He let me go change, but he made me wait for him to finish his breakfast, then as I dumped the plates outside the room for room service, then he followed me back to my room. It was a smaller suite, but it at least had two rooms and a bathroom, and I had him wait in the front room as I changed.
I didn’t have time to wash my underwear, so I just folded it and put it far away in my suitcase. I’d have to remember it later.
Then, we headed out.
“How are we getting there?” I asked. “Do you have a car?”
I’d wasted money to get a flight, thinking I’d have to make my way back by bus, since I didn’t think the cash I had would be enough for much, and in the end didn’t last nearly as long as I’d hoped, anyway. It was just about everything I’d been saving up since I got my first job when I was sixteen, but until I finished high school, I used up more than I saved, so while it wasn’t little, it wasn’t a lot, either.
When I realized there was not much point in continuing to save it, since I had insurance for everything else, I used it up. Well, not all of it. There were still the funds in my savings account, which was half of the total, but they weren’t as easy to get my hands on. If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have bothered with it.
“I don’t have a car,” Jake said.
I whirled around to him, back to the present, my regrets pushed to the back of my mind for the time being.
Once I’m back home, I’ll worry about all of it, I told myself.
“If you don’t have a car, then how are we getting there?”
He grinned. “Well, I could always rent one, or hire one if I’d rather not drive, but I have a much better idea.”
I wasn’t sure what idea that was, but since I’d already said I was going, and he’d extended my stay at the hotel for a few days, I couldn’t just back out. So as he headed for the entrance to the hotel, I followed right behind him.
Normally, I wouldn’t be so trusting of a stranger. I wouldn’t have so readily agreed to spend time with him like this, even if I wasn’t interested. Though, if I was my usual self, I wouldn’t have ended up in Vegas in the first place.
Outside the hotel, a car was waiting for us. Jake had gone forward and was holding the door open, and I slipped inside. He told the driver where to go before getting inside after me, so I didn’t get to hear it.
“Hang on. You aren’t here alone, so shouldn’t you tell your brother and his friends that you’ll be leaving, at least? What if they come looking for you? A trip to the canyon will take hours, right?”
I’d thought of stopping by to see it, but it wasn’t on my way home, and I didn’t have the cash for it. Besides, between visiting the Grand Canyon and clubbing, I went with the wilder option. Not that I’d had any plan.
“There’s no need to worry about them,” Jake said dismissively. “Besides, I’m a grown man, I can take care of myself, so they won't be worrying.” Then, he grinned at me. “And we won't be taking near as long.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You’ll see.”
There was some light traffic, but we arrived at our destination not long after, and my jaw dropped when I saw where we were going out.
“Are we supposed to be here?” I whispered.
Jake just grinned as the car stopped and he got out. I scrambled after him, then followed slowly behind him as he walked up to the helicopter.
“I’ve heard the helicopter tour is the best way to go for a better experience,” he explained, looking over his shoulder. “We’ll be able to see the whole canyon from above, and we’ll be making a few stops, too. It’ll be amazing.”
“Yeah, but how much was that cost,” I muttered.
I trusted his judgment since I didn’t know anyone who had been to the Grand Canyon, but if he expected me to pitch in for the cost, there was no way.
He chuckled. “Nothing for you to worry about. It’s not much extra to add one more person, and there’s no way I would have gone with the rest of the guys since there'd be too many of us. It’s also not the kind of thing you do for a bachelor party, and I don’t know when, or if, I’ll be back in Vegas again.”
I side-eyed him as he greeted and spoke to the pilot. He and his brother didn’t seem to be all that close since his dad had to talk him into going to his brother’s bachelor party. Though I had to wonder if he just felt cornered by them because they wanted something for him that he didn’t want for himself.
In a way, I thought we were similar in that way. I acted the way it was expected of me by my parents, but it wasn’t like I ever thought of going against them.
A lot of people wouldn’t believe it, but I was fine the way I was.
I was the girl who never once missed school, or tried to skip. I did my homework first thing before I got home, and unless I had a book to read or something, I was always studying. I wasn’t the top student at my school, but I was definitely at the top percentile. My parents never gave me a curfew, because when I went out with my friends, I always got myself home by five no matter what. I did chores when it was my turn to, with minor grumblings.
This didn’t change much when I went to college. I was introverted, too, so it wasn’t like I had a lot of friends to begin with, and I lost touch of a lot of them once college came up. I went to a good school not too far from home, and since I didn’t have to live at the school, I decided to continue staying at home and commute every day.
I lived very straight, and by some people’s standards, a very boring life. I was content with it. If I wanted some fun and excitement, I would find a good book, or a good show, or whatever I could read or watch online, not to mention my large music collection. I would have continued to be that way, too. If not for the piece of news that changed everything.
