Julian

Julian woke up the next morning with a smile on his face. He had slept like a baby; the kind of slumber only the satisfied can achieve.

And satisfied, he was. Satiated, in fact.

As his eyes started to flutter open, and he felt rays of sun through the blinds, his flesh tingled. His hand grazed his morning wood, and he licked his lips.

Keeping his eyes closed, he recalled how she has awakened him, in the middle of the night, his throbbing cock in her rotating mouth.

He moaned dreamily. How lucky could one man get?

Her lips and tongue had expertly worked the shaft and crown, making his member harden and grow, provoking small whimpers from him, as he was slowly awaking from the quiescent state their previous exertions had left him in.

When she had opened her mouth and sunk down, engulfing the entire shaft in a split second and letting it out, repeating the motion twice, Julian had screamed at the sensation, jerking forward, fully awake; his member hard, throbbing and alert. As his hand rested on her head, she had held steady and pushed him back down on the bed, making him understand, he was not to touch her, not if he wanted her to finish what she was doing. Not wanting to interfere with her work, Julian's hands had moved behind his head, grasping at the headboard to brace himself for more. Soon, he was beseeching, "Oh God...please… don't stop." as he felt her graze her tongue under his sac, and over his balls while her hand kept on working his slick shaft, his precum oozing in streams.

Julian had been writhing on the sheets, rapidly exhaling, mewling even, his hands moving from the headboard to clenching the sheets tightly when he felt them itching to grab her head. He moaned out demands, ”Faster…Just like that…Oh yeah…Please…Fuck…God…” only breaking when the waves of pleasure grew too strong, and robbed him of speech. He was getting close, so close; he felt his muscles tensing in his thighs. The tongue between his legs moving back to sucking his balls and then licking his member up to the tip, stroking the underside sensitive flesh and then starting all over again, was too much for him; it was driving him closer to explode, at each passing second. His breathing hitched as he felt a shattering scream rise in his throat, but as it did, one of his hands involuntarily wound up at her neck, grabbing the back of Vi’s hair, and she had abruptly stopped moving. Being lost in the cloudiness of his impending climax, it had taken Julian a full minute to realize what had happened and remove the offending hand while stammering an apology; then forcedly grab the headboard back with both hands, and implore her in a crying voice, to continue. 

He was almost delirious with need.

She had surprised him. His balls and sac were forgotten. While one hand was slowly massaging his pulsating shaft, her tongue had found her way to his perineum, teasing it mercilessly, as one of her finger had begun tickling his rectum. The simultaneous and sudden easing of her finger inside him, combined with a firm squeeze of his shaft’s base, as her moist mouth reclaimed the head, had triggered the most powerful orgasm he’d ever experienced. Julian had cried out, closing his eyes, throwing his head back, a flash of bright white light had eclipsed his vision. The pleasure so intense, nor his mind or his body could handle the strain of it. He felt his hips violently lurch upward as the volcano of his seed erupted, his legs jerk and cramp, tears pricked his eyes, and his mind went black.

He was in complete darkness. Ecstasy had flooded his brain, strong and fast like a hit of heroin.

By the time he came to, the bathroom light was on, dimly illuminating the room, she was cleaning his member and his stomach with a cool cloth which felt like heaven, and handing him a glass of water. He could barely process what had happened, or how long he had been out. He still couldn’t feel his legs, and much less move.

She had gone back to the bathroom, discarding the cloth, turned the light off and brought him another glass after he emptied the first one in a single long gulp.

Only then, she had slipped back against his body, and kissed him goodnight.

Good night, indeed.

Julian smiled. He had learned the true meaning of ‘what is good for the gander is good for the goose’.

He moaned, his member was hard for her. He let his hand move to the side of the bed, seeking her body. Finding an empty space, the sheet actually feeling cool, he finally, opened his eyes. Puzzled, he groaned in dismay as he perused the bed and pillows for some indication he hadn't dreamt last night events, but there was no note or any sign of her.

He got up and examined the room seeking trace of her luggage. Nothing.

He noticed it was 11 am. He clearly had overslept.

Naked, he quickly put on the pair of slacks still lying on the floor from the previous evening; then slowly went down the stairs calling her out, to no avail.

Walking into the kitchen, he finally saw something on the counter.

She had left a note with the simple words:

“Thank you. V.”

Nothing else. No phone number, no name, nothing.

He felt his heart sink, but also incontrollable anger rise inside him and before he could stop, he threw whatever was on the counter to the floor in one sweeping motion, while a wailing sound erupted from his throat.

How could she do this to him? After the night they shared, didn't she know...?

Didn't she realize she changed his life?

Bloody hell! What was he supposed to do now?

Discarding the shattered glass and porcelain on the floor, he ran upstairs looking for his phone.

He called his sister and left a message for her to return.

He went to his bedroom to shower and get dressed, trying to give himself a semblance of normalcy.

He was a determined man. He was Julian McCarty: he would be fine. Damn her!

Returning downstairs, he examined the messy kitchen and decided to forgo food as his stomach was tied in knots. He grabbed a bottle of Evian from the fridge and headed for the living room.

