Resolution Read online

  “I know Ethan, he’s a real charmer and a huge flirt. Wait, what are you saying Sarah?”

  “I’m saying I think something was going on with those two. I know attraction and flirtation when I see it.”

  “Well if it’s true then why wouldn’t she just break up with Jake and go out with Ethan?”

  “Ethan is the black sheep of the family. He partied too hard and had to go to rehab a few years back. His stint in rehab cast a really bad light on him and he burned many bridges along the way. He finally seems to have his act together but he’s still not really in the family’s good graces. He works for the company because he is a Hunter but he has no visibility with them. Although Jake does put up with him, Joshua can hardly stand to be around him. Vivienne’s family would never approve of a relationship with Ethan.”

  The idea that another man was involved gave me a lot of hope. I would have to talk with Jake about this tomorrow. Tonight I just wanted to pretend that everything was perfect and enjoy my time with everyone, and later spend some alone time with Jake.

  “We should probably get back to the table. I’m sure they’re wondering where we are.”

  When we got back to the table, our dessert had arrived and Jake and Joshua were chatting about a charity event that Hunter International was sponsoring in a few weeks.

  “We thought you ladies may have gotten lost.” I saw Joshua give Sarah a sexy smile and I could tell that he was smitten. It was nice to see him happy and at peace.

  “Oh, just girl chatter you know. Time got away from us. So Jake, when are you flying this incredible woman to New York again? I have a new friend and I would like to see her as often as possible.” Sarah was moderately teasing Jake but I could tell there was some truth in her question. She and I hit it off instantly and I was happy to hear that she considered me a new friend.

  “If it were up to me she would be moving here tomorrow. But since that can’t happen just yet, maybe she’d like to come back next weekend?” Jake looked at me, slightly begging me with his eyes.

  I giggled at his puppy dog eyes and gently touched his face. “I would love to come back next weekend.”

  Jake kissed my cheek and whispered to me. “You have just made me the happiest man in the world.”

  “Okay, it looks like it might be time to wrap up the evening. I’m sure you would like to spend some alone time with Lauren, and I know I would like to spend some time with Sarah. Shall we go?” Joshua stood to leave and we all followed.

  As we were all walking toward the lobby of the restaurant, I stopped dead in my tracks. Walking toward us were Vivienne and Ethan. She was wearing a red dress and she was definitely showing. I thought her family wanted her to be married before she started to show. How far along is this girl? I glanced at Jake and his jaw was set as fire flashed in his eyes. I thought he was going to say something to them but Sarah was the first to speak.

  “Well, well, well, what do we have here? A date? A night out on the town?” She had a snarky smirk on her face as she shot daggers at Vivienne. I didn’t know she had this kind of fire in her but I liked it!

  Vivienne looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “No…no…uh, we ran into each other at the coffee shop and Ethan offered to take a walk with me because I needed some fresh air.”

  Sarah crossed her arms and her eyes narrowed as she held Vivienne’s gaze. “Really. A pregnant woman hanging out in coffee shops by herself, at night, dressed like that? I don’t think so. Try again.”

  Ethan jumped in sounding extremely annoyed and, I noticed, a little protective. “Hey, relax! We ran into each other, that’s it.”

  “Do not speak to Sarah that way Ethan.” The menacing look on Joshua’s face was like nothing I had ever seen and as Joshua took a step toward Ethan, Sarah held his arm to prevent him from moving any closer.

  “What is really going on here Vivienne?” Jake’s eyes danced with fire as his gaze seemed to burn a hole right through her.

  “I should ask you the same thing. Did you fly your little play thing here for a quick roll in the hay while your pregnant girlfriend sits home alone? Is that any way to treat me?” She started to well up and I heard Sarah let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Oh puh-leeze! Spare us the phony tears Vivienne. You and Ethan are caught, just admit it!” Sarah really does not like this girl!

