Chapter 16

Anna

“Should we celebrate with lunch?” Jason asked as we both were practically jumping out of the car with excitement.

“Of course. Let’s go somewhere fun.”

“Hmmm, we can go downtown and walk around and find some place.”

“Perfect,” I said as I let my hair down. I also took my jacket off and unbuttoned the top button on my blouse. Being so professional was uncomfortable for me.

I still couldn’t believe how well that meeting had gone. Everyone was looking at me, and Jason was relying on me to say just the right thing, and I actually came through. It was so amazing to me, and like nothing I’d ever felt before. Up until that moment, I hadn’t really been sure I wanted to go into business. What had started as a lie to my father, so I could work with Jason, had turned into something that I was actually excited about.

As we parked on the street of Champaign, Jason ran around to open my door for me. I was regretting the four-inch red heels I had on, but they did look sweet with the blouse I was wearing. I wrapped my arm with Jason’s and held onto him as we walked through town checking out the different little restaurants that were around.

“This is perfect,” I said as I leaned closer to Jason.

“Should we try this place?” he asked, thinking that I meant the restaurant was perfect. But I didn’t care about the restaurant at all, and we could have eaten anywhere he wanted to. I meant that the two of us walking so close together was perfect.

“Yep. Let’s give it a whirl.”

The restaurant wasn’t very busy, and there was no hostess at the front. It was noon, though, and they were likely going to be getting busier. There were only about twenty tables in the restaurant, and they were crammed into a room that probably should have only had fifteen. A hipster waitress met us at the front and motioned for us to follow her without saying a word.

She led us to a table that was so small it probably only fit two plates on it and nothing else. But we didn’t care. Jason and I were so excited about the deal we had just worked out that nothing else mattered.

“Do you have menus?” Jason ventured to ask as the woman started to walk away.

“Up there,” she said and pointed to a television screen that displayed just four items.

“Hmm, simple. I like it.” I laughed.

“Would you like the sandwich, or the sandwich, or how about a sandwich?” Jason teased as we read the menu.

“Hmm, I don’t know. I think I’ll have the sandwich.”

We both laughed, and I reached out and let my hand sit on top of his in the midst of my laugh. It was totally by accident, but once it was there, I didn’t want to move it. I found myself looking at our hands and thinking about how much I adored this man. What had started as a crush and something that any schoolgirl could have had was developing into something that had real meaning. Being there and laughing with Jason was absolute perfection, or so I thought until Jason grabbed my hand and slowly brought it up to his lips and gently kissed it.

His eyes looked at me as he let his lips press against my hand, and I swooned with desire. A permanent smile came across my face, and I was pretty sure it stayed there for the rest of the lunch and probably the rest of the day.

“Oh, you’re getting frisky, are you?” I teased.

“You were so amazing in there, Anna. I really hope you hear me when I say this; it was your element. You were honest, yet convincing. You showed so much character and poise. I really hope you do decide to go after your MBA. I think you’d be an amazing business owner.”

“Wow, thanks, Jason. I’ve never really thought about running a business. I guess I always assumed I’d end up working as a secretary or something boring like that.”

“No,” Jason said firmly. “Promise me right now you won’t settle for being a secretary. You have what it takes. Go to college. Get the skills you need, and you can run any business you want to.”

Jason wasn’t just complimenting me. He was hitting all the concerns I’d ever had about myself. He saw through my fake confidence and was urging me on and pushing me to be more than I’d ever imagined. It was emotional for me. Even my own parents hadn’t appeared to have the level of confidence in me that Jason had at that very moment. Sure, my parents supported me, and they wanted me to be happy. But the look of shock on my father’s face was visible when I said I wanted to get my MBA. He wasn’t going to doubt my dream, but it clearly wasn’t something he thought I would have wanted to do or something he’d thought I could have done.

“What would you like to order?” the waitress asked dryly as she stood over us.

“Um, I’ll have the sandwich,” Jason said and then burst out laughing.

“Me too, I’ll have the sandwich.” I laughed with him.

The waitress did not look amused at all as she stood there waiting for us to pick one of the sandwiches. When we finally ordered, she wrote it down and walked away as if nothing had happened. I had to wonder if she’d heard that joke before.

To our surprise, the sandwiches were delicious when they finally came. We both devoured them and barely talked at all while we ate. The restaurant was getting busy, and when we finally left, there was a line down the street from people who were ordering at the to-go counter.

“What should we do next?” I asked as we held hands and walked through the neighborhood.

“I’ve got an idea.”

“What?”

“This,” Jason said and pulled me down a deserted alley. He pressed my hands above my head and gently kissed my lips before he moved to my neck and down the front of my silk blouse. His teeth pulled on the top button of the blouse as if he was about to rip it right off me. The surprise passion from him was a huge turn on for me, and just like that, I knew I was ready.

“Let’s go back to the hotel,” I whispered in his ear.

