Jimmy

I picked Ashley up for our wonderful dinner ahead. I couldn’t wait for her to get to know Markus. I hadn’t given a damn about introducing Nina to him, but I really wanted Ashley to get to know him and to like him the way I did. I felt nervous like a guy introducing his girlfriend to his dad.

But the moment Ashley opened the door, she robbed the breath from my lungs.

She was in this gorgeous dress. The navy-blue bodice framed her breasts perfectly before cinching in just underneath them. The skirt fell all the way to her feet, stripped with whites and yellows and deep reds. The colors made her hair and eyes pop, and she looked absolutely radiant in the light of the moon.

“Ready for dinner?” she asked.

“You look spectacular,” I said.

I offered her my arm, and we made our way to dinner. I drove us across town and led us to the table that Ross and Markus were already sitting at. There was a very young woman at his side. Pretty little thing. Long black hair that matched his and dark hazel eyes. The kind that changed colors with whatever she was wearing. But her age wasn’t something I was going to judge. She was leaning into Markus, and he was whispering in her ear. I hadn’t seen him with a woman since his divorce from his arranged wife, and it was nice to see him cradling a girl who seemed to make him happy.

So I was happy for him.

“Jimmy Sheldon,” I said as I introduced myself. “This is Ross Fowler, and this lovely lady is Ashley Ternbeau.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Ashley said.

“Jamie Scott. I’m sorry if I’m intruding. Markus told me it was okay to come, but I still wasn’t sure,” she said.

“The more the merrier,” Ross said with a smile.

“You’re welcome among us anytime,” I said.

“So, Miss Ashley, I hear you’ve caught the eye of Jimmy here,” Markus said.

“I’m not sure if ‘caught’ is the right word. Possibly stolen after a few too many drinks,” Ashley said.

“That sounds more like the Jimmy I know. He can’t keep his hands off a beautiful woman once he gets going,” Markus said.

“Sounds like there’s a story to be told,” Ashley said.

“If it’s the one I’m thinking about, we can definitely leave that to another day,” I said.

“See? Now I have to know,” Ashley said.

“Oh, I like her,” Markus said. “One time at the beginning of his company, I convinced him to throw a party to celebrate their first large customer and give his employees a real blowout bash.”

“You’re the mind behind the parties,” Ashley said.

I squeezed her knee and felt her skin pucker underneath her dress.

“Nice to know traditions are still carried on. But, at this party, he kept throwing back shots of tequila.”

“Tequila? I’ve never seen him drink tequila,” Ashley said.

“Not after that party, nope,” Markus said. “He got drunk enough to hit on one of his first investors. A beautiful woman. A bit old for him, but still a looker. He tried dancing with her and went to dip her, and she knocked her head against the tiled floor. She went to the hospital with a concussion.”

“No, she didn’t,” Ashley said. “You did not.”

“That was a hell of a party,” Ross said.

Ashley threw her head back and laughed. I enjoyed watching her interact with Markus and enjoy him like I had over the years. I’d missed him. I wished he came into town more often. He was my very first investor in my company and the man who guided me throughout all the biggest decisions I’d made as a businessman. He was the father I never had, the father I wished I’d had when I was growing up. I hated that he had moved to Canada to set up his headquarters, but I understood. Canada fit his needs more than Miami or even the East Coast did.

But that didn’t mean I couldn't miss him.

“How long have you been working for the company, Ashley?” Markus asked.

“About four years, but I recently took a new position as—”

“Account Rep for the investors,” Markus said.

“I see someone’s been talking about me,” Ashley said.

“You’re his favorite topic when he’s not talking about work,” Ross said.

“Or avoiding tequila,” Jamie said.

The five of us laughed at her joke before she stuck her foot in her mouth.

“Though I have to ask. What happened with Nina? The two of you looked so happy together.”

Ashley looked over at me as my eyes connected with the woman at Markus’s side. Ashley placed her hand on top of mine on her knee and squeezed, trying to get me to calm down. I felt the wave of anger rearing its head throughout my body, but this wasn’t the time to cause a scene. It was a question I knew would come up eventually, and I needed to go ahead and smooth things over. Get the conversation started.

At least she hadn’t asked about my wedding ring.