His next calls were for his agent Ari, and business manager, Marcus, telling both he needed a security firm immediately as he had someone to find.

He would make her pay, once he found her!

Who the fuck did she think she was pulling such a stunt on him?!?!!

The rest of the day was a blur to him.

He recalled speaking to Frances telling her they were through and having no patience when she went into hysterics demanding an explanation he was unwilling to give.

He recalled talking to one of his boys, Todd who asked what happened to their plans to hit the clubs and tried to probe as to why he hadn't turn up.

He recalled a conference call regarding a new film he was supposed to star in, but he had to cut it short when the producers realized he “wasn't all there” when asking for his input.

He recalled watching the dailies of a documentary he was producing, but had to stop when he realized the off camera commentary voice reminded him of hers, and he couldn’t bear it.

By 3 o’clock, he was in utter disarray, and wondered if it would always hurt like this when he thought of her.

Marcus rang him back telling him he had hired a professional to solve his problem, and gave him the contact number for a James Marshall.

The man came highly recommended and was curt in his questions. Julian gave him every single detail he could remember and was told he'd have a report in a few days.

He finally called his faithful maid, Consuela, and told her to come immediately instead of the next day as per their usual schedule, as a mess needed her magic touch.

By 4 pm, mentally drained, physically still exerted, Julian decided he needed to rest.

Going back upstairs, he passed the door of the guest room and had to stop.

Looking at the unmade bed, he slowly approached it and sat on the side she slept on.

Holding the pillow to his nose, he could still smell her jasmine perfume, lingering.

Unable to let go of it, he lied down and fell asleep holding it against him.

The persistent ring of his phone awoke him. It was dark all around, and he wondered how long it had been since he fell into Morpheus's arms.

Mumbling as he answered, he realized it was his sister. She bluntly asked him what the emergency was.

He simply stated, “She left.”

“Who?” She enquired.

“Vi, the mystery woman...” He replied in a low voice.

“Oh, well, what's the problem?” She asked with a puzzled tone.

Getting up, he explained, while going downstairs.

By the end, he was chocking on his words, sipping a glass of scotch he had poured for himself.

“I don't know what to do to find her...” his voice trailed shakily.

“Wow, she really did a number on you ...Is anything missing from the house?” Melissa asked, in wonder.

"No, of course not! Why would you ask?” came in an angry tone.

“Well, you don't know anything about her…”She countered, unapologetic.

“Mel...” he said in a warning tone

“Ok, so she's not a thief. Sorry. It's just I don't think I've ever seen you that upset over a woman in a long time, if ever...” She impatiently continued.

“But she is not any woman. She is the One. The few hours she was here, I felt things I've never felt before for anyone including my 2 ex-wives!” He almost yelled.

“Hmm, let's not go there....” she said dubitatively.

“And seeing that note...You should have seen what I've done to my kitchen after reading it! And you know how much I love my kitchen!” He continued, plaintively.

“O.K. now what, then?” she bluntly asked.

“Well, I have a professional looking into it. She could be anywhere for all I know. She's an international traveller. Maybe she flew back to Hong Kong!” He said, despair palpable in his voice, he added, “Any suggestions?“

“At this point, not really. I'm just worried about your state of mind Jul.” Melissa cautiously started, “Maybe, she doesn't want to be found. Have you thought of that? Maybe it was a one off thing, just sex, and you should move on,” she added.

“No Mel.” he interrupted, “You don't feel the way I do over a one night stand! You know me, I'm the fuck them and leave them professional philanderer.” He laughed bitterly then added in a hollow voice “I know she felt it too... Remember when you met Charlie? Well, that love at first sight shit you kept babbling about, this is it Mel...I can't believe this is happening...” his voice broke.

“Hmm…” she murmured softly.

“I think she is married, that's why she left...” He said, in a semi-convinced tone.

“Married? You don't do married women, too many single ones chasing after you as it is...” she chuckled.

“Mel...” came the warning, he was in no mood to banter tonight.

“Alright. Bite me. So, how do you know she's married?” She asked, irritated.

“She has an Irish name, but she's black and doesn't have an Irish accent, her accent is from somewhere else, so there must be an Irish or Scottish husband, that's the only explanation.” He pointed.

“Well, if she's married…” she countered hesitantly, “Maybe upon waking up, she realized her predicament and decided to flee, so she could think about what happened between the two of you? Clearly, if she is indeed married, you can't expect her to leave her husband overnight...” her voice trailed.

“She has to leave him...” He stated adamantly.            

“Jul…” she tried to interrupt him.

“She is mine. I just found her, and I'm not going to lose her. Not without a fight anyway. No fucking way. I don't care who her husband is...” He said, his voice rising, as he was feeling the anger constricting his chest once again.

“She is mine,” he repeated in a tone that bore no contradiction.

“Julian...Please...” she pleaded.

“Look, I've got to go for a swim, I'm all wound up. We'll talk soon. I promise.” He said in a tired voice.

“Julian...” she cut in, trying to reason with him.