Jason froze and slowly lifted his head as he looked at me. I simply nodded as I bit my lip and urged him to say yes to my offer. This was it. I wanted him, and he wanted me. We had just had an amazing day where I felt stronger and more independent than I had my entire life. Today was the day. I wanted it to happen.

“Yeah?” he asked just to make sure.

“Yeah,” I assured him.

Jason practically dragged me back to the car and threw me in with his excitement. I barely had a chance to get my seatbelt on before he had zipped out of our parking spot and did a u-turn back toward the hotel. He wasn’t wasting a moment of time as he hurried us back to the hotel.

In the elevator he grabbed me, and I reached up to kiss him as we gently let our lips play while we rode to the top floor. He held my hand as we walked down the flower wallpapered hallway to his room. One last time he looked at me to make sure this was what I wanted. No words were necessary, though, and I simply nodded my head again as we went into the room.

His hands were gentle as they ran up and down my back and played with the fabric of my blouse. He wasn’t in a hurry any longer. Instead, Jason was relishing every moment as he took his time playing with each of the buttons before pulling the blouse off of me.

Our lips barely left each other’s as we kissed in every possible way. Our tongues touched and moved fast and then slow again. Our hands pressed against each other’s bodies as we searched for the next piece of clothing that needed to be removed. When we were both down to our underwear, Jason pulled the covers back on the bed, and we climbed in. There was a sense of comfort in having the blankets over me, and I instantly felt less self-conscious about what we were doing and could relax.

Jason didn’t hurry to strip off my bra and panties and instead took his time as his hands caressed my legs. Slowly, he moved his fingers from my knees all the way up to my breasts and back down again. As he took in every inch of my body, I let my own hands run up and down his muscular back.

“I’m nervous,” I said softly.

“Me too,” he said with a grin.

“Oh stop, you are not nervous.”

“I am. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time. It’s important to me,” Jason said as he kissed me softly. “I want you to enjoy it.”

“I will,” I promised him. I was relieved that he was nervous. It seemed weird that I would feel that way, but he was honest and a little vulnerable, and it was nice not to be the only one who felt vulnerable. I took advantage of the moment and pulled on his body as I moved him on top of me.

Our kissing became more passionate, and soon Jason slipped under the covers. I felt his mouth kissing down my stomach, and he stopped at the top of my panties as he gently kissed from one side to the other. Then his hands tugged on them, and he slowly pulled them down and off me. I welcomed him as his lips kissed up my inner thigh. He used his hands to spread my legs, and I relaxed under his touch.

When his tongue softly touched my center, I jumped a little at first, but then relaxed and let him taste me. Jason’s tongue devoured me for nearly ten minutes before his kisses moved back up my body. Suddenly, he rolled me over, and I felt his throbbing body as it pressed up against my ass. He wasn’t trying to slide inside of me, though, just gently playing with me as he unhooked my bra.

Again, his lips touched my body, this time starting at my back and moving down until he was gently circling my ass. The way he played with me, touched me, he was devoted to my body, and I loved it. I took in the power I had as I let out a moan of pleasure and waited for his reaction. Almost instantly, he gave a deep grunt of desire. It was as if I was the one actually in charge. I turned myself over and grabbed his hair as I gently tugged on him to come and kiss me. He did as I asked and held his body over me as our mouths feverishly moved.

“Condom?” I managed to ask.

“Yep, right here,” he said and put his hand up from under the covers.

“What the hell? Where did that come from?” I laughed.

“A boy scout is always prepared,” he joked. “Do you want to put it on?”

“I don’t know what I’m doing. You shouldn’t trust me with something so important.”

“Here, I’ll show you,” he said gently as he rolled over next to me.

I was scared to death. Sure, I knew how to put one on from talking to my friends and generally being interested in having sex for the last several years. But I was literally shaking at the idea. “You should do it.” I laughed as he handed me the package.

“Rip it open,” he said without listening to my words. I did as he asked and opened the package.

“It’s slimy.”

“Yep, there’s a lubricant on there. Okay, are you ready?”

“No. Yes. Oh, gosh,” I said as he pulled the covers back to expose his throbbing member.

My body pulsed with desire for Jason. I couldn’t get that condom on him fast enough as I eagerly sat up and readied myself for the job.

“Okay, hold the top. Pinch it between these fingers,” he said as he showed me. “Then put it over the top and roll it down.”

I followed his directions and meticulously rolled it down as I sat next to him, hoping I was doing it right. Jason watched me carefully, and when he was satisfied with the job I did, he grabbed me and threw me back onto the bed.

“Did I do good?” I giggled.

“Perfect,” he said as he kissed me softly. “You tell me to stop if you’re uncomfortable. Okay?”

I didn’t answer him as I held onto his torso and prepared for what I’d heard was going to be horribly painful. But Jason didn’t move. He was waiting for me to answer him.

“Yes, I’ll tell you,” I promised.

His lips covered mine as he moved gently into me, and his body was only moving a tiny bit at a time, and he waited for a minute before continuing. The whole time he was distracting me by kissing me. My tongue thrust into his mouth and played with his tongue while he continued to slowly move inside of me. Soon I felt the fullness of his body as he moved his hips in a very slight thrusting motion.