  “Vivienne, first, you are not my girlfriend. We broke up. Second, Lauren is not my play thing and I will not have you disrespect her like that!” Jake’s voice increased in crescendo with each word until his face turned red and he was nearly shaking with anger.

  Vivienne looked alarmed at his anger and stood there looking like a lost puppy. I should have felt sorry for her but all I felt was pity. She had no idea how pathetic she looked. Clearly she was trying to trap Jake and it looked as if her plan was not going to work.

  “Wait a second, wait a second. Jake, Lauren, Joshua? Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Sarah’s gaze zeroed in on Vivienne’s round belly. “I thought the word on the street was that your father wanted you to be married before you started to show? I hate to break it to you dear, but you’re showing.” Sarah sneered at Vivienne and smirked as she watched her squirm under our gazes.

  Something must have clicked in Jake’s brain because when I looked at him, he looked like a light bulb had been turned on in his head. “Vivienne? How far along are you? We have been together one time in the last six months and that was in a moment of weakness for me right before I left for the reunion.” The question was as straightforward as it could be. There was no way to mistake what he was asking.

  She stood there silent, looking panicked, her eyes to the floor.

  “I’m about six weeks along.” Even as she said the words I could tell she was lying and so could everyone else. Sarah pounced right away.

  “Sweetheart, if you’re six weeks pregnant then I’m the Queen of England.”

  Vivienne snorted and the corner of her lip curled as she replied to Sarah. “It’s nice to meet you, your highness.”

  Sarah quickly got in her face. “I would never hurt a pregnant woman, no matter what kind of witch she is, but you better wipe that smug look off of your face because the jig is up. We all know that you are more than six weeks along. Nobody’s pregnant belly is that big at six weeks. You look to be about four or five months pregnant. Who’s the real daddy Vivienne?”

  I looked at Jake and his face was beet red and veins were popped out on his neck. His booming voice caught us all off guard. “You tell me right now who the father is Vivienne or so help me I will drag you to the hospital this instant to take a test!!”

  Ethan put his arm around her to comfort her and I saw the way he looked at her and it suddenly clicked. Ethan is the father! Sarah was right about them! He spoke up because Vivienne was now trembling.

  “This is not good for the baby, for our baby. I’m sorry Jake. I didn’t want to go along with it, but I want Viv to be happy so I was willing to step aside and let you raise my child.”

  Vivienne looked at him and started crying. “I’m sorry Ethan, and I’m sorry Jake. I’m so sorry I did this to you. I’m so scared of what my dad will say when he finds out you’re the father Ethan. He’s going to disown me.”

  “You are pathetic! Even with Ethan here, right now, by your side it’s all about you. This man obviously cares for you, is protecting you and comforting you and did you hear what you just said? You’re scared of what your dad will say when he finds out Ethan is the father. Are you kidding? Do you have any idea how hurtful that must be to Ethan? Vivienne, you are one of the most selfish excuses for a human being I have ever met in my life and I cannot believe that I dated you for as long as I did. And Ethan, you were going to let another man raise your child? You two deserve each other.”

  I was stunned, ecstatic, relieved and confused all at the same time. Did this really just happen?

  We all stood there for a minute taking it all in when Joshua finally spoke. “I think we’re done here. We
should all get going. This has been one heck of an evening.”

  The four of us left Vivienne and Ethan standing in the restaurant lobby as we walked to our cars. We walked with Joshua and Sarah to their car and said goodbye. Jake and Joshua were hugging while Sarah and I said goodbye.

  “Lauren, it was so great to meet you. I have a funny feeling I am going to be seeing a lot more of you now that the lie has been exposed. I’m so happy for you two.” She reached out to hug me and whispered in my ear, “Don’t let him get away this time.”

  I looked at her and smiled. “I won’t. It was so great to meet you too Sarah. I’ll see you next weekend! We’ll have to plan some girl time while I’m here.”

  “Definitely. Take care.” She hugged Jake and then ducked into the waiting car.

