Games with James Contest
'Who Dares, Wins'
3,533 words
M
Rosalie and James
A one-night encounter with a charming man. But when it doesn't work out the way Rose expects, she isn't going to let him have the last laugh.
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns it all and I own only the key to the door.
The key was under the flowerpot at the front door, just as the man on the phone had said. Swinging the door open, my two boys raced past me to explore our holiday house, squealing excitedly as they went. Following just after them came my sister Alice, laden with bags and coats. Swiftly dropping them into a pile in the hallway, we started a tour of the house.
Booking a week in a holiday house with my sister in tow was a welcome break after becoming a single parent to Cameron and Edward. She was planning on spoiling them for a week and they were planning on lapping it up all too willingly. I was just looking forward to sharing the childcare responsibilities for a while and having the chance to talk about something more grown-up than Lego's and sandcastles.
As we wandered through the house I was satisfied that the description had been pretty much spot-on. A large well-equipped kitchen, small laundry room and living room furnished with the necessary DVD player and random board games made up the downstairs. Upstairs there were the bedrooms and a family bathroom. The boys were dashing about deciding which room to claim when I spotted a door with a key in the lock. Without hesitating, I turned the key and opened the door. It swung open smoothly and I took a step forward before thinking. It was only when I caught a movement in the corner of my eye that I stopped dead in my tracks.
There was a man, standing with only a towel around his waist, his curly blond hair dripping slightly. He turned to me with an amused smile.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," I stammered. I realized all too late that I had unwittingly just entered someone else's house through a connecting door, no doubt a remnant of the days when it was one large house.
The man laughed quietly and stepped towards me. "Don't worry. It's an easy mistake to make. And it is my fault. I shouldn't have left the key in the door."
I cleared my throat and reached out my hand to shake his extended one. I tried really, really hard not to stare at his muscular chest.
"I'm James," he announced. "And you are Rosalie?"
I nodded in agreement. His voice was familiar for a reason: he was the one who had told me where to find the key.
"You live here?" I asked him, trying not to stare into his baby blues.
"Well, I own the two houses, but I actually live in Seattle. I usually just come here for the weekend but I had some free time this week so I thought I would spend it here."
"Right. Well, we'll try to keep the noise down," I assured him as I backed away. The sight of a nearly naked man was doing funny things to me. I hadn't been near another man since Emmett and I split and certainly not one wrapped in a small towel and flexing his pecs at me.
"No worries, I'll see you all soon," he said to me, making sure I saw him look me up and down before I stepped back through the door and locked it again. A few hours later, after the boys were fast asleep and Alice and I had polished off a bottle of wine, I found myself thinking of James' charming smile and sparkling blue eyes as I brought my hand up under my nightshirt and found my nipples hard and sensitive.
We quickly settled into a holiday routine, going to the beach if it was sunny, taking a trip to a nearby tourist attraction if it wasn't. James often passed us as we piled in the car or walked back from an afternoon running on the beach and eating ice cream. He always smiled and asked if we were enjoying ourselves. Once he winked at me and I found myself grinning at him in return. Alice was quick to notice and give me a dig in the ribs.
"He is so giving you the eye!" she laughed. "He likes you!"
"So? What am I going to do, have a one-night stand with him?" I retorted.
"Well, why not? You are two consenting adults and let's face it, you need to get laid," she replied. Her words gave me plenty to think about that night as I let my hands wander over my breasts and down between my legs. No man had caught my interest since I had shown Emmett the door and no man was worth the risk of permeating the carefully constructed shield I had built around myself. I wanted things on my terms or not at all.
On our last full day, Alice announced she was taking the boys out by herself and that I should relax and enjoy the peace and quiet. I didn't need to be told twice so, after spending the morning strolling around the picturesque village and treating myself to lunch, I returned to the house. The sun was out so I changed into my bikini and took a towel and book into the yard to sunbathe.
My book was a pleasant distraction for a while, until the sun made me lazy enough to close my eyes and drift into a daydreamy sleep. It wasn't until I heard someone clear his throat that I opened my eyes and sat up with a start. James was standing in front of me, a glass of temptingly chilled white wine in his hand. He offered it to me, a cocky half smile on his face. He made sure to rake his eyes all over my body as I took the glass from him. I reacted the way any woman would: I pulled in my stomach muscles and pushed out my chest.
"Um, thanks," I said to him. "An unexpected treat."
"Well, in this sunshine and no children to look after...I'm sure you deserve all the treats you can get," he replied.
There was a hint of lasciviousness as he held my gaze longer than necessary. Flirtation was rolling off him in waves. But the inner me wasn't sure what to do about that. The Rose of younger, carefree days would have reveled in it. Older, fingers-burnt-by-fire-Rose wasn't so cavalier.
He turned swiftly before I could think of anything else to say and strolled over to the gorgeous beds of roses situated close to his house. He filled a watering can and began to water the roses, which bloomed in a profusion of myriad beautiful colors. As he walked further up to where I was sitting he suddenly stopped and pulled off his t-shirt before picking up the can and continuing.
