Friday afternoon was a whirlwind of emotions. I was desperately trying to come up with the absolute best article I'd written, along with editing my resume to be spotless.
The New York Times was holding a contest in which the writer they presumed to be the most skilled with the most intriguing story would earn a big feature in the paper on the first of January. They were going to judge the winner by a piece they'd written, along with their journalism experience.
Though I already had a fantastic job at a magazine I loved, and I was in a frenzy over the Featured Story job promotion that was being dangled in front of me like a dog treat, it would be great exposure to have the Times basically advertise my work.
The rules were simple for entering. You didn't have to be a beginner. The contest was open to writers, professional or not, under the age of thirty, who did not work for a major network news corporation or paper. They were looking to showcase new, lesser known talent in the industry.
I intended to enter by the deadline, the following Tuesday.
"If you win this New York Times thing, I think it's a guarantee you're getting that promotion." Selena pointed her pen at me, sitting across from me while I searched through my documents folder for the perfect article.
I hoped she was right, though I certainly wasn't entering the contest just to try to get the promotion. I really wanted that extra exposure to bring new readers to my work.
My mind was spinning with all the things I'd been dealing with throughout the day. Mandy had rejected the piece I wanted to publish next, so I had to pick out something else from my pile of unpublished articles. Nicole had been shamelessly trying to flirt with Alex all morning, and my blood was beginning to boil at the sight of her draping herself over his desk as they talked. I couldn't very well say something to her about it since Alex wasn't mine and I didn't have a right to be jealous, but boy was I.
Jesse had texted me around noon confirming our date on the Hudson. Selena had mentioned that red dress she'd tried to get me to wear to dinner with Alex at least twelve times. She was convinced it was the perfect outfit for the occasion, and though I hated the thought of freezing my ass off in a dress again, I went ahead and agreed with her.
Once six o'clock rolled around, I was anxiously awaiting Jesse's arrival, impatiently standing in the kitchen in my red dress and black leather boots. They may not have really gone together, but paired with a black leather jacket, I thought I could make it work. I hated wearing boots with dresses, but there wasn't a force in the world going to get me in heels again with that weather.
The doorbell rang and the butterflies in my stomach reappeared. I wasn't sure why I was nervous to see him. I'd already been intimate with the man. It seemed a little odd for my nerves to be dancing at the thought of answering the damn door.
I shrugged it off, smiling brightly when I opened the door to see Jesse standing on my porch in black slacks, a white button-up, and his notorious leather jacket. He cleaned up nice. Real nice.
"You look-"
Before I could even finish my sentence, Jesse's hands were on my hips and his lips were on mine in a heated kiss that I instantly melted into. My fingers laced behind his neck, softly tugging at the back of his hair. His teeth grazed my lower lip and I started to feel flushed, the need between my legs growing with every second that we kissed. Judging by the rapidly hardening lump in his pants, he was just as eager to go to bed as I was. If we hadn't been going on a boat ride, I would've insisted on staying in.
It took about an hour and a half to drive to the river. Jesse and I could barely keep our hands off of each other the entire way. Sitting in his car, I could feel how damp my panties were and I desperately wanted him to notice, too.
"You look stunning tonight." His eyes trailed up and down my body as we walked toward the boat, which turned out to be a ferry.
The railing around the ferry had twinkle lights twisted around it, lighting it up with a warm glow. There weren't near as many people as I'd expected to see, which made it more relaxing and intimate. I'd never been on a ferry before and I was deathly afraid of deep water, due to my laughable attempts at swimming, but I swallowed my discomfort to enjoy the night with Jesse.
"Would you excuse me a moment?" Jesse asked, leaning into me, his breath tickling my ear.
I nodded. "Of course."
I didn't like the idea of him wandering off, though. I felt awkward standing there alone. I was tempted to text Alex to busy myself while I waited for Jesse to return. I argued with myself that I was on a date with Jesse and I shouldn't be thinking about another man, but it was the only thing I could think of to avoid uncomfortably standing around in a small crowd of people I didn't know and didn't feel like talking to.
To my relief, I spotted Jesse walking toward me, but my blood pressure shot up at the sight of a tall brunette in a dazzling blue dress walking with him.
Jesse flashed me a breathtaking smile as they approached.
"Kate, this is Lillian." He gestured to the gorgeous woman beside him, who extended her hand to me with a smile. "My sister."
Oh, thank god.
My jealously faded away as I shook hands with Lillian.
"Hi," I said warmly. "Nice to meet you!"
"You're just as pretty as Jess said," she told me.
Her words reminded me of Alex's mom telling me that he hadn't mentioned to her that I was pretty. I didn't want to read anything into it when it was really nothing, but my emotions went ahead and took note of which of the two men had told their family that they found me attractive.
