Escalation Clause (31 page)

“Say it again baby.” He muttered into her neck as his own orgasm burst across his nervous system.

“Jack,” she whispered as she pulsed around his, and he gave into the climax. “I love you.”

Chapter Twenty-One

When he woke she was still huddled into the sheets, snoozing away, as only Sara could in the early morning hours. He stumbled into the kitchen after tugging on a pair of shorts she’d packed, got the coffee maker started, and stared out into the emerging Georgia day. He wandered into the big room, looked at all the props, ran his hand over the chair and smiled. She’d done it. Truly done it—gone where no female had ever gone—deep into his psyche, releasing him from emotional shackles he didn’t even realize he’d been using all this time. He touched each of the items again, and then he wandered back into the kitchen pondering what he had in store for her tonight. He smiled when she emerged, blinking and sleepy-eyed from the bedroom. His Sara. Mother of his children, soul mate.

She frowned. “God damn it, Jack, why the hell are we up so early? Jesus. This is vacation.”

“I love what a bitch you are in the mornings.” He handed her a cup of coffee. They sipped and sat on the large patio overlooking the sandy beach. She turned and smiled at him, tucking her legs up under her on the large lounge chair.

“I think you and Brandis should spend some time together. Just the two of you.” She put her chin on her knees. “You know, like you and Katie did, back when—”

“Back when you were being impossible and everyone wanted to whack you for holding me at arm’s length?”

“Yeah, then.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “How? I mean, it’s not like we have separate houses this time, thank god.”

“I don’t know. Maybe we pretend, you know, you guys go hang at the condo or something, just the two of you.”

“He’ll flip out without you. You know that.” But the idea was taking hold and didn’t terrify him like it once would, even as recently as a few hours ago. They had kept ownership of the condo where they’d conceived Katie, the night they’d fought for what felt like the last time, in the building downtown. He had held onto it for bizarre pseudo-sentimental reasons no matter how many people offered him ridiculous amounts of money for the damn thing. They’d used it some to mess around in during the day, meeting there for an illicit feeling fuck before heading back to work in opposite directions. All in the name of keeping it hot, he mused, running his hand along the smooth skin of her calf.

“Yeah, all the more reason for you to be the parent for a week or so. Let him get used to you and you to him. And use that damn place for something other than…you know.”

“We could do that.” He said keeping his hand on her warm flesh and staring out at the birds pecking their way up the sand. “He’s sort of a handful, that kid.”

She shot him a look. “Uh huh and why do you think I’m pawning him off on you, dear? He needs his dad’s strong hand. And his dad’s love. Show him both. You guys will be just fine.”

“Okay then.” He said. “We’ll put Operation Brandis and Dad Bonding into effect right away. We’ll spend next weekend there, just us guys.” He found himself honestly looking forward to it.

“More,” she held out her cup. “Now that I’ve figured that out for you.”

He stood, and put both of their empty cups on the table. “You are a pain in the ass, wife. Let’s go fuck.” He growled, heaving her over his shoulder and giving her a swat on her ass on the way back to the bedroom.

They sat on the plane, hand in hand, dozing off and on. Although he was rubbed raw in many places, Jack’s heart was no longer at odds with his head, and he had her to thank for it. He put her hand to his lips. “This won’t ever be easy,” he claimed, reminding her of their long conversation the night before. “Everyone around us agrees we are the two most difficult people on the planet.”

“I know,” she said, leaning on his shoulder. He loved it when she did that—loved feeling her against him. He’d finally explained that he had to be needed, that she had to give up some her iron clad control over the Blake thing—feel free to mourn in a healthy way, trusting him to take up some of the burden. She had cried. And he’d held her, and it had been amazing.

“My parents are moving back to Ann Arbor,” she said.

“Uh, okay.” He leaned away from her. “Great. Super. Yay.”

“Yeah, my thoughts exactly.” She sipped her water. “Christ.”

“Oh, baby,” he kissed her hand again, gripped her fingers tight. “Your parents need you right now. It’s okay. We’ll make it okay. Together.” But the thought of having Matthew Thornton around all the time made him a little queasy.

“Yeah, well…I’ll tell you one thing, I’m glad you did the vasectomy. That is one less worry as far as I’m concerned.”

He startled. “Why do you bring that up now?”

She looked up at him, eyes narrowed. “You
did
go back for that re-check after, right? You know, fill the cup and prove the swimmers are duds?”

He dropped his gaze. He’d had the post-surgery appointment, but had cancelled it, busy with other shit and had meant to reschedule. “Um….”

“Holy crap, Jack. You didn’t, did you? Oh, God.” she sank back into her own seat. But he smiled and turned her face to his.

“What difference does it make?” He put a hand on her stomach. “Maybe we need another one.”

She swatted his hand away. “No, damn it. No more kids.” But her eyes were twinkling. “You are impossible.”

“I know.” He said leaning back and signaling the attendant for more coffee. “You’re stuck with me now. I keep knocking you up.” He ducked before the water bottle hit his temple.