Internally I shook my head at his obvious tactics to keep me watching him. Yet I couldn't find it in myself to stop observing the flexing muscles in his back and the well-defined lines of his arms. I sipped my wine and admired the view.
All too soon I heard Alice's car draw up outside. The voices of my overexcited boys were shattering the peace of the tranquil afternoon. Suddenly, James was kneeling beside me, on the pretense of collecting my empty glass. I stared into his eyes as his gaze bored into mine.
"It was nice spending time with you, Rosalie," he said, with a playful smirk.
"You know, if you wanted to spend some more time together...," he whispered.
"What?" I whispered back, urging him to lay his cards on the table.
"Just turn the key...I'll be waiting," he said, his lips curled in a smile which seemed half inviting and half predatory.
He stalked off and I shivered in spite of the sunshine.
The boys were eager to tell me all about their day with Aunt Alice and Alice herself seemed to have a huge grin on her face.
"What's with you?" I asked her, as the boys ran up to their room. "Shouldn't you have a splitting headache and be absolving yourself of all auntie duties for the next six months?"
"Normally, yes, but not in this case," she giggled. "I met someone and he asked for my number. And he is going to call me, I just know it!"
Alice started to give me a brief rundown of meeting this wonderful man at the Sea-life Center. He was vacationing with his nephew, but she was delighted to discover they lived not too far from each other. He was so handsome, so funny, so charming; the list went on and on. I should have been happy for her, and I was. It was just a bit galling to think that she had bumped into her perfect man while I was languishing in a pit of flirting confusion. Suddenly James' offer seemed a whole lot more tempting. If decisive action was called for, maybe I needed to take it. No more cautious Rose, scared of being hurt, scared of letting her guard down. One night of fun might be the exact cure for my sexual purgatory.
The evening passed slowly. Every clock in the house ticked extra loudly, mocking me for checking the time every ten minutes. Once the boys had fallen asleep I poured large gin and tonics for Alice and myself and we settled in front of a movie. The plot may have been good but I felt too distracted to concentrate and Alice was too busy exchanging texts with her new perfect man, Jasper. It was with some relief that once the movie ended we meandered upstairs and said goodnight to each other.
I read for an hour. Or rather, I tried to read for an hour. I found myself reading the same lines over and over again. But my mind was on other things; mainly, being undressed by James. Eventually I closed my book and tiptoed to the door of my room. The moonlight spilling through the window on the stairs made me feel like a midnight thief as I silently padded across the hallway to the door with the key. It turned smoothly with the gentle twist I gave it and the door clicked open. I stepped inside and pushed the door quietly shut behind me.
Last time I had been here I had been greeted by James standing in his hallway, straight out of the shower. This time I was greeted with a selection of doors and no idea which one to approach. I was trying to decide when a figure appeared in a doorway, and then paused.
"Well, fancy meeting you here," James' voice drawled at me. The effect of his deep gravelly voice in the darkness sent a volt of excitement through me. I moved toward him, hearing my heart pounding with unbelievable force in my chest. He slipped his arm around me and pulled me inside his room. I gasped with the strength of his pull and the spicy, clean scent of him.
James pinned me to a wall and leaned in to kiss me. His kiss was deep and searching, as if he was hungry and ready to devour me. My body pushed itself to him, my back arching against the wall. His hands were soon on me and touching me everywhere. My cotton nightdress was riding up with the trail of his hands and he suddenly grabbed the hem of it and lifted it over my head. Then his hands were on my skin and I let out a low moan as the sensation of his fingers brushing and smoothing over my body hit me. He bent his head to kiss my nipples as his hands caressed my breasts and I was practically seeing stars.
He curved his hands around my ass and yanked me to him. I could feel his erection straining and I let my hand brush the top of it, just to hear a growl from deep inside him. He sucked on my neck as he let his hands travel to the front of me and made a slow pass over my center, brushing his fingers gently over my lips; it was my turn to moan from deep inside. My breathing sped up as he rhythmically rubbed his fingers against and in me, setting up a tempo that had me clutching at his shoulders as I felt my balance waver and topple from beneath me. Any doubts about taking this leap of faith were obliterated as I felt myself clenching around him and free-falling into a blissful release.
He chuckled as my legs wobbled with the intensity of it and led me to the bed. I lay back, waves of pleasure still washing over me. I heard the rip of foil and then James was running his tongue over my nipple until I gasped and felt my hips lift and tilt.
"Good girl," he said, and pushed himself into me. There was stretch and fullness and surprise as my body altered itself to accommodate him. I shifted under him, feeling the weight of him and the pressure I had not felt in such a long time. Then he moved and it took my breath away again. It was desire and familiarity and loneliness rolled into one.
As he moved, finding a rhythm which would give him his own release, I marveled at the dance we had created; that two people could give themselves over to the moment and cast aside all other things. He moved and moved and before long he groaned and stilled, the room suddenly silent. We lay tangled together, breathless and sated.