"My brother-in-law is driving this rig," Jesse said, handing me a glass of champagne.
Lillian looked so proud. "When I told Jess that my husband was conducting a viewing on the river of the lights, he said he just had to bring you. I wasn't about to pass up the opportunity to meet the woman he talks so fondly of, so I said you two should definitely come!"
I was surprised that Jesse had mentioned me to his family. That basically confirmed for me that I wasn't just a one-night stand, and that felt great to know, though it didn't necessarily guarantee a future between us either. I was happy with our current status for the time being.
The ferry ride lasted just over two hours. There weren't as many lights strung along the river as I'd imagined, but the view was beautiful. Many of the leafless trees were decorated with clear, red, blue, and green lights, and there were the occasional blowup figures of Santa Claus, Rudolph, and Frosty the Snowman inflated on the riverside. It was adorable and beautiful. The colors were stunning in the areas where there were big clusters of lights.
There was a radio on the ferry tuned in to a station that played only Christmas music, and a few couples decided to take advantage of the dimly lit makeshift dance floor. Halfway through the ride, Jesse pulled me into the middle of the dancing couples and we started to slow dance to a sweet bluesy take on a classic Christmas song. I was glad I'd worn boots, admitting to him with a giggle that I couldn't dance in heels to save my life.
Being so close to Jesse without the connection being sexual felt good, though I was still dying to get his slacks off. It was extremely cold outside, but I was warm with his arms wrapped around me.
I laid my head on his chest as we swayed back and forth to the soft melody flowing from the speakers. I was so comfortable; I almost could've fallen asleep.
I tried to limit myself to three glasses of champagne throughout the ride, and by the time we'd stopped and everyone started getting off, I was feeling the effects of the alcohol. I wasn't drunk, but I wasn't one hundred percent sober either.
Lillian introduced me to her husband, Jeff, before we left. I was honestly surprised that he was Jesse's brother-in-law. He looked like he could be his biological brother. They both had jet black hair, a strong jawline, and almost the same piercing blue eyes. Jeff was really nice and offered to take us on a private ride on a sailboat he owned sometime.
"What did you think?" Jesse asked once we got back inside his Maserati.
"I really liked it. Lillian and Jeff seem really nice."
He nodded, glancing behind us to make sure it was clear before backing out of the parking space.
"So I'm going to leave the rest of the night up to you," he said. "My place or yours, and dinner at home or dinner at a restaurant. You pick."
It was Friday night, so I didn't need to be back at my house for work the next morning. I was definitely hungry, but we'd gone to a restaurant the week before and I didn't want to be too repetitive. Dinner at Jesse's house sounded great.
"If it's not an imposition..." I smoothed out my dress over my thighs. "I'd love to have dinner at yours."
Jesse smiled, turning the car in the direction of Long Island. "My place, it is."
Upon reaching Jesse's street, my phone vibrated in my jacket pocket. I planned to ignore it until later, assuming it was a text, but it continued to vibrate. I looked at the screen, seeing an incoming call flashing across the screen. Alex Stephens.
I wanted to talk to him and felt bad for declining the call, but I didn't think it was even remotely a good idea to answer it while in the car with Jesse.
"Who is Alex?" Jesse asked calmly.
I had hoped he hadn't noticed the name on my screen. So much for hoping.
I brushed it off. "We're coworkers."
But are we just coworkers? the voice in my head asked.
Jesse simply nodded, pulling into his driveway. We walked up to the porch and I was dying to get out of the chilly air.
"Are you cold?" he asked as he opened the front door.
I'm freezing!
"I'm fine," I said nonchalantly, walking inside.
The warmth of the entryway washed over me in an instant comfort and the chill in my body dissipated.
He cocked an eyebrow, closing the door. "That's a shame."
Huh?
My brows drew together. "What?"
His hands found my waist, pulling me flush against him.
"I could've made you hot," he whispered in my ear seductively, nipping at my neck.
Oh, Lord have mercy!
Jesse's mouth captured mine in a slow, deep kiss that awakened every nerve in my body. A rush of heat found its way to my core and I moaned against his lips as he pressed his lower half against me, making his growing erection impossible to ignore.
As we made out, Jesse stepped forward, making me have to step back until he had me pinned against the wall. He broke our kiss momentarily to shed his jacket, and recaptured my lips, dragging his tongue over my lower lip.
I began unbuttoning his shirt while his hands expertly reached the zipper on the back of my dress, kissing my neck as he dragged it down. Within seconds, my red dress was at my feet, my boots had been kicked off, and I was left in a see-through red bra and matching panties that Selena had recommended I wear.