By the time he got back, all hell had broken loose on many levels, but he ignored the usual hue and cry of the busy real estate brokerage and found a contact in his phone he had not used in a while. “Jason, give me a few minutes. Run interference with the natives.”

Jason saluted, and continued whatever conversation he was having on that nerdy cyborg earpiece. “Kyle!” Jack said, sitting down and propping his feet on his desk. “My man. Long time no see.”

“To what do I owe this honor, Mr. Gordon?” His friend’s deep voice sounded distracted.

“Do me an honor would ya? Let’s meet for drinks tonight. The Landing Strip?”

Kyle chuckled. “Only you would suggest you meet your friend who owns a BDSM club at the most expensive strip joint in town.”

“Hey, it’s halfway, and I can get a good steak dinner there. Sue me.”

“Your wife knows where you’re getting your steak dinners?”

“As a matter of fact, she does. She’s been there with me and now whenever I go, which is not often anymore, they want to know where Sara is. She’s pretty popular.”

“Damn, son, you did score.”

“Yes, I did. I’m bringing Evan. He needs a night out, too.”

The men gathered at a corner table, got drinks and their dinners, and made small talk, all three of them gazing around at the various topless women strolling around and at the small stage where a pole dancer was going through her paces. Evan was quieter than usual Jack noted so he motioned for a second round of drinks and for the waitress to take their plates. “Ah,” he leaned back and draped his arm over the back of the low-slung, comfortable leather chair. “This rocks.” He sipped his bourbon and deflected one of the girls who was making a bee-line for them. “Not now, honey. Thanks.”

“So, I repeat. To what do I owe this honor?” Kyle eyeballed him. “And why are you being so fucking quiet?” he pointed to Evan. “You on your period or something?”

“No.” Evan said, downing his second beer a little too quickly for Jack’s taste. “I’m just…I don’t know. I feel like Julie doesn’t think we have it anymore, you know? The spark, the kink, the fetish. All the shit we loved to do together and now can’t, because of the twin replicas of Julie in the house.” He motioned for another drink. “Don’t get me wrong. I love my daughters. But..,” he shrugged. “I never wanted kids. But god help me if I say that. And I don’t regret it … much.”

“Do you miss it?” Jack asked him, honestly curious. The whole thing was a mystery to him, too. Many times he and Sara played really rough, but mostly anymore they were too exhausted to do more than kiss. The toy chest stayed locked up in the closet, and there was certainly no actual grown up play room anymore. Since she’d pulled her little Domme act down south he’d been letting her tie him up and mess with him, use him to get off, whatever she wanted. It was a total buzz. Even more so now that he realized it for what it was—a give and take that was absolutely crucial to their marriage.

Evan sighed, staring down at the table. “Fuck, man, I had to get some vitamins, and since then I’ve just been useless. It’s all up in my head, I guess, and Julie is not a woman you can deny very often and live with in peace. If anything she’s even more insatiable than she used to be.”

“Hold up,” Kyle held up a huge dark hand. “Vitamins? What the fuck are you talking about? Drugs?”

“Yeah,” Evan ran a hand down his face and then stared intently at the stripper gymnastics on display a few feet from them. “Vitamin V. You know, Viagra. Do I need to draw you a god damned picture.”

Jack burst out laughing. Evan glared at him. He wiped his streaming eyes and took the beer bottle from his friend’s hand, replacing it with a big glass of water. “Dude. Seriously. You’re just now onto this? I’ve been on vitamin C for over a year.”

“C?” Kyle asked, still looking confused.

“Cialis…you know, the guy with his wife in the tubs, overlooking the sunset? Yeah, that’s me. The V gave me headaches and turned everything a funny shade of blue for a while so I switched.”

“No way,” Kyle said, slapping Jack’s shoulder. “Me, too! It’s why I quit taking it. I thought I was going crazy.”

“Didn’t you tell your doctor?” Jack asked, watching as Evan finally started to relax. “The good Doctor Robinson wrote me a script for it, laughing his young, fool ass off, mind you. Then when I showed up in his ER seeing Smurfs everywhere he made me go to my cardiologist for a checkup. That guy got me on the C.”

“Huh,” Kyle said, motioning for one of the girls lurking around to come and sit on his lap. He ran a hand down her bare arm. “Will have to get some.”

“So, you see,” Jack looked at Evan. “We are all in the same dysfunctional boat, so to speak. We are men of a certain age. Therefore, we use chemicals to help keep it up. Not because we are ashamed, but because we have smoking hot wives to make happy. And I like making mine happy.”

Evan groaned and covered his eyes. “I cannot believe I am having this conversation.”

“Here’s to erections lasting longer than four hours, my friends, no lie.” Jack held up his bottle, and the other two men clinked and drank. They all watched the show a while, but Jack and Evan politely declined any direct company.

“So, here is the thing,” Jack finally said after the second girl had gone through her act up on the stage. He pointed to Kyle. “I have a stellar agent lady in my office who, when she is unhappy, is less than stellar and that makes me angry. I understand that you, my large friend, are the cause of this unhappiness. So tell me what the fuck is up. You and Shannon?”