“I’ve got this thing in a couple of weeks. I’d like you to go with me.”

I looked down at Jennifer, who was curled up in my arms, practically purring after our athletics that just wrapped up.

I didn’t want to smile at her, I didn’t want her to know how much it made me happy that she wanted to be seen with me.

Shit.

I was turning into a fucking pussy for this crazy-ass chick.

But there was just something about her. Like, she didn’t make any sense to me. She seemed absolutely fine having a sex only relationship, not asking anything more from me. We’d never even been out for drinks.

Normally, that was my comfort zone, my safe space. Casual sex, no strings, no emotions, no ties. Just sex.

The rougher the better.

With this chick, fuck. I wanted a little bit more, and she wanted a little bit less. Sometimes, I wondered if she even remembered my name, because I was certain I’d never heard it pass her lips, not even in the middle of an orgasm.

“What type of thing?”

I had a sneaking suspicion that she might owe me after this. Because, laying here, putting two and two together, I realized I probably won’t like what she has planned. I’d invited her multiple times for drinks or dinner and she shut me down in favor of sex. Now, suddenly she’s wanting to be seen with me.

I waited for her to answer, and when she didn’t I rolled over and braced myself so that I was in a high push-up over her, the only way I could figure out to how force her to look at me.

“What type of thing, Jennifer?”

My voice was low and bordering on menacing. I knew it as the tone came out, and I mentally kicked myself in the nuts because it was no way to try to talk a woman into doing more things with you. You know, taking a threatening tone and all.

Except, her eyes got darker, and her little pink tongue darted out to moisten her lips. Damned, if she didn’t look like she was starving, and my cock was a five-course meal.

Jesus Christ, she liked it rough.

“Waiting.”

A soft moan followed by a sigh, that found its way straight to my balls. I was hard in an instant, and while still in the push up, reached over for the last condom, tore it open with my teeth, and sheathed myself. Her eyes widened, and she got restless in the short amount of time it took me to protect the two of us.

Her back arched and her head tipped backwards, and she shouted words that made no sense as I plunged my cock swiftly into her.

I sat back, still connected to her, and put her ankles up on either one of my shoulders. I leaned forward again, and her mouth opened slightly with the more intense pressure she was feeling. With one hand on the wall and the other on her shoulder, I started pounding into her at a punishing pace, and damned if she didn’t meet me stroke for stroke.

I could feel the orgasm building inside of her, and I pulled out immediately, resting the tip of my cock in her entrance.

“What the fuck?”

She looked at me, a vision of agony, wriggling her hips against me, trying to force it in, but I held her at bay.

“Where are we going, Jennifer? I get my answer, you get to come. It’s really quite simple.”

“You play dirty.”

“Damn straight. Now, this shouldn’t be such a big deal, you’re the one who brought it up.”

“Men hate weddings.”

I damn near lost my erection. Yeah, men did hate weddings. It put the wrong idea into women’s minds when you got all dressed up to watch two people pledge forever. They started testing out your last name, taking it for a test drive, and stupidly calling you ‘hubby’ on social media.

The words ‘fuck no’ were on my lips, yet I found my voice saying, ‘okay’.

The two of us looked at each other in shock, both surprised at my answer.

“Thanks, Jamison. May I have my orgasm now?”

I felt her clench the walls of her pussy around me, and I gave her what I hoped was a sexy grin, especially considering I was freaking out inside.

“Yes, ma’am, a deal is a deal.”

I slid in, achingly slow, until my balls gently tapped her ass.

“Harder, bitch.”

Oh, no she didn’t.

I reached down between us, and pinched her clit sharply between my fingers, and when she howled with the quick pain, pounded my cock into her so hard and fast that it was mere moments before the two of us found our release together, tense, cursing, sweating.

Jesus, what was it about this woman.

I collapsed next to her, both of us damn near hyperventilating from our efforts, and pulled her close to me. As I wrapped us up in the blanket, I heard her soft breath whisper to me as her eyes drifted closed.

“Thank you, Jamie.”

My eyes widened, and my body stiffened a little bit, before relaxing into her. Only one other woman had ever called me Jamie. Only one other woman had ever even thought to give me any type of nickname other than ‘yes please’ and ‘oh, God’.

Jamie sounded like home on her lips.

I kissed the top of her head before drifting into oblivion myself, the image of a spitfire in a white dress walking towards me in a church playing in the back of my subconscious mind.

“I look like an idiot.”

She swatted my arm. Actually, she punched my arm. I knew she worked out from the size of her biceps, but dear god, I had no idea she had so much strength. But I was going to call it a ‘swat’, because if I admitted that my woman hit me, you might as well cut my balls off and flush them down the toilet.

My woman.

I hadn’t told her that she was my woman yet. I kinda felt like she must know, but, I was afraid that if I put the words to it, it would send her screaming.

I wasn’t ready for us to be over yet. I didn’t think it was possible for me to tire of her, for this affair to run its course. So, I only called her ‘mine’ within the safe confines of my head.

