Jealousy
Disclaimer: As always, I don't own the characters in this story. They're the property of John Le Carre.
Once everyone cleared out of their room, Roper entered the bathroom and stood in the doorway, sipping his champagne.
"What in bloody hell were you thinking?" he demanded. His eyes were dark; his voice low and threatening.
Jed looked at him in surprise. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't be coy with me, Jed darling. Why didn't you just invite Pine to join you in the bath? You behaved like a common whore!"
She was speechless. He was incredibly angry, and it was directed solely at her.
"Do you like him?" he asked, his voice even softer.
"I don't even know him, Roper!"
"Do you find him attractive?"
"This is crazy…"
He tossed his champagne flute across the room where it hit the wall and shattered, causing her to jump.
"Well maybe you can explain why you found it acceptable to strip off your clothes in plain sight of him and everyone!"
"I'm not putting up with this," she said and stood up, grabbing her towel. Roper crossed the room and helped her out of the bath. Then he roughly took her chin in his hand, staring deep into her eyes.
"You will never behave like that again, Jed. Do you understand?"
"You don't own me, Roper."
"The hell I don't. You want to go back to New York, making next to nothing at the auction house? You wanted me to take you away from that and I did. I gave you everything your heart desired. I can take it all away just as easily. You'd be smart to remember that."
She turned away from him but he spun her around to face him. "Don't ever turn your back on me." His eyes were still dark and his voice was deep and menacing. It was truly frightening.
"I'm sorry," she said quickly, her voice shaking. This was a side of Roper she'd never seen, and it wasn't something she wanted to see again anytime soon.
"Are you?" he asked, looking curious.
"Yes, of course. I didn't think anything of it when I did it. You know how champagne goes to my head. I saw the tub and I felt like having a bath. That's it. How was I supposed to know he would be staring at me? The guy probably hasn't had a woman in years."
"That's beside the point. I'm the only one who gets to see you like that. Is that clear?"
"Crystal," she said, her voice still shaking, even though she tried her best to remain calm.
"Now, we should get out of here before you step on glass and slice your foot open," he said as he took her hand and led her out of the room.
She reached for a towel but Roper took it from her and tossed it aside. "You won't be needing this," he said as he roughly shoved her onto the bed. "You're going to show me how sorry you really are."
"What...what do you want?" she stammered.
"You can start by putting that pretty mouth to good use…" he said as he started stripping down. "That's seemingly all it's good for. Now, on your knees like a good girl."
When she knelt down in front of him and took him into her mouth, Roper groaned and grabbed a handful of her soft blonde hair. He instantly began thrusting, forcing himself further down her throat until she practically gagged.
Jed gasped when he quickly released her and spun her around so she faced away from him. She braced her hands on the bed when he took her from behind and carried on with the same intensity.
"That's a good girl…" he grunted as he nipped at the back of her neck. His thrusts pushed her against the mattress. When he came, he growled and collapsed on top of her, staying there for a few moments until she shoved him off and got up. Grabbing a white fluffy robe, she threw it on and headed for the door.
"Now where are you going?" he demanded as he watched her from the bed.
"To cool off!" she snapped and left, slamming the door behind her.
Roper groaned and grabbed his own robe. Reaching for the champagne, he poured himself more. Then he picked up the phone and called for someone to come and clean up the broken glass.
After a long and leisurely swim, Jed felt better but she was still mad at Roper. What was his problem anyway? He even baited Pine a few times. He knew Pine looked at her and it probably turned him on.
It wasn't lost on her that Pine was standing in the pool area watching her as he brought a stack of fresh towels. As she swam lengths in the nude, she pretended not to notice.
Jonathan Pine was a very attractive man. He was tall, lean and younger than Roper by at least twenty years, not that age mattered.
He was gone when she climbed out of the pool, dried off and put her robe back on. She didn't want to return to the room she shared with Roper, but she had to sleep somewhere. It occurred to her that she could probably get a room for herself so she approached the desk.
"Do you have any vacancies?"
Pine glanced up at her in confusion. "For yourself, Madam?"
"Yes."
He tapped a few keys and smiled regretfully at her. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid we're completely booked."
Jed shrugged casually and turned away. "Thanks anyway."
"Is everything alright?" Pine called after her.
"Everything's fine," she said with another shrug and went back upstairs. Pine wondered what that was all about but didn't have time to give it much thought as Roper's two bodyguards approached the desk and asked if the bar was still open.
Jed knocked softly on the door and Roper answered, wearing a purple and blue flowered robe as he stepped aside to let her in. Once it closed, he drew her into his arms. "Jed, darling. Forgive me."