Jake finished talking to the pilot, and he went ahead and opened the door to the helicopter after us. Jake startled me by grabbing my hand and dragging me in behind him with a huge grin on his face.
“Come on! This is going to be fun.”
I took his word for it as I got into the helicopter. We belted in, were handed headphones, and the blades started moving. My heart was beating hard in my chest before we even got off the ground, and when I felt Jake’s hand come over mine, I clutched onto it without thinking twice.
The pilot would occasionally speak up, and after getting spooked the first time, I got used to it.
Whoever told him about this, their advice was right. Seeing the Grand Canyon from the top was the best view, and it wasn’t like that was all we did. There were stops the helicopter made, where we could get out to stretch our legs and walk around for a bit before we had to head to our next stop.
The most enjoyable part, though, wasn’t the view, but being with Jake.
He was amazing, and spending the day with him made me realize that my attraction to him before wasn’t a fluke. It was also very much reciprocated. While we were in the helicopter, he would hold onto my hand. When we stepped out of it, he either had a hand on me or an arm around me.
For someone who’d only had two relationships, where one could be counted as innocent since the farthest that one got before we broke up was a few, chaste kisses.
This obvious attraction, though, was something I’d never experienced before. I didn’t know if it was amplified because of circumstances, and because I wasn’t holding back and acting shy like I usually would, but the entire time, I felt hot.
By the end of the tour, I realized I’d spent more time thinking about Jake touching me more than the great view.
The helicopter made the last stop, back in the city. Jake and I were both quiet as we left the helicopter. I assumed there would be a car to take us back to the hotel, but it hadn't arrived yet, and we ended up standing in wait. I was suddenly very aware of Jake’s arm that was wrapped around my waist. My heart was beating fast in my chest, and my hands were fidgeting in front of me, my fingers unable to stay still.
“Klara.”
I jumped, feeling a thump in my chest. I already knew his voice was amazing, but it seemed to have gone deeper as he said my name from so close. I let out a shaky breath as my heart beat a fast beat.
“Yes?” I said, and my voice came out a shaky whisper.
The arm around my waist squeezed, and my breath stuttered. I felt some disappointment when he pulled his arm away, but then he was turning me around. He cupped my face between his hands and leaned down to kiss me.
It was nothing like the kisses I’d had before. It wasn’t soft, or romantic, or sloppy. Yet still, I had a feeling he was holding himself back. It was a hard, hot, steamy kiss, and I trembled as my arms went around his shoulders.
Klara was trembling. I’d only kissed her, and I thought she would shake apart in my arms.Damn.What happened to all those innocent intentions I had earlier? I was starting to wonder if I’d had any from the moment she fell into me at the club. Sure, I didn’t try coming onto her before, but that would’ve been in poor taste.She was, however, a beautiful woman that I was spending the day with, and it was obvious the attraction wasn’t just on my part.The first time, she didn’t seem to have any reaction, but that could have been because she was nervous for her first time on a helicopter. Every time after that, though, she’d kept blushing and fidgeting. More than once, I’d caught her staring at me when she thought I wasn’t looking.Honestly, I wasn’t going to try anything. It wasn’t the reason I asked her to go out with me to the Grand Canyon. I did want to see it, and it meant time away from my brother, which was a good thing. But seeing her sweet reactions, I couldn’t help touching her
Lucky for me, the drive was a long one because I could barely feel my legs. We rearranged ourselves after some time, though I somehow ended up sitting in Jake’s lap. He’d explained the instruction given to the driver, but I didn’t much care for the sights.Damn.By the time we made it to the hotel, my body was still singing. My thighs and hips ached, too, and I had to hold onto Jake as he got out of the car and led the way inside. It was all I could do not to walk funny because people would surely notice.Then, the other problem came.Crap.We hadn't used protection, and Jake came inside me, and I could feel it trickle down as I walked. This part of sex, was the part I didn’t like. It could be so messy when you weren’t prepared, and right then, I could only feel disgusted. Jake saw my tight expression. We were in the elevator already, and we were alone, so I was leaning against him and he had his arms tight around me.“Is there anything wrong?” he asked, frowning. “I didn’t hurt you
Something warm was pressed to my chest, and my arm was feeling numb. Those were the thoughts in my mind as I slowly woke up. I remembered yesterday, and when I opened my eyes, Klara’s face was a few centimeters from now. She was still asleep, and I drowsily stared at her for a long moment.Pretty.I pulled my arm from around her to tuck a few stray strands of her hair away from her face so I could stare at her properly.Unfortunately, I couldn’t just keep laying there, because I really needed to go to the bathroom. Klara was laying on my bicep, which was why my arm felt so numb. It was a bit of work, getting her off my arm without waking her, but I managed it and slid off the bed, rubbing my arm with a wince. It was pretty rare that I slept with the women I had sex with, and I wasn’t one for cuddling, either. Still, when I saw her frown and squirm until she was mostly lying in the place I’d just left, clutching the pillow to her face and curling up under the cover, I was tempted to ge