“I promise. Thanks for calling back sis. Say hello to Charlie and the girls for me, I've got to go.” and he ended the call.

After a few empty days coupled with restless nights, without any news and finding himself dishevelled and unravelling, Julian decided he needed to get out of the house or he would suffocate.

He had cancelled all his appointments for the rest of the week and even his shoots were rescheduled thanks to Ari who had convinced the studio he was ill.

Julian knew he looked like a sleep-deprived man, as he was, and he considered it unprofessional for anyone to see him like this. He simply wouldn't allow further humiliation.

Damn her!

He decided to go to his beach house in Malibu and invite Marcus and Todd over for much needed banter and boys’ time.

He had spent the past few days trying to decipher his emotions regarding Vi, and the gruelling exercise worn him out. He knew, it wasn't just the sex that made him have these feelings for her. Yes, the sex had been good, strike that, incredible, no, actually spectacular by his very own standards; his body had responded to her in a way it had never done with any other woman, but being bitterly honest with himself, he realized even before touching her, his heart had already made the decision to surrender. For lack of a better explanation, he could only say, he felt like finally coming home, every time he looked at her. And when she looked at him, well, when she looked at him, he felt raw, yet curiously accepted, as if no matter what he did or say, as long as he could get her to look at him as she had, all will be fine in his world. This feeling was indescribable and had no price.

From the 1st time he had laid eyes on her at the airport, he felt protective of her, like she was already his and he was just regaining someone he lost a long time ago.

He needed her back, but until then he had to keep on living.

Being with his mates would ensure a definite improvement of his mood.

Or at least, he hoped.

((~~!~~))

Vi

In the meantime, Vi had gone home. Well, if you could call it that. She was renting a serviced apartment in Santa Monica while in LA, and had been for the past 2 years. But seeing that she was actually out of the country every 3 weeks for 2 months or more each time, she could hardly call it “home”. It was just the place she was staying at.

She had a home, once, a long time ago, but she couldn't think about it now.... Not, when she had more pressing matters to attend to.

No one from her former life knew she was based in LA and she wanted to keep it that way.

Any involvement with Julian McCarty would ruin this the minute any media outlet would link them.

Ethan would find out, and the pieces she had carefully put back together in the past 5 years would shatter once again.

She had called her usual car service the morning she left Julian, making sure she didn't wake him in the process as it was 5 am in the morning and she needed to think about what had transpired between them.

She knew he would not let her leave upon waking up, and her own resolve would be faltering if she saw his blue eyes staring at her.

Besides, she also knew falling in love with him was simply out of the question in spite of her heart telling her it had already happened.

She had given her all to a man once, only to have it thrown back in her face.

She would not make this mistake again.

Never. The price had been too high.

Getting home at 6 am, She felt concerned. She wanted to call him to explain but couldn't find the courage to do it. How would he react upon learning the truth about her?

She wasn't sure; and for her, certainty was paramount in the life she created for herself in the past five years.

So far, she was just a random woman he met at LAX and had his fun with, but what if he found out about Ethan? Not to mention Luca!

Thank God, she didn't give him her last name. He would have made the connection instantly. If there was one thing Julian McCarty was not, it was a fool. He was connected and she knew if he suspected she was linked to Ethan, there was no telling what he would do.

Shaking herself, she went to bed, and fell into a slumber for twelve hours.

Waking up in cold sweat that same evening, she recalled her night with Julian, and realized they hadn't used any protection.

With your luck, you might already be pregnant, said her inner voice.

“Not a chance in hell!” she replied out loud, "or have you forgotten what all the doctors said after Luca? "

She could barely recognize her own voice.

She was shivering in fear. “Well, it happened once, who's to say it won't happen again? History has a funny way to repeat itself!” said the nagging voice.

Vi held her temples shouting, “Please, just shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” tears welling up in her eyes.

I’ll buy a test tomorrow just to make sure, she thought to herself, fear still making her queasy.

She headed to her bathroom, barely standing on her feet.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she saw the same woman she had seen for the past five years.

A survivor. 

“You are fine.“ She said out loud. “Nothing has changed.”

She turned the faucet on to draw herself a bath. She needed to relax, and forget about Julian and whatever it was he made her feel.

Feeling was a luxury she simply could not afford.

Feeling. She was feeling. She needed to regain control. Immediately.

She simply did not feel. Ever. That’s how she managed to live, to function, to survive.

Feeling was the open door to trouble.

She needed to focus on her work, as she had in the past three years. Work never betrayed her. Work didn't hurt. Work had kept her alive, if not content.

Maybe she could take her trip to Dubai earlier instead of in 4 weeks as scheduled?

Yes, she would call her client in a few hours to see if she could leave immediately.

"See?” She smiled to herself, “Everything is fine.”

She placed candles around her tub, thanking the Lord she could afford this little pleasure, poured some Moroccan rose oil in the steaming water, set her ipod on Madame Butterfly, let her silky gown down and slipped into the water.

In the dim light of her bathroom, the water holding and soothing her body like a cocoon, she closed her eyes, and tried to forget the ache she was feeling.