It didn’t hurt. It was slightly uncomfortable at first, but the more I moved my hips, the more I welcomed him into my body. There was a growing sensation of pleasure, and I had to let go of Jason’s mouth as I let out a moan of delight.

“This feels good,” I mumbled as my mouth tucked into his neck, and I held onto his body.

“Good,” he whispered back to me.

Our love making wasn’t a spectacle at all. It was slow and sensual, and everything I’d hoped it would be. Jason was kind and took his time even as his body built up with desire, and I knew he wanted to thrust hard into me, but he didn’t. Instead, he let out one final thrust as he groaned in delight.

I held onto him as he finished and then moved to kiss him. It was more than I’d ever hoped it would be. My body and his seemed to perfectly fit together. Jason made me feel like a better person long before we had made love, and the only thing I could think about was that I was so happy I’d waited.

Jason lay down next to me and pulled me up so my head rested on his chest. His arms stayed wrapped around me for a good hour before I decided to get up and take a shower.

“Want me to come with you?” Jason asked.

“Do you mind if I take one alone?”

“Go for it,” he said with a wink.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to take a shower with Jason, but I just needed a minute to myself. I needed a moment to take in what we had done and enjoy the reality that I was no longer a virgin.

In the shower, I noticed that I had some blood on my inner thigh and then became paranoid about how much I had bled on the sheets. I probably stayed in the shower for a good half an hour before I wrapped myself in a towel and decided I should go back to my room. I didn’t have any comfortable clothes in Jason’s room, and it would be nice to get changed.

“Hey, if you don’t mind, I’m going to go back to my room for a bit,” I said as I stood near the door and grabbed my purse and clothes off the floor.

Jason was making the bed with what looked like a new set of sheets that housekeeping must have dropped off. The look of disappointment that filled his face instantly made me regret my decision.

“Um, if you want to. Is everything alright?”

I went up to him and kissed him hard on the lips. Everything was absolutely fine. He was so sweet. He had gotten clean sheets and was putting them on so we could lie in bed together. I felt bad for leaving, but I needed some more time. “I’ll be back later. Let’s plan on doing dinner?”

“Yes, and then in the morning we need to head to Springfield. It won’t take us long, and all the other businesses are going to be much easier than this one.”

I opened the door and looked down the hall before I got ready to run across to my room. As I stood in the doorway, I couldn’t help getting on my tiptoes and kissing Jason again.

“Okay, I’ll see you later for dinner.”

I heard someone get out of the elevator and walk down the hallway, but I didn’t look at them as I hurried over to my room with just a towel around me. I quickly slid the key in the door and ran inside. As I shut the door behind me, I had to jump up and down as the excitement rushed through me.

I grabbed my phone and was about to call Lilli to tell her everything when my father called. We hadn’t told him what we were doing so I’d said I was just coming with Jason on a business trip, without giving my dad any other details.

“Hi Dad,” I said and lay back on the bed.

“What are you up to?”

“Nothing much. What’s up, Dad?”

“How’s Jason and the trip? He’s treating you right? Not making you work too hard?”

“Yes Dad, he’s very nice. We have separate rooms, and I’m just getting settled and going to relax for a bit.”

“Okay honey. Have a safe trip,” he said and then paused for a minute. “Keep an eye out for anything fishy, please. I don’t want to find out something horrible is happening, and I didn’t have a heads up.”

“Okay, Dad,” I said as I tried to get him off the phone. “I’ll talk to you later. I got to go.”

“Bye, talk later.”

I was relieved to have him off the phone and quickly called Lilli so we could gossip all about what was going on. Lilli and I talked for nearly two hours as I got ready for dinner and told her every detail about my afternoon with Jason.

Lilli laughed with me; she was such a good friend. Having her there with me helped me realize all the emotions I was having were normal. It was so weird for me, though. I’d been seductive and sexual for years. I’d been trying to get Jason as if I was some sort of tigress on the prowl. But on the day that we actually made love, I felt so vulnerable and scared that I hadn’t known what to do with myself.

“Just relax and enjoy dinner. He’s the same guy, and you’re the same girl. Have a good time.”

“I feel like he’s going to be looking at me differently.”

“Maybe, but aren’t you going to be looking at him a little differently as well?” she asked.

“Yeah...”

“Okay then. I want you to wear something sexy and be confident. Laugh. Make conversation. And come back to your own room tonight. He needs to know he can’t just have you whenever he wants you.”

“You’re starting to sound like me.” I laughed.

“I learned from the best.”

“Lilli, thank you for putting up with me all these years. I’m starting to realize I was probably pretty annoying with all that sex talk and flirting with Jason. I really can’t believe he even put up with it.”

“Oh, please, you’re an amazing woman, Anna. Stop selling yourself short. I have to run, but text me when you get back to your room tonight. And have fun.”