We dozed for a while, James' hand casually placed on my stomach. But I needed to return so I pulled my nightshirt over my head and leaned down to kiss him goodbye. As I turned away he swatted my ass playfully and I giggled. Returning through the door and tiptoeing quietly to my room I felt every inch the naughty schoolgirl who had crept out for an illicit encounter. I slept as soon as my head hit the pillow.
The next morning found us up early. We had to pack and vacate by nine-thirty and I didn't have a moment to hint to Alice about why I had such a large grin on my face. My body felt deliciously loose limbed and alive after our activity and I felt a bit giggly every time I thought about James' hands on me and how I had thrown myself into it with such enthusiasm.
When it was time to load the car I headed out with the first suitcase. As I reached the end of the path I was surprised and delighted to see James standing there, with his back to me.
I walked up silently behind him and was about to slide an arm around his waist when I realized he wasn't alone. He was talking to an attractive brunette and a young girl of about six. Not wanting to intrude I concentrated on dragging my case to the car.
"Hey, just leaving? I hope you had a great week," called out the woman.
I was taken aback for a second. "Yes, we've had a great time," I replied.
"I hope James has been looking after you," she added.
My eyes flitted up to look at James. He was standing with that cocky posture I recognized from earlier in the week and his mouth was twitching with what looked like amusement. I looked back at the woman and decided that silence was my safest option.
"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Tanya, James' wife," she smiled at me. "And this is our daughter, Charlotte."
"Rosalie," I replied, my voice feeling fake and strained. "James has looked after us very well." I hoped James would hear the edge in my voice.
"We usually only come down for the weekend but James was keeping an eye on his roses. Thinks he might win a few prizes with them this year, don't you Jamie?" she said, laughing affectionately.
"That's right. Who dares, wins," he said and his sentiment was not lost on me. "Let me help you with that." He strode over and lifted the suitcase out of my hands. He held out his hand for my car keys also and I stared mutely at him as I passed them over, thinking all the time how to articulate my fury at what I had just discovered.
As he lifted the case up into the trunk I caught a glimpse of gold on his ring finger. A wedding band which had been missing all week was now mysteriously back on his finger.
I was seething inside. James had carefully constructed a vile web for me to entangle myself in and I had played the part of the foolish fly all too well.
"I don't believe you!" I hissed at him in a low voice. "You never thought to mention that you had a wife and a family?"
"Hey, you never asked. You had a good time, don't forget," he informed me and if I hadn't thought of him as arrogant before, I certainly did now. "I didn't hear you complain last night."
The man had no morals. But I did and I was not the sort of person who trampled all over someone's marriage. But from the self-satisfied glint in his eye I knew my only option was to remove myself from the situation with as much dignity as I could muster.
"Consider yourself lucky I don't inform your wife of the good time we had last night," I growled at him. "The only reason I didn't mention it a minute ago was the fact that your daughter doesn't need to know what an asshole her daddy is. She'll work it out though, don't worry about that."
"Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you Rosie, it was fun," he said as he passed the car keys back to me. "You'll have to excuse me. I'm taking my family out for the day."
He walked off, turning once to glance back at me. The bastard winked and I cursed myself for giving him the satisfaction of the last laugh.
I was too furious to dwell on the mess I had just found myself in. Charged with adrenaline, I swept through the house, ordering the boys to gather up every last toy, shoe and Lego piece. By nine-thirty we were ready to leave. There was no sign of James as we drove away and I expelled a huge huff of air from my lungs once we turned the corner and could no longer see the two houses.
We had only driven a few miles when Alice wanted to pull off the road to visit a farm shop, determined to stock up on some local produce. Boxes of vegetables and eggs, packets of sausages and bacon were displayed to tempt tourists and local residents alike, but as I wandered about, something else caught my eye. In a corner of the farmyard there was a small enclosure with eight chickens. The boys and I watched them scratch the ground, ruffle their orange feathers and cluck softly. Beside the pen stood a sign "Free to a good home".
Spying a man in overalls and rubber boots, I asked him about the chickens.
"Past their egg-laying life," he explained. "I'm hoping someone will let them live out the rest of their lives in peace and quiet."
My brain started to hatch a devious plan.
"Would you deliver?" I asked hopefully, bringing out a couple of bills from my purse and holding them up for him.
"Well, sure, that would be no problem," he agreed.
"My husband has wanted chickens for such a long time," I told the man earnestly. "Can you put them in the yard and leave them, as a surprise?" I batted my eyelashes for added effect.
"Sure can!" grinned the man, writing down the address I gave him.
As we clambered back in the car I couldn't help giggling to myself. Alice threw me a quizzical look as I winked at her.
"What's up with you?" she asked.
"Nothing," I replied. "Alice, do you think that a bunch of chickens would eat someone's prize-winning roses, if they were left to run amok?"
"Yeah, I'm guessing they would strip them bare, given half a chance," answered Alice, obviously mystified by my line of questioning.
"Good, I'm so glad to hear it," I told her as the car picked up speed and we headed home.