Page 6 of Until You’re Breathless (Insatiable #1)

Bowie

M y back is up when I see his BMW pull into the driveway.

Boston agreed not to be here until three o’clock, at which time I would be gone.

It’s the arrangement that we have until I can find a place of my own.

We’ve shared this mansion for several years, and it’s taken some time to find somewhere to live, and even now, it’s just with Jinny temporarily.

The look on his face says that he’s got business to discuss. I know the difference.

“What are you doing here.” It’s not a question, it’s an accusation.

“Look, Bowie. This is crazy. We can work this out.”

I look at him like he just told me it’s my fault that he fucked the used car saleswoman. “Is it now?”

He hesitates, like he’s rehearsed this whole speech on the ride over. “I know I fucked up. I know I fucked up bad. But half of what we have isn’t about us, Bowie, it’s about the business. And we are on the cusp of something great here. Do you really want to miss out because of this?”

“Boston, this isn’t a fucking science fair project.

This is a fifteen-year relationship, both personal and business.

And you completely obliterated my trust on both fronts.

We had a contingency plan in place. You’re not happy, you tell me, and vice versa.

You totally went against all that and betrayed me.

How can I ever trust you again.” I tell him, I don’t ask.

“So, what do we do about Kruger, hm? Are you just walking out?”

“I’m not walking, Boston. Sure, I’m walking away from this house and from this relationship, but I’m not walking away from the business that I worked hard to build.

I’ll continue with my role, and you’ll continue with yours, and we make agreements just the way we always have.

And this time, you’re going to tell me everything. No secrets. No lies. No more.”

“Good. So, you’re not going to go knocking on fucking Lawson Enterprises' door.”

My head whips to his. “Why the hell would you even mention that?”

“Because I know you always had a thing for him.”

I lift a hand. “Oh, don’t even go there. You are walking on thin ice.”

He stupidly gets brave. “Tell me I’m wrong, Bowie.”

My chuckle is mirthless. “You are so wrong. Like worlds wrong.”

“Bullshit.”

I round on him. “Boston, I haven’t spoken to the guy since high school, and you know it. But it looks like the cheating bug caught you, too, so I don’t know why you’re even bringing him up. All you men are so fucking alike.”

“Yeah, and he’ll get wind of us parting ways, and be right up your alley in a heartbeat. You know that son of a bitch never fucking married, right.”

“Neither did you, asshole.” I point out.

“I was too busy building the company.”

“And chasing tail, too, evidently.”

“Look, are you ever going to be able to get past this? Because if you can’t, then we’re going to have a real problem.”

I think about it for a moment.

“If you can’t separate our personal troubles from the business, then we’re both going to suffer.

” He adds. “And I think that we should keep this shit out of the media, too. The last thing we need is to show that we’re weakened in any way.

Not while we’re right in the middle of trying to get this deal.

Lawson will be all over that like fucking white on rice, and we both know it. ”

“Oh, and I’m supposed to just forget about the fact that you’ve been fucking multiple women for years? It’s easy for you to say, Boston.”

“That’s exactly what I’m getting at, Bowie. If you can’t separate it, then maybe we need to rethink our strategy here.”

“Was that your plan all along, Boston?” I level with him. “Because if it is, I could go after you for fucking everything. I’ve got proof. You need to decide what you want to do. Do you want to be fair about this or are you out for blood.”

“I’ll do what I need to do to protect what I’ve got, Bowie. And if that means crushing you, then so be it. I know women scorned are nothing to fuck with.”

“Then why did you fuck with me.” I point out.

He kicks at an imaginary fleck of dust on the floor. “I made a mistake.”

“Lame.” I scoff. “The fact that you could have easily just told me that you were unhappy makes it that, you realize. If you had come to me and said that you wanted to see other people—”

He cuts me off. “It would have been that easy, would it.”

“Yes, it would have. You and I both know that our romantic life fizzled years ago. That’s what we were both willing to sacrifice for the good of the company. I kept my end of the bargain.”

“Yeah, and now you’re going to spend the rest of your fucking life rubbing my nose in it, right.”

“How would you feel? If I went around fucking other people? Do you think you would be taking this as rationally as I am? Likely not.”

The muscles in his jaw are working. He’s angry. He’s staring at the floor. His wheels are turning. “Let me ask you this, Bowie. Were you happy? Like, truly happy?”