I was in a suit. I had one suit, and it was strictly for funerals, because I didn’t do weddings. It was a hard and fast rule of mine that I didn’t do weddings. And yet, here I was, in a suit, sitting outside of a local country club about to walk in like a whipped fucking piss-poor excuse for a man.

“You look like you’re going to a funeral.”

Jennifer looked both amused and disappointed.

“I only have one suit.”

She looked at me in surprise.

“I thought you rich types had fancy tailored clothes that you wore, stuff that costs more than a year’s pay. Well, a year of my pay, anyway.”

“Whoa, where the hell did that come from? I mean, you know I own my own business, obviously, and that I have a Harley. But, when have you seen me in anything other than worn jeans and comfortable shirts? I’m not exactly concerned about the latest in ‘rich type’ fashion.”

I was more than a little pissed off. I meant, seriously, here we go again. Getting judged on perceptions of my wealth, or lack thereof, was my biggest damn pet peeve. Ironic that when I was a kid it was because I was from the wrong side of the tracks, and now it was because I made too much money.

“Sorry. That was stupid of me, I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Her eyes darted around the parking lot, taking in the vehicles that were parked around us. Lexus, BMW, Mercedes, at least one sweet Maserati. I watched as she somehow managed to shrink down on herself, no small feat, considering she was already pretty damn small.

“Hey, what gives? Is it because of all this?”

I circled my finger around, indicating all of it.

She shrugged, picking at imaginary lint on her hemline, doing everything to avoid looking at me, as if that would be her breaking point.

I leaned over and gently grabbed her chin, turning her head towards mine before capturing her mouth in a searing, possessive kiss. This was the type of kiss that was meant to brand, to erase memories of everyone who came before, and to bind her to me for as long as I wanted. I separated from her and rested my forehead on her so that I could catch my breath for a moment.

“You are worth everything, Jennifer. Just because you might not have as much money in your bank account means nothing. They are no different than you, except most of them are probably dickheads.”

She made a scoffing noise while rolling her eyes.

“Easy for you to say.”

She had her arms crossed over her gorgeous chest, staring sullenly at the dashboard of my car. It broke me a little bit, seeing her so unsure of herself, acting so vulnerable and shit. Especially considering this mess was her idea.

“Listen, Jennifer, I don’t talk about my money or my past with people. But I’ll make the exception. I was raised in a trailer park in Mattapan. Most of the time in the winter we didn’t have heat because my mother chose to either inject or drink any money we managed to get, leaving nothing for essentials. I learned how to pay bills at eight years old. I had to watch my mother stare longingly whenever there was a metal coat hanger in the house. She stared at it longingly because, as she told me multiple times, she wished she’d had the balls to scrape me out of her womb when she’d had the chance.”

I heard her sharp intake of breath and looked down. There were tears streaming down her beautiful face, tears she didn’t bother wiping away. I reached and gently touched one of them with the pad of my thumb, wiping it away.

“Yeah, I have money. I had to work my ass off to start my business, and it all came together because one person took an interest in me when the rest of the world would have been happy to just write me off. So, it might seem like I’ve got it made, but there is so much shit behind my smile, you have to trust me when I tell you that you are as good as these people, hell, you’re probably better than every one of them. You just need to hold that gorgeous head up high and walk in like you own the fucking place.”

She gave me a watery grin.

“You’re not really the asshole you want everyone to believe you are, are you, Jamison?”

I smiled at her.

“Actually, I always have been, but lately there’s been a lot of change in my life that is showing me that it’s possible to be better.”

I reached for her hand and gave a gentle squeeze, letting her know without words that it was her, that she was the difference.

I walked out of my car and got to her side to see that she’d already let herself out and was walking towards me. I just shook my head.

“What?”

“Just you, Jennifer. Just you.”

I reached for her hand, asking her for one more step. She looked at it warily, before slowly slipping her small hand in mine.

“I could still take you down, don’t you dare forget it, Jamison.”

I grinned at her, the thought of her trying to beat on me was hilarious.

“Of course, you can.”

“Wait, you don’t think I can, do you?”

I just laughed, which set her right off. She started walking at hyper speed, spitting and hissing like an alley cat.

A hot as fuck alley cat that I wanted to bend over on the nearest overpriced car and make her forget all of her earlier sadness.

“If there was anyone in this world who could bring me to my knees, it’s you.”

I put my hands in my pockets and walked toward the entrance of the building. I didn’t sense that Jennifer was with me, so I looked and saw that she was rooted to the ground, her face pale as hell and her mouth slackened in shock.

“You coming? This is your party.”

This time, she reached for my hand and smiled at me as we walked through the door.

I couldn’t stop smiling. My face hurt, I’d been smiling so much.

I finally pulled my eyes off of her and looked up.

I stopped breathing for a second in surprise. A vision in a silver cocktail dress was running from room to room frantically. A regret that I hadn’t thought of in a few months. Someone I never thought I’d see again.

Jennifer squealed a little bit next to me, the most girly sound that I’d ever heard from her lips.

“Jamison, that’s Mari. I can’t wait to introduce you.”

Fuck.

Me.