“Please…I need you...please don’t stop this…I..” you begged in a whisper.
“I don’t intend to.” he breathed.
He scooped an arm under your legs, carrying you over to your bed. Your smile stretched your face- maybe rom-coms did in fact sometimes happen in real life. Once he laid you down, you felt your hips ground into him. A steady, desperate need. Softly, he laid himself there on top of you, he kissed the nook of your neck, then trailed it down to your chest. His hands crept up your thighs, lifting your skirt. Cold air circled your sides. Jonathan moved a hand to the zipper on the back of your dress.
“God, the sight of you tonight- could feel myself get hard the moment you walked out there,” he breathed out.
In a swift movement, you were in your bra and underwear before him. He panted with an open mouth, eyes hungrily taking you in right before him. You reached a hand to touch his face.
“Jonathan…” you cooed.
“Say that again,” he said.
He reached a hand into your drenched panties, between your folds. Preparing you. You arched your back, his name becoming a soft moan, squirming with pleasure. He began to draw circles around your clit.
“Jonathan, Jonathan, Jonathan…”
He removed his fingers from between you and tore off the straps of your bra. Your tits freed and on display, you heard him growl. You were all for him.
He licked his lips. He kissed one breast and then another, feeling them with his whole hand. You bucked under him, sensitive to the touch. He kissed each, trailing a path around it. Then he moved up, back to your lips. You helped him shake off his blue jacket from his suit, and then button by button, he quickly undid his shirt. That broad, muscular, beautiful body you craved forever was now all yours at long, long last.
He nuzzled into your neck. You ran your hand to feel any of him- his sides, his back, his shoulders. But he crept down, kissing your bare stomach- holding you as if you were the most precious diamond in all of Spain. His hands finally removed your panties through your legs and you kicked them to the side. Had you known this would happen you would have picked something prettier, but now that didn’t matter. But his pants were still on- tight and tented.
“I need…I need you inside me…please…” you begged him.
Jonathan undid the belt clasp and wriggled it out. Then he lowered his pants, freeing the erection between his legs squeezing out precum. He pulled out a condom, ripped it open in a hurry, and placed it over his dick. You forgot how to breathe at the sight and size of it. He leaned closer and it grazed your stomach.
“Y/N…darling…do you want this…” he asked.
A gentleman and a man with pure decency. The bare minimum...and more. So, so much more.
“Please…” you begged in a whisper.
“Spread your legs, love…”
He pried your thighs and you opened your legs, your eager pussy out in display for him. Jonathan sheathed inside you. He quivered inside, feeling your walls. You gasped at first to adjust to him- he was a large man. Your pussy shuddered and you became used to him. The walls around you fluttered as an unsure butterfly. But the gasp left you. The rain outside dimmed down from a downpour to just a soft trickle as he moved his hips and re-entered you. A quiet, slow series of thrusts began.
"Hrn-ngh- Y/N, Y/N, darling..." he grunted out.
The feeling of him inside you. That was proof enough that all of that was real.
“Yes, yes, I…” you breathed out in a shudder.
"Can I move faster...need you, need more of you..." Jonathan requested in a whimper.
"Y-Yes," you mewled.
His warm body hovering over yours. he picked up speed and you gasped. Blinded by desire, Jonathan began pounding into you. You had to reach a hand to touch the headboard to support yourself and the bed moved, shaking against the wall as he did with a pm, pm, sound. Jonathan himself was losing breath. He grunted in your ear. Whispering your own name in a desperate prayer.
“Yes, yes, yes, my sweet girl…” he breathed out, breath hot.
He picked up speed, wildly, desperately, and you enjoyed it. Your tits flopped in response and you saw him grit his teeth as he smiled. He thrust into you more, more, more as you caught your own breath. He took one leg of yours, hooking it around his waist to get a deeper spot.
You gasped out a ratted “J-J-Jon…this…yes…yes…more-more, moremoremore!”
With the sudden chills around you, you felt your own voice rising as you began to reach your peak climbing higher, higher, higher, and he caught up. That sweet rhythm, a page you could lose yourself in. He was breathing hard, deeply, words out of his lips. The intensity making the eloquent man curse out in gasps.
“Oh fuck, oh God- oh yes, fuck yes, there, fucking Christ- yes-“
Briefly, he placed his forehead on yours before he set to keep up the intensity. Your hands reached up to the headboard, you could feel the dizzy, spinning climb up. His own hand met yours there, holding onto it too. Your voice was going up, up at the feel of it. You were going to break and your head rolled back in the feeling.
“JON-Jon-Jon-Jon- I’m, I’m- I’m going to cum, I’m going to…” you breathed out.
He grasped a hand, and you felt him start to tense up. He pounded further into you, another leg around his waist. He even reached a hand and dangled your clit to get you there- to be sure you got there. His own voice became a desperate hiss.
“I…I can’t, I can’t take it, I…I'm...I can't-”
He came with a cry that stopped halfway in his throat, garbling out. But fingers and thrusting kept until Your climax rose up and then hit you.
“AGH!” you yelped out as you felt it suddenly on you.
Your lower body locked in place and it spiraled through you, your feet dangling up against his waist. Your pussy shook, clenching from it. A spring coiling tight and then releasing. You slowly caught your breath as it fizzed on you, the chills running down your body. Jonathan’s chest heaved to catch his breath as he looked down at you. His hips were still and you felt his cock as well as your walls tremble, slick with your release. You felt his own body expand and deflate to expand again over you. You were shaking and tears were in the ducts in your eyes. Nothing else registered, nothing else mattered, nothing except him.
“There…there, sweet girl…” he breathed as he pulled out, discarding the condom in the trash next to your bed.
“Do you need anything? Some water?” he asked.
You shook your head, reaching a hand to tug at his arm, insisting he place his head back down on the pillows with you.
“Not right now, later…Hold me, please…just for a minute…” you asked.
Jonathan complied. Wrapping your arms around him, he pulled you to his chest. He smiled down at you. There was smugness from reaching the low after the release of cumming. Both of you caught your breath, taking in everything that happened, was said. He looked down, reaching a hand to your inner thigh. His hand had your juices- thick in a spit-like paste. He wiped it off of himself on the side of the bed.
“Do you need a towel?” he asked.
“I will in a second. But...Jon-You have a talent for that…”
You heard him exhale through his nose in contentment at the sound of his name shortened.
“For sex?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.
“Taking care of people. It’s what drew me to you," you confessed.
He melted to a smile. Nestling your head on his heart, you felt the pulse slow down in your ear. You felt his chest rise as he breathed in deeply. One of his hands drew circles on your back. His eyes scattered down and then met yours.
“Would you…would you like to have that dinner tomorrow? Actually like it?” he questioned.
“Yes, I would…” you answered.
A pause, he then smiled.
“We may have to see Roper about that hotel offer, too,” he added huskily.
With a small laugh, you kissed him on the lips.