“Relationships come and go, but the ones that are important are the ones I tend to cling to. My relationship with Ashley is more than simply romantic, and I’m lucky she’s at my side.”

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” Jamie said with a smile. “Markus, isn’t that sweet?”

“Not as sweet as you, beautiful,” Markus said. “Nothing’s as sweet as you.”

The two of them shared a kiss, and I looked down at Ashley. I watched her eyes light up as she took in their moment, and I chanced a kiss on top of her head. She looked up at me with those sparkling eyes behind those thick-rimmed glasses of hers.

This evening couldn’t get any better.

After three hours of drinking and eating and catching up, it was time for us to part ways. Jamie was yawning on Markus’s shoulder, and Ashley seemed to be fading a bit as well. Everyone said their goodbyes before I led Ashley to my car and drove us back to my place.

I enjoyed the way she had looked in it the first time I’d brought her home.

“Would you care for a glass of wine?” I asked.

“I think one more might be okay,” she said.

“Red or white?” I asked.

“Whichever you’re having is fine.”

“So, what did you think of Markus?” I asked.

Ashley reached out for her glass as I settled beside her on the couch.

“He seems really nice, and I can tell he’s fond of you.”

“I’m fond of him. He’s an important person to me,” I said.

“I think he’s charming, and you can tell there’s something there between him and Jamie. Is it odd that their age difference shocked me, though?”

“Not odd,” I said. “I was taken aback as well. But they both seem happy, and that’s all that matters.”

“I hope they make it. They seem really sweet together,” she said.

“Do you think you’d like to go out with Markus and me again while he’s in town?”

“Of course, I would. In a way, I feel like I’m getting to know your father. Though I know he’s not actually your father,” she said.

“He’s like a father. He’s been with me for a long time in this company. First investor, advice-giver, the whole nine. He’s a good man, and I’m glad you like him. I was nervous you wouldn’t.”

“Why wouldn't I? He’s charming and sweet. Obviously, knows how to make people feel comfortable around him. What’s not to like?”

“You’ve never witnessed him in a boardroom meeting with his company,” I said with a grin.

“And hopefully, I never will because I don’t like that grin on your face.”

Ashley settled into my arms as we each finished our glasses of wine. I saw her eyes drooping as she cradled into me, her legs coming up to rest on the couch. Part of me didn’t want to move us because of her falling asleep. I was excited at the prospect of her staying over, but neither of us was going to get a good night’s sleep if we tried to do it on the couch.

So I shifted her head and picked her up in my arms.

“Where we going?” Ashley asked.

“Figured sleeping in the bed might be a bit more comfortable,” I said.

“Mmm, okay.”

I grinned as I laid her down in bed and then watched her lazily kick her heels off. I plucked her glasses from her face and set them down on the nightstand. She looked so peaceful curled up underneath the blankets of my bed.

The sight was heavenly.

I undressed and tossed my suit over a chair in the corner. I slipped in beside her in nothing but my boxers, hoping I wasn't crossing a line with her. This was a first for us, spending the night with one another. My arm wrapped around her, and I pulled her close to me, feeling her ass wiggle against my pelvis.

“You might wanna be careful with that,” I said into her ear. “That’s a weapon you’re flinging around.”

She turned in my arms as a sleepy smile crossed her face. Her hand came up to my cheek, and she brought my lips to hers. I could taste the wine on her tongue. The spice of the alcohol against her cheek. I slid on top of her as her hands tangled in my hair, her legs opening up to me.

I kissed every exposed part of her. My lips trailed along her cheeks and her neck. I nuzzled my nose against her exposed breasts as her lips kissed my forehead. I sank myself into her, breathing in her scent as her hands ran through my hair.

“I never thanked you for the other night,” Ashley said.

“Which one?” I asked.

“The one at my apartment. With that fun little gift you gave me.”

“No thanks needed. Though I meant what I said about working up your tolerance.”

Ashley giggled a sleepy little giggle as I looked up at her. She looked peaceful. Content. With a happy little smile on her cheeks. Her eyes were closed, and her chest was steadily rising and falling. Her grip was already growing lax against me as I shifted on top of her body. I fell back to the side and pulled her close, tucking her head underneath my chin.

I wanted things to stay like this between us, as innocent and as new as our first time together.