I was slow to wake up. I felt so warm and comfortable that I didn’t want to move. Even when my mind became conscious, I only sighed and hugged tightly at the soft thing in my arms. Then, I remembered last night and frowned.My eyes blinked open, to be met with the hotel’s pristine white pillow. Only, when I moved, there was a suspicious stain on it. I pulled back and rubbed at my chin, sighing when I realized I’d drooled.Well, that is embarrassing.“Jake?” I called out.I realized I couldn’t see him, and rolled around, but he wasn’t behind me on the bed.Could he be in the shower?I listened but couldn’t hear him there. So he was probably in the other room.With another sigh, I slipped out of bed. I was a little disappointed not to wake up with him beside him, but by the light coming into the room, it was likely no longer early in the morning. I headed for the bathroom, unconscious of my naked body. I felt an ache in my hips and between my thighs. When I looked down, I could see some
Though I’d thought of taking a bus ride home, in the end, I decided it was impossible. It would be a long trip, and while I wouldn’t mind the scenic route, I was now impatient to go back. I wanted to see my parents, have a good talk, a good cry, and go to sleep.Lucky for me, I had enough funds to purchase an airline ticket, and more money to pay back. I didn’t like taking loans. I didn’t have a formal job, though I did do some small stuff online that got me pocket money each month so I’d bother my parents less, I was hopeless with loans.I’d have to bother Mom and Dad to pay it back for me, I thought sadly.I wanted to try at least and sleep through the flight, but my emotions weren’t quite stable. I was excited, nervous, anxious, with apprehension growing in the background. I would have to face everything I’d been running from, after all. It wouldn’t be easy, and I did miss my family and friends.Did I make a mistake?I didn’t know how much time I had left. Maybe, instead of wasting
Two Years Later...A knock on the door sounded, and I looked up from the documents on top of my desk to the office door.“Come in,” I called.Mrs. Cove, a woman in her mid-forties with her brunette hair pulled back in a severe bun and dressed in a skirt suit, walked in. She was currently acting as my secretary at the company.“Sir, your meeting with the department heads is in half an hour. Should I go and make preparations now?”“What room are we meeting in?”“The third conference room on this floor, sir.”I nodded slowly. “Thank you, Mrs. Cove. And yes, please start the preparations, I’ll be done before the meeting.”“Of course, sir,” she said.With a short, bowing nod, she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her. I frowned down at the documents in front of me, wondering if I could finish this before the meeting, or if I could postpone it until afterward.I glanced at my phone beside my computer keyboard and picked it up. I unlocked the screen and paused for a second, b
“All right, that’s it for today. Don’t forget your assignments, and I’ll see you all in our next class.”After his closing statement, the lecturer picked up his stuff and left the room. Right on his heels were student leaving the lecture room, going from silent to noisy in seconds. I didn’t get up, waiting for the crush of people to leave so I could follow after. As the room slowly emptied, I stretched my arms out and allowed myself to relax.How the hell did I ever put up with this? I grumbled to myself.I didn’t miss school. In a lot of ways, college was worse than high school. The classes were less, and I got plenty of free time every day, but I also had assignments and stuff to study that filled up that free time, and the lectures were incredibly long. I just sat through a more than two-hour-long lecture, and my ass had fallen asleep, my hand was cramping from all the notes I’d written, and I still had one more class for the day.Can't I just skip? I whimpered to myself, but I kne
It was the weekend. Since I’d petty much given up my previous, carefree life, I sometimes worked on Saturdays for half the day and took Sunday off. I didn’t go into the office when there wasn’t work for me to do there, but it was a big company that was still growing, so there was still plenty of research I did during my free time into the company’s future.On one such weekend, I was sitting in my home office, working on my computer, when I got a call from Dad. I only hesitated a little before answering it. If this was before, I might have even thought of ignoring the call, but those days were over.I couldn’t say Dad and I were closer than before, but at least, we didn’t go through moments of pretending the other didn’t exist.“Hello, Dad?”“Jake,” he said, voice deep and calm. “Do you have any plans this weekend?”I stared at my computer screen. I had my browser opened and was looking through a few pages. I was only in the research stage so far, so there wasn’t any hurry.“I’m free,