He’d talked about his life before his illness, sheepishly reflecting on all the time he wasted chasing women and the next party.
“Maybe getting ill was the best thing to happen to me,” he’d said one evening while we drove home from a charity event.
“Bab—”
“Hear me out,” he’d said, cutting me off.
Leaning back into the seat, I listen as he told me that if not for the illness, he’d never had the opportunity to examine his life and the way he’d been living. The illness had taken away his physical autonomy, but it had also given him mental and emotional independence.
“I want to be the kind of man parents would be proud of. I want to do for my parents what you’re doing for your brother. The family business is their legacy, and I want to be an essential part of preserving it. You inspired me, Quinn.”
“Jasper—I don’t know what to say.” Tears threatened to leak from my eyes, but I blinked them away.
“You don’t have to say anything.”
To lighten the mood, I said, “Well, in any event, I’m glad that my awesomeness rubbed off on you.” We both chuckled.
“See that building there?” I pointed out of the window, when the limo had come to a halt at the red light.
“The one with the yellow door?” He asked, leaning over me to get a better look.
“Uh huh. I once leased an apartment in that building. My unit was on the fifth floor.”
“Really?”
“Yes, and I loved that tiny studio apartment. I got it after I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in business and decided that I wanted to start Quinn’s Catering.” I’d opened my catering business, expecting to have boatloads of customers right off the bat. It took a few months for me to get even one client. I will always be grateful to the young bride who’d taken a chance on me. I couldn’t help but think back on those years fondly. Everything was so much simpler back then. Easier. Even if I didn’t realize it. “The kitchen in that apartment was a good size too, and it was quiet in there. So very quiet. I woke up at whatever time I wanted. Came and went as I pleased. Dropped by SharpEats only for my two shifts or when I was too lazy to cook. Was able to drop off my niece and nephew when I began to get overwhelmed.”
Jasper’s brow raised.
“You sound mournful.”
“That’s because I am. I love JJ and Jani and my life now, but some peace and quiet in a jacuzzi somewhere would be nice sometimes. At least for one hour every week.”
Smiling, he pulled me into his lap so that I now straddled him and promised that he’d make my one-hour peace and quiet dreams come true.
My cheeks felt warm as he peered at me with sparkling eyes, as usual. No matter how much time we spent together, I couldn’t seem to get used to the way he looked at me, as if I was the most amazing discovery that he’d ever made. The intensity of his stare never failed to make me feel warm and tingly. His warm hands caressing my waist sent a stream of what felt like electrified heat coursing through me.
“A penny for those thoughts going through that lovely head of yours?”
“I’ll have you know that my thoughts come with a high price tag. And let me tell you, boyfriend of mine, a penny doesn’t near cut it.”
He laughed, and for a moment became distracted with the emerald encrusted brooch that held the front of my scoop neckline together. Both the dress I wore, and the broach were gifts from him.
“Maybe we can negotiate,” Jasper suggested, but already he was undoing the brooch and slipping it into the pocket of his tuxedo jacket. Once the plunging neckline was open, he tugged it down, laying bare the tops of her full breasts.
“I’m listening,” I managed to say, but already my mind was becoming clouded with that same treacherous desire for him that always made me so dopey I could hardly remember the order of letters in the alphabet, much less make my point.
“What if I offered you a grand for those thoughts of yours? A check made payable to Quinn’s Catering, delivered by courier in the morning?”
“Huh,” I mocked, even as I began tugging at the fastening of his garnet red cummerbund. “You donated more than that at the charity event less than two hours ago.”
“Two thousand, then,” he offered, but my bra was off and he was already thumbing my nipples, stroking them until they peaked against the smooth creamy-coffee mounds now being cradled in his large, capable hands. He bent his head and flicked his tongue against one nipple, and then the other. Then drew one into his mouth.
I let my hands curl into his hair, no longer dragging him away, but now pulling him close. “Uhh,” I moaned. Glancing hastily at the glass that separated us from the driver, I wanted to reassure myself that we had privacy. The buttons on his damn trousers were a problem, partly due to their cramped position and partly because by now my hands were shaking.
“Twenty-five hundred,” Jasper mumbled, but his mouth was sliding downwards to my bellybutton and his tongue was plumbing the little hollow, just as I knew he would be doing once more as he slid even lower.
By now my brain was completely fried and I had literally no idea what we’d been talking about in the first place. All my fired-up, primitive neurons knew was that his free hand had found their way into my panties and I’d thrust my own hand down the front of his pants and was grasping his thick, eager erection. Other than that, I didn’t care what we were currently bargaining for. “Dude, whatever,” I panted, and snaked my legs around his hips so he could slide in between my waiting thighs.