  Joshua reached out to hug me. “It was so great to see you again Lauren. My brother hasn’t been this happy since college. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of you, starting with next weekend. You take care.” Their driver closed the door and they took off.

  CHAPTER 5

  Jake and I, followed by his security, strolled to our car and I noticed that he was very quiet.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I think I’m in shock. I can’t believe she was going to try to go through with this sham, that she would do this to me. I am just so grateful that the truth came out.”

  “Didn’t you ever ask her how far along she is?”

  “No, and it was for a stupid reason. I was avoiding reality and as long as I didn’t know, I tried to trick myself into believing it wasn’t real. “

  “Well, it’s not real. At least not for you.”

  Jake looked at me and smiled. “I’m so happy right now.”

  We got into the car and went back to his place. Once we were inside I took my shoes off and sat on the couch and rubbed my feet. Jake ducked into the bedroom for a second and was back in a flash.

  “Hey Lauren, can you do me a favor and close the blinds to the balcony?”

  I got up and pressed the button that closed his electronic blinds and when I turned around Jake was right there, his eyes filled with tears.

  “Thank you for not giving up on us and thank you for being patient about the whole Vivienne thing. I love you so much and I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you a second time.”

  He then got down on one knee and my heart almost leaped out of my chest. “What are you doing Jake?”

  “I have been waiting 10 years to give this to you. I love you more than I ever thought was possible to love another human being. You are my best friend, the person I think about first thing when I wake up and the person I think about last thing before I go to bed. I want to build a life with you, have a home with you, raise a family with you and grow old with you. Lauren Harper, will you marry me?” He opened a little black box and a gorgeous diamond ring sparkled up at me.

  Tears were flowing down my cheeks as I watched the man that I loved so much finally ask me the words I had wanted to hear for so long.

  “Yes, Jake Hunter. I will marry you.”

  He slipped the ring on my finger and gathered me in his arms as his eyes searched mine. “I love you.”

  “I love you too. You said you’ve been waiting to give this to me for 10 years? It’s absolutely beautiful.”

  “This is the ring I bought for you when I was going to propose after graduation.”

  “Jake, I had no idea. You still kept it after all this time. I am so sorry for what I put you through.” I hung my head feeling awful.

  Jake gently lifted my chin and our eyes met. “That is all in the past. We’re only moving forward from this point on, okay?”

  I managed a smile and agreed with him.

  “I say we have a short engagement. We’ve already lost 10 years, let’s not waste anymore time.” I could tell by his voice how happy he was.

  “How soon are you thinking?”

  “A few months, four at the most. I will get the best wedding planner for you so that you can have the kind of wedding you want. I will hire whatever top designer you want to do nothing but make your wedding dress so that it will be ready in a short amount of time. It can all be done quickly, you’ll see.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  Jake leaned in to kiss me and as his lips touched mine I ran my fingers through his hair and pressed my body against his. He pressed me against the wall and I could feel his hardened length pressed against me. His hands wandered down to my shoulders and slipped the straps of my dress off of me as he bent down to press his soft lips to my bare skin. I rolled my head to the side to give him better access to my sensitive neck. His lips slid across my skin and his tongue flicked my earlobe. I moaned softly as I pressed against him wanting to be closer as I felt the heat rising between my legs. He slipped my dress all the way off of me and I stepped out it as it pooled to the floor around my feet. I heard a sharp intake of breath as Jake’s eyes crawled my body. “You’re so sexy Lauren.” He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around him as he carried me to the bedroom. He put me down and he reached around me to unhook my bra and slid it off of me. His fingertips grazed my skin and I shivered at his touch. His hands then moved down to my hips and his fingers hooked under the band of my panties and pulled those down. I stepped out of them and felt completely comfortable standing naked in front of him.