She allowed him to wrap his arms around her, and she had to admit it felt good to be held like that. For all his faults, Richard Roper knew exactly what she needed before she did.
"I've behaved terribly and I hurt you in the process. I'm so sorry," he whispered in her ear as he stroked her back and kissed her cheek. When he pulled back, he smiled that slow, sexy grin she fell in love with the first day they met, and all was forgiven. However he wasn't getting off that easily. Jed Marshall was nobody's doormat.
"You should be. How could you even say those things? And about a complete stranger, Roper?"
He nodded and lowered his head. "Jealousy reared its ugly head, I suppose. Sometimes I can't help myself. I didn't like the way he looked at you. Instead of kicking his bony ass out, I took my anger out on the one person who means the most to me. And for that, I'm truly sorry."
Jed knew he was sincere and the remnants of her anger were completely obliterated when he kissed her. His soft lips brushed against hers and she could taste the champagne on his tongue as it mingled with hers.
"Am I forgiven?" he asked between kisses as he untied the knot securing her robe and let it fall open so he could slip his warm hands around her slim waist.
"Hmmm...not yet," she smiled against his lips.
"How can I make it up to you, Jed, darling? I'll do anything you ask."
"Imagine the possibilities," she said as she let him guide her to the bed.
"Let me make love to you," he whispered as he lowered her down onto the bed and stretched out next to her.
"That's a start." This should be interesting, she thought as he proceeded to do just that.
He started with gentle touches, and kisses all over her face, neck and shoulders. She'd never known him to be gentle in bed, so she was looking forward to it.
Roper lavished her with deep kisses and gentle caresses as he explored her body with his warm hands and his long fingers. As she closed her eyes and gave into it, she never realized it could feel so good.
This is what I wanted all along, she thought to herself as Roper's kisses and touches moved down her body. She reached down and pulled his robe open and he quickly disposed of it along with hers. Kissing a trail down her flat stomach, his warm tongue circled her navel and she gasped.
His fingers slid over the neat landing strip of light brown hair at the apex of her thighs and she instinctively spread her legs to give him access. He kissed a trail across her hips and continued downward until his head was between her legs and his fingers spread her apart. His tongue lapped and swirled over her as she squirmed underneath him and gripped the sheets.
"Roperrrrr," she moaned as he continued to pleasure her with his very skilled tongue. "That feels so good...oh God…."
He could tell she was getting close as her muscles tensed up before her release came. Instinct made him want to completely possess her, do whatever he wanted to her, and he knew she'd let him. But she deserved more than that, and he was determined to give it to her. He drank of her until she went completely limp, breathing heavily as that first orgasm flooded through her veins.
Then he worked at kissing his way back up her long, lean body. He stopped here and there to kiss or nibble certain spots which gave her the most pleasure and she knew another climax was near. He planned to draw it out as long as possible. He buried his face between the valley of her breasts as she arched her back and gasped.
"Make...love to me. I want to feel you…" she whispered as he kissed the base of her throat and his warm hands continued to caress her breasts.
"Jed, darling," he whispered back as he slid into her warmth and stayed there for a few moments relishing the sensations. At first he moved slowly, savoring each as he pulled all the way out and then slid back in.
Her arms wrapped around his neck and she buried her hands in his hair as she moved with him. Her foot slid up his calf and hooked around his waist as he began to pick up speed.
"Yessss…." she hissed.
His mouth crashed on hers and forced her lips to part as he returned to long, slow thrusts, drawing out her release as long as possible.
"Take me. H-harder…." she begged as she arched her back and pushed against him. Roper smiled against her lips and did as she asked. He grabbed the leg wrapped around him and raised it up so he could get even deeper, hitting the one spot that brought her final, intense release.
"Yes! Oh God, yes!" she cried out.
Roper felt her inner walls flutter around him and then a warm flood of her juices as she came. That sent him over the edge with her. He thrust into her a few more times to prolong their orgasms before he collapsed against her and buried his face in her neck.
It felt like hours, but in reality, only a few minutes before Roper finally moved and rolled off of her. He draped his arm across her stomach and smiled at her in the dark.
"Now am I forgiven, darling?"
"Yes," she chuckled. "Just promise me one thing."
"Anything."
"Don't go crazy with jealousy again. You have no need to be. I'm here with you. I don't need or want anyone else."
"I'll try. But it won't be easy. If you weren't so damn beautiful, men wouldn't look at you the way they do."
"It's one thing to be jealous, it's quite another to take it out on me."
Roper closed his eyes and nodded. "Yes, you're right. I'll never do that again."
"I'm going to hold you to that." Jed leaned over, kissed Roper goodnight and they both fell into a peaceful sleep.
To be continued...