Page 38 of The Virgin Playboy

“No,” I admitted. “But I’m earnestly proud of myself for not giving into my body's carnal urges. I think…I was trying to prove to myself that I can center you without needing a release in return. I always finish and I wanted to know what it was like not to, just to give you the experience you deserve every time we make love. It’s nice studying what it takes to get you there.”

She kissed me on the nose, slowly rising off my hips, as she then traced her lips back to my chest and midsection.

“Would you like for me to make you come?”

“Yes, please,” I laughed, relieved that she wasted no time taking me into her mouth. I wanted to come so bad, I wasted no time letting her skills take me there.

“Jeez, I can't believe it's 3 o'clock in the morning,” I laughed, glancing at my phone screen before pulling the covers over both of us.

“Sorry if you have to get up early.”

“I still have to give you that morning head I promised,” leaning to give her a sweet kiss, that managed to turn into one long deep kiss.

“I feel like I should sleep over more often,” she purred, cuddling up with me like nothing else mattered.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jaq

My PA's number appeared on my phone screen, as I answered on the first ring.” Yeah, Barb? What should I expect for appearances? Okay, no to David's, but yes to Nielsen. And do you think it's realistic to have two book signings two hours in between each other? That's what I thought. I've got a glam team on the way, so I have to prepare for that. Talk to you later.”

I had engagements planned for local press and two national—not to mention a week full of appearances to add to my stress. So much needed to be done that I’d been looking forward to the private launch planned for a few close friends and family. I wanted to celebrate that it was never too late to consider a career one-eighty. Or simply reclaim the parts of you, you used to miss.

Everything was set; the location, the theme. It’d felt like I hadn't done something normal like bowling in years. Adding on all-out costume get-together, and I was a pig in shit. The only thing I wasn't sure about was whether to invite Graham or not.

We were still in situationship territory, and I wasn't sure an event involving my parents constituted as a boyfriend expectation. Was introducing an entanglement around your folks even a thing?

Graham had definitely made my transition back to New York…more colorful. We undeniably spent more time than humanly necessary for a friends-with-benefits situation. What made it made it harder, was that we took interest in each other's interests. In the past, I didn't complicate friends with benefits by learning more the bare minimum about that person, but Graham wasn't built that way.

He wasn't going to sleep with someone he didn't know, which often translated into meetups for park strolls, movie dates, dinner sometimes three times a week. So, it was fair to say we knew a lot about each other for such a short amount of time.

So, what was I worried about? Certainly not that him being around my parents being too much, too soon. He was my friend; all my friends were going to be there. I should just invite him and stop being weird about it.

But what if my parents are nosy enough to ask him how old he is? Thank God I had fairly reasonable parents who had never hounded me for grandchildren, but I knew something they would have words for is, why would I entertain a 28-year-old? I couldn’t say, duh! because he can fuck. But why was I even thinking about all that when I hadn't even invited him?

Before I could talk myself out of it, I recklessly sent a “Have time to attend my private launch party?” and threw my phone across the room, so I wouldn't worry about the reply. That lasted all but two minutes, before I was digging through the cushion it had fell between, checking our text history only learn it hadn't even been read.

Of course it hadn't been read, you genius. You sent it two minutes ago. Plotting my next body of work was totally not going down at the moment, and your girl needed an emancipation from her iPhone. What normally relaxed my mind at times like this?

The person I was waiting on an answer for this text! Damn it, Jacqueline, pull yourself together. You can't be this anxious over a reply. I needed a distraction, something that made checking my phone nearly impossible.

With a quick wardrobe change, I was in a towel and ready for a shower, but halfway through, I realized I always had access to my phone, given my virtual assistant. “Siri, did I get any messages?” I called out to my bathroom speaker.

“You have no new text messages,” it rudely said back.

“Damn, so I ain't get no new messages?” I hopped out, drying myself off completely before galloping to my charger to see if he left the message on read. In a matter of seconds, it went from delivered to read. As before, I could decline the call, I accidentally picked up on his Facetime call.

“Hey,” he smiled warmly, at an angle that looked like he had the phone on his bathroom counter.

“Hey, what are you up to?”

“I was just shaving.” Not for nothing, the man could rock facial hair, but I did love him freshly shaven. “After that, I had a few hours of studying that I planned to take advantage of.”

“Wish I was over there helping you study,” I flirted.

“I like it when you help me study,” he gushed, which helping him study really consisted of me giving him a head during his times of burnout.

“Anyway, I got your message. I wish I could be there. I'm sure it's super important to you, I’m just swamped with coursework.”