Jesse lifted me up, carrying me into the nearest room, his home office, and setting me on his glass-top mahogany desk. He shrugged his shirt off, tossing it across the room. I reached down to unbuckle his belt and bit my lip when I felt his hard length beneath the thin material of his slacks. My mouth begun to water when he unzipped his pants, letting them fall to the floor. His boxers were absent and the sight of his ready and waiting cock drew a needy moan from my throat.
Jesse looked down at me with those electric blue eyes and that heart-melting smile that made me dizzy and flooded my mind with images of him hovering over me, thrusting inside me all night.
His hands found my knees, spreading my legs apart and sliding his palms up my thighs. My skin felt ablaze everywhere he touched me. Goosebumps spread over my body. He never broke eye contact with me.
His fingers slipped under the see-through material of my panties, tugging softly. I reached behind my back to unhook my bra, letting it fall to the floor, my breasts springing free. Jesse watched my eyes intently as his thumbs massaged my inner thighs, inching closer to the place I needed to be touched the most.
"Oh, Jesse!" I gasped when his middle finger slid into me.
Jesse's lips trailed a line of wet, hot, demanding kisses over my jawline and down my neck. He nipped at my collarbone while he fingered me, building my body's response quickly. He took my right nipple into his mouth, sucking and flicking the tip of his tongue over it, pulling moan after moan from my lips. Just when I reached the edge, he stopped, his fingers retreating.
"But-" I whimpered, needing more.
Jesse kissed me, teasing my emotions. "Relax, baby girl."
His hand grasped my panties, shoving them aside while he positioned himself between my legs. My desperation fueled his need and before I could say another thing, his hard cock entered me, his hips slapping my thighs as he pounded into me.
I laid back on the desk, spreading my legs further and writhing in pleasure with every ram of his erection inside me. His thumb found my clit, rubbing a rhythm of its own as he fucked me.
"J-Jesse!" I moaned. "Fuck."
I didn't want it to end so fast, but I couldn't control the rapidly building orgasm that tore through me with Jesse's next thrust. My body hummed with pleasure, my muscles tightening and then gradually relaxing as I came, my throat getting dry from the influx of moans, gasps, and soft screams escaping my lungs.
A few more plunges of his cock into me and Jesse was coming, too, groaning loudly and collapsing on top of me.
Breathy moans filled the air as Jesse and I came down from our highs. My fingers ran through his soft, sweaty hair while I tried to catch my breath.
"Wow," I said, barely audible.
Jesse nodded, pushing himself up to rest his weight on his forearms. The way his biceps flexed made me anxious for round two. He paused just long enough for us to regain composure, and then helped me to my feet, yanking my soaked panties down my legs and discarding them with his clothes that lay nearby, in front of a filing cabinet.
He lifted me up as though I was as light as a piece of paper, carrying me through the house to his bedroom where we stayed for the rest of the night, eliciting sounds of urgency and pleasure from each other until daybreak.
So much for dinner.
Saturday went by quickly. Jesse was going out of town for the next four days to visit family in Knoxville, Tennessee. He took me home just before noon, and Selena and Kacey stopped by to hear all the details of my night.
Come Monday morning, I was stressing over the New York Times contest. I was torn between settling on what I thought was my best work and writing something entirely new. I couldn't seem to find the perfect piece and it was driving me nuts!
"I can literally see your hair turning gray," Selena commented, earning a chuckle from Joseph, who was finishing his third chocolate bar in eleven minutes.
I groaned, tossing papers in the floor and placing my head in my hands. I could feel a headache emerging.
"Knock, knock!" Alex's velvety voice came from my doorway.
My head instantly snapped up, my eyes landing on the handsome man standing behind Selena in a partially unbuttoned dark green shirt that brought out the color of his eyes. He was wearing a Chevrolet ball cap, though, and I was surprised Mandy hadn't told him to take it off yet.
I was happy to see him.
"Hi," I smiled.
Selena and Joseph exchanged a look and scurried out of the room with a giggle.
"I didn't hear from you over the weekend," Alex said, leaning over my desk.
Oh, shit! It occurred to me that I'd completely forgotten to call him back.
I closed my eyes in guilt. "I'm sorry. I meant to call you."
He shrugged. "I wanted to see if we could go get breakfast or something on Saturday, but at least I get to have lunch with you today."
Oh, right! I'd forgotten Selena had invited him to lunch with us.
"Yeah."
My response sounded more like a question than anything else. I seemed to be making a habit of saying unintelligent sounding things to him.
Alex's eyes stared deeply into mine and I was reminded of the way his lips felt on mine, followed by the flawless image of him standing in his kitchen, making breakfast in a towel. Oh, how I desperately wanted to see what was under that towel. My gaze flicked briefly to his jeans, licking my bottom lip at the thought of unbuckling his belt.
"Are you busy tonight, Kate?" His voice brought my focus back to his face.