Absolutely Unforgivable (2 page)

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to …” I started to say but trailed off. His grey shirt molded to every muscle he had and while standing there in front of him, so intimately close, my stomach did a slow tumble. He looked gorgeous.

I hurried back behind the bar and did my best the rest of the night to avoid looking at him. At last call I had no choice however. I had to go up to him and ask if he wanted one more. It was my job.

Jeromy had a long-necked bottle of beer dangling between his fingers, his other hand resting limply on his rock hard abdomen. “One more?” I asked him, while trying to avoid looking directly into his beautiful emerald eyes, and keeping my hands busy cleaning up behind the bar. “It’s last call”, I said as I tilted my head up towards him. He shook his head no.

After work I found him leaning against my car. He had parked next to me again. He had a sly grin on his face. “I like your hair better like that.”

I instinctively reached up and felt my hair. “What do you mean?”

I had asked the question but I already knew the answer. It meant that he had realized I put my hair down after he got there. I hope he didn’t think it was for him. Red filled my cheeks as I blushed with embarrassment.

“I just meant that I like your hair down like this. You have very pretty hair. You should wear it like this more often,” he said as he reached up to touch it. The way his eyes locked onto me, he looked as if he was studying me with deep interest.

“No girl falling over you, to give you her number tonight?” I asked sarcastically as I rolled my eyes at the thought.

“No, there’s really only one phone number I want. But I’m not quite sure she’s so willing to give it.”

“Why’s that?” I asked playfully, as I stepped closer to him.

He grabbed my hand and gently pulled me in to him. I was now standing between his legs with his hands resting on my hips. He was really tall, even leaning back against the car he still towered over me.

“Because she doesn’t seem to be the slightest bit interested in me,” he said, his tone low and almost in rapture.

“Maybe. You know Jeromy not all girls fall for tall, dark and handsome.”

His emerald eyes swept over me, making my body throb everywhere his gaze touched. “You know, my dear, you can’t always judge a book by its cover,” he said matching my playful but low tone.

“True, but I’ve found covers are often times rather revealing about the story inside.”

Jeromy inclined his head in acknowledgment. “Sometimes, perhaps. But not always. And if you don’t give the book a good read, you never know what great story you might have passed up, just because you didn’t like the cover.”

His lips tilted in a diabolical smile. He was good. So charming, seeming to know the perfect thing to say to get to me.

His eyes were lingering on my lips as he brushed the hair out of my face. I felt my stomach start to fill with butterflies and my head began to tingle. In my mind I just kept thinking, don’t let me go, don’t let me go. I licked my lower lip and made my interest known with a heated glance.

But I knew this wasn’t right. He was far too good looking for me. This guy was trouble. Trouble I didn’t need in my life right now. So as he leaned in to kiss me, I pulled back.

“I need to get home. It’s late,” I said as I walked around to the front of my car, stumbling to get my key in the door while doing my best not to look at him, in fear that I would lose my nerve and run into his arms.

As I drove off I glanced in my rear view mirror. He was still standing there, watching me drive away. His confidence made it hard to resist him, but I’m glad I did. I didn’t want to be just another notch on his belt, even if it was a belt that wrapped around one hell of a sexy waist. I had seen it far too many times in the bar and I didn’t want to be that kind of girl. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a prude but I’m also not a tramp. Maybe I was a little too reserved, but better that than the alternative.

The next day Jeromy made his way back to the bar. Only today I wasn’t working. I had come to pick up my check and sat down to have a drink while I waited for the manager to get it for me.

Jeromy sat down next to me. I didn’t look over to him, but I knew it was Jeromy because behind the bar with a big mirror that allowed me to see him clearly without having to actually look his way. “You know, I’m not going away.”

I replied without glancing over at him, “I figured as much.”

We sat there in silence for a few moments drinking our beers. Then on the jukebox someone had started playing the Rick Springfield song
Jessie’s Girl
. Through the mirror behind the bar I could see a big grin come across his face.

I swerved my chair so that my body was facing him. “What’s so funny?”

“Oh it’s nothing. It’s just this song made me think of an old friend. He’s in a band called Jessie’s Girl.”

“Jessie’s Girl? That’s a weird name for a band.”

“Yeah, I guess it is,” he said as he sort of chuckled to himself. He seemed almost lost in thought.

Now he had me curious. “Why did they name themselves that?”

“You know, I asked him that very thing once. He said it was meant to serve as a reminder that we always wanted what we couldn’t have but in the end it only caused pain and heartache and no bitch was worth that.”

I rolled my eyes at him and swiveled back in my chair facing the bar again. Eventually my manager walked up and handed me an envelope with my check inside. I opened it and sighed in disappointment.

“That bad huh?”

“Yeah,” I said quietly. And it really was. While I did make most of my money on tips, I at least looked forward to the $100 or so a week I got in my base wages. This week however my check was quite a bit smaller. I had taken a day off recently; only worked half a shift on another day and that really hurt.

Jeromy turned in his chair to face me. “Well let me take you to dinner to cheer you up.” He stood up and started pulling my arm to get me off of my bar stool. “Come on, I won’t take no for an answer. You owe me at least that, since you didn’t call me, after all.”

He was right, he was helpful that first night I met him I probably did owe him at least a dinner; so I begrudgingly agreed to go with him. Jeromy looked incredibly edible tonight, but then again when didn’t he? His looks really had a way of making me lose my good senses. Dinner was probably such a bad idea, but I guess it’s too late now, I already agreed to go.

“If it would make you feel better, you can drive your car and follow me to the restaurant.”

“No, don’t be silly. I’ll go with you in that monster you call a car.”

“Hey! Don’t hate on the car. I love that thing.”