  I reached out and unbuttoned his shirt and he shrugged out of it revealing his chiseled chest and arms. I ran my hands slowly down his taut chest and unbuckled and then unzipped his pants. He stepped out of them and his member strained against his boxer briefs as I gently ran my hand over the bulge and looked up at him. “Do you want me to kiss it?” My question was filled with lust as Jake’s breathing became more ragged. He nodded and I slipped my hand inside his briefs and stroked his thick cock. “Let’s get rid of these.” I wasted no time dropping to my knees to pull off Jake’s briefs and then I wrapped both hands around the hard length of his member. I leaned forward and flicked the tip before slowly licking from the base up to the ridge where the tip met the shaft. I rolled my tongue along the base again before sucking him into my mouth and I heard a soft groan from above. Jake’s breaths were coming in pants as I bobbed my head up and down around his stiff member and removed my hands to take him in deeper. I grabbed his butt cheeks and took him deep as his thrusts kept time with my movements. The tip of his dick touched the back of my throat and I heard a sharp intake of breath as his fingers dug into my skull and his body started to tense up. I pulled away because I didn’t want him to come yet.

  Jake pulled me up off of the floor and laid me down on the bed. He went to his bedside table and pulled some goodies out of the drawer. His eyes smoldered as he held my gaze. “We’re going to turn things up a notch tonight. Are you ready for that?”

  “Yes.” I could barely get the word out.

  “Lie on your back and spread your arms out.”

  I did as he said and he came around on both sides of me and tied a scarf around the mattress frame up to my wrists so I could not move my arms. He then tied a blindfold around my eyes.

  “Open your legs wide to me.”

  I did as I was told.

  I felt his hands caress my face and he put a finger into my mouth and I swirled my tongue around it, sucking gently before he moved down the rest of my body. He slowly circled my nipples with his fingers and I let out a soft moan as I began to writhe around on the bed. I was already close to orgasm because I had been on fire for him since the previous night. I felt him capture one of my nipples with his mouth and his teeth nibbled softly, his tongue licking the hardened nub while his hand kneaded the soft flesh of my other breast. He started kissing his way down my body, stopping to lick my belly button and then I felt his glorious tongue between my legs. The insides of my thighs were wet with my own juices and I was aching to feel him inside me. His tongue gently licked in between my sensitive folds, first up one side and then the other. He stopped to lick my hardened clit, softly at first
and then with more pressure and speed. He flattened his tongue and as he licked my bud, I felt him slide a finger inside me. I moaned loudly, as my hips jerked, breathy pants escaping my lips. He began to move his finger in and out of me and then he slid another finger inside me. The knobbiness of the two fingers created the sensation of thick presence inside me and Jake twisted his fingers back and forth creating a delicious friction. His tongue which was licking my hardened bud with a good amount of pressure coupled with the fingers thrusting and moving inside me caused me to explode. My orgasm shot to the surface and I cried out as my body thrashed around on the bed like a wild woman. My hands were restrained by the ties and I twisted and bucked around and then my body shuddered and I collapsed back onto the bed, panting.

  I felt Jake get off of the bed and I heard him open the condom wrapper. Still tied up and blindfolded he pulled me down so that my butt was near the edge of the bed. It felt like he was standing at the edge of the bed.

  “Open your legs.” His voice was deep and gravelly.

  I opened my legs and I felt him put his hands on my hips and lift me up a bit then I felt the tip of his cock press inside me. He let out a grunt as my wetness allowed him to easily sink deep inside me. He began thrusting, slowly at first and then they were fast, hard, deep thrusts. I wrapped my legs around him pulling him deeper and he began hammering me into the bed. My body jerked backward onto the bed with each thrust and my wrists twisted and strained to be free of the ties. With one final thrust Jake let out a guttural cry as his body tensed up and then shuddered violently before he collapsed on top of me. He kissed me all over my face and then one final kiss on the lips before rolling off of me.

  We both lay there panting for a minute and then he got up and untied my hands and took off the blindfold. His eyes were filled with lust as they searched mine.