I think back to yesterday, and the many times prior to that, when I used my battery-operated friend, and how many times Jinny or other friends of mine would tell me about their recent romantic escapades.

Sure, it pained me a bit, but then I looked at everything else I had, and realized that I can’t have it all.

And I was fine with that. I loved Boston.

But the truth is that we could never have what I once had.

And what I once had I’ll never have again.

And I came to terms with that a long time ago. ..

“You look so beautiful.” He says from the car.

He’s standing, stock still, looking at me.

For a moment I thought he would faint. I’m wearing a pink silk dress with a sweetheart neckline, with my hair all down in curls, ready for the junior prom.

Jagger is in a suit, like, the slickest suit I’ve ever seen.

His hair is freshly washed, and he’s shaved.

Just to look at him is making my heart skip a beat.

“You look really handsome.” I tell him with a smile.

I start to walk to him in my high heels, and he meets me halfway.

My mom is calling from behind us, wanting to get pictures, so we let her take a few.

I’m too scared to touch him. I’m afraid I’ll wrinkle his perfect suit.

When mom and dad have taken a dozen or so pictures, he opens the door for me, and we get inside his new car. “Wow. This is really hot.”

“Thanks. I saved up for like three years for it. My dad gave me half, but it cost a bundle.”

“Is it new?”

“Yeah.” He nods. “I’m scared to drive it to school, though. That Boston kid will key it for sure, he’ll be so fucking jealous.”

“Then just drive it after school.”

“Yeah. I think I’ll do that.” He licks his lips as he starts up the car. “Um, how late are you allowed to stay out?”

“My mom and dad didn’t give me a curfew tonight. They know that I’m with you, so they’re cool.”

He’s impressed. “Your parents like me, huh.”

“They do. My mom says that I’m always smiling since I met you.”

He looks at me and smiles. “My mom says the same thing.”

“My grades are always good, too. And she knows that we study together all the time.”

“Well, we both want to go to university, right?”

“Exactly.”

All night, while we dance together and with friends, we can’t stop looking at each other.

It’s like something has changed between us.

Like we grew up overnight, and I feel so connected to him, and I also feel like he feels the same.

It’s the last dance of the night, a slow one, and he looks at me like he has a major confession to make.

“Bowie, I did something, and you can say no and we can forget it.”

My face goes serious. I was worried that maybe tonight, being the perfect night, was too good to be true. And maybe it is. “What did you do?”

“I...uh...I got us a hotel room.” He can’t look at me for a moment. But then he draws the courage, and his eyes meet mine. “Do you want to forget about it? Because I can call and cancel it.”

The truth is, I’ve been thinking about sleeping with him for a while, but I was waiting until something special for our first time. “No, don’t do that.”

“Are you sure?”

I nod. “Yeah. I’m sure.”

He leans in and kisses me sweetly on the lips, setting me in flames. “Thanks. I promise we’ll have fun, and I’ll get you home in time, so your parents don’t think that I’ve kidnapped you.”

I smile. Jagger always has the naughtiest yet the most innocent ways to say things.

As we drive to the hotel, I admit that my stomach is doing flip flops.

We’ve made out a thousand times, but I’ve never seen him naked or touched him below the belt, and the same for him.

We’ve always kept things sort of PG because we made a promise to each other to never cheapen what we have.

We both wanted to be ready and to make our first time special.

And although we never discussed doing anything like this for junior prom, I think it’s fair to say that both of us were thinking about it.

Hell, even Jinny, my best friend, has slept with some boys. I’m the only one left of our crowd.

He takes my hand in his as we check into the hotel. It’s a fancy one, too. “God, Jagger. How much did this cost?”

“A lot. I saved for a while.”

“Can I pay you back some of it at least?” I ask as we walk to the elevator.

“Not a penny, Bowie. No, that wouldn’t be right. This is my gift to you.”

Jagger’s family has money. I know that he doesn’t get things handed to him, but he’s got the smarts to be rich if he wants to. He knows how to save money and how to earn it, and he also knows how to spend wisely. “A gift?”

“Yeah.” He says, as he opens the door with the key card. Inside is breathtaking. There’s a bouquet of red mini roses in a vase on the glass table. And a box of chocolates beside it. “They knew I wasn’t twenty-one, or I would have had them include some wine, too.”

“God, this is...incredible.” I say in awe.