His car was really a white, H2 Hummer, with dark tinted windows and tires that were almost as tall as me. I did my best to crawl into the passenger side gracefully. But it wasn’t an easy task.

Jeromy took us to a nearby Mexican restaurant that he had recently found. He said they had great fajitas. We ordered margaritas with our dinner and that was probably a mistake. One turned to two and two to three and three to seven. By now I was feeling no pain.

“So do you live nearby?”
Oh my God, why did I just ask him that?
I hope he didn’t think I was hinting to go back to his place.
What is wrong with me?

“Yes, I’m at the Radisson around the corner.”

“The Radisson? That’s a hotel. Are you not staying long?”

“Another year or so,” he said with his head tilted slightly, wondering perhaps where my line of questioning was headed.

“That’s a long time to live in a hotel. Who lives in a hotel for that long?” I blurted out, while quickly realizing I probably shouldn’t have drank so much, at least not if I wanted the thoughts in my head not to come flying out of my mouth.

“No, no you don’t understand. It’s not just some cramped hotel room. It’s like a little apartment, with a kitchen, living room and two separate bedrooms, one of which I use for my office.”

“A hotel room with a kitchen?” I had a hard time imagining what it could have looked like in my head, probably in large part to the margaritas. “I want to see it!”

“Sure, okay. I guess that would be okay.” He said as if he was almost hesitant about taking me back to his place.

After dinner we made our way to his hotel. When I entered the room I saw what he had meant. It really was like an apartment, but it wasn’t little by any means. I had lived in little apartments and this was anything but that. The hotel room opened up into a spacious living room, and a half wall at the other end of the room, separated the living room from the kitchen. On each side of the living room was a bedroom, each with its own private bathroom.

First he showed me his office and then we made our way to his bedroom. I looked at the king size bed and winced at the thought of how many women he has been with in that very room. I started to walk back into the living room but then he said something that stopped me dead in my tracks.

“You know, you are the first girl I’ve brought back to my room before.” I turned my head to look at him. Surely he wasn’t serious. He looked over at me with an innocent look on his face.

“What do you mean? How is that possible? I see how girls fall over themselves to even get the opportunity to sit next to you.”

“Oh I’m not saying I’ve never been with a woman before. I just don’t bring them home with me. I just …” he paused as if to give thought to what he was about to say, “I don’t like to shit where I eat.” He had a devilish grin on his face as the words left his mouth.

I rolled my eyes and walked back into the living room. My gaze shot back to his eyes as I took my seat at the wide bar that separates the living room from the kitchen area and saw he was watching me watch him, yet allowing the perusal.

“Have you seen enough?” he said with a half-smile. “Or did you come hoping for me?” I stammered, my mouth unable to form a reply.

His white polo shirt hugged his broad shoulders, so stark and sexy set against his olive skin. Maybe I had come for more.
What was I doing?
I should leave now before I do or say something I regret. I started to stand up and grab my purse but he stopped me. His wide smile fell just slightly. “No please, I was just joking.”

His hands cupped my cheeks as he softly said “Please stay.” The tender, encompassing nature of the embrace made me want to give him whatever he wanted. His lips brushed mine but he didn’t kiss me, at least not yet. Instead he lingered there for just a moment, drawing out the anticipation of our first kiss.

He was surprisingly tender, gazing down at me, his green eyes were soft and seductive. He was a great kisser and I melted in his strong arms as he lifted me up and carried me to the bedroom while my hands twisted in his thick dark hair. His body was heavy on top of mine, but in spite of the urgency of his passion, he was gentle with me.

◊

I had never been a late sleeper and woke up with the sunrise the next morning. I propped myself up on one elbow and spent several minutes enjoying the novelty of watching Jeromy sleep. Then with a gentle grunt, he rolled over and crawled out of bed, almost as if he had forgotten I was there. I sat up and pulled the sheets up to cover my still naked body, but he was not so modest.

He stood there in front of me, partly stretching with one arm in the air and the other scratching his stomach. “Hey you,” he murmured and then gave me a wide smile. It was that smile, more than anything that melted my heart.

Jeromy crawled back in bed to be next to me. “What are you trying to hide? Is there any part I haven’t already seen?” He said with a devilish grin on his face. I didn’t answer. I just pulled the sheet tighter over my body as red rushed to my cheeks. Jeromy titled his head a bit and eyed me curiously. “Are you really not going to let me see?”

I started to protest and say “Of course not!” but he started kissing my neck and before I knew it, the sheet had given way. Jeromy was passionate and full of life and he had a way about him that got me caught up in his delight.

We spent the rest of the day in bed and most of the next two days as well, only venturing out when we absolutely had to, like to get subsistence. Jeromy didn’t keep his hotel kitchen stocked with much of anything.

Our second date I was sure wasn’t going to happen. I figured after I slept with Jeromy on the first date he would have blown me off, but I was wrong. The next day I had to work, I went back to the locker room to store my purse and throw my hair up in a ponytail. My eyes widened as I entered the room. It was full of roses of all shades, varying from the softest pink to the deepest crimson. The smothering flowery scent overwhelmed me. In one of the bouquet of roses I found a note that read “Thinking of you.” Jeromy, it turned out was a bit of a romantic.

I had to work until the bar closed that night but after work he took me to eat breakfast. We stayed up the rest of the night talking, getting to know each other better. For our third date Jeromy took me back to his place where he had cooked a wonderfully delicious meal for me.

The more time I spent with Jeromy, the more I wanted to be with him. His kisses took my breath away and his smile made my heart skip a beat. He had this charming way of making you feel like you were the only person in the room. I don’t think he was even aware he was being so charming. He was just being himself and the charm came naturally.