The album showed Jared in all his glory, from chubby, bouncing newborn, to gap-toothed urchin with scabby knees, all the way to self-possessed high school valedictorian.
“Jared,” Pam exclaimed. “You never mentioned that to me! You must have been an absolute dream. Not only good-looking, but also valedictorian?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I barely beat out the competition, Beatrice Finkelmeyer.”
Pam face palmed. “Please tell me you made up her name.”
“Nope,” Jared said with a sigh. “It’s real, all right.” He flipped over a few pages and pointed. “That’s her right there.”
Pam leaned in and studied the image. Skinny. Lanky hair. Plain features. But a warm, engaging smile. Jared stood next to her, tall and impossibly handsome, an arm tucked around her waist.
She glanced up and couldn’t help but notice the fond look in his eyes. “She was your date to the senior prom?”
“Yes,” Jared responded. “Bea’s a wonderful girl. We had a great time that night.”
Pam pondered on this, then looked down at the young couple. “Uh, Jared? Just curious…how did you end up with the girl-next-door type when you probably had your pick of the hot mamas?”
He shrugged. “It made sense to go with her. She was the salutatorian. We knew and liked each other and shared a lot of interests.” His demeanor turned serious. “She should’ve been valedictorian, you know.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Bea was way smarter than everyone, including me, but her home life wasn’t very stable. It affected her enough so she lost the edge.” He rubbed the stubble on his jaw. “Life’s not fair,” he announced, looking a bit grim.
“No,” she agreed. “It isn’t.” A thought struck her. “Wasn’t she jealous of you, then?”
Jared shook his head. “Believe it or not, no. The girl has class, I tell you. When the decisions were announced, I sought Bea out and told her she deserved the title, not me.”
“What did she say?” Pam asked, curious.
“She wholeheartedly agreed,” Jared admitted, then laughed with genuine amusement. “I think I fell a tiny bit in love with her then. The girl’s got more cojones than most guys. Very direct and fearless. That’s when I asked her to the prom.”
“She must’ve been thrilled,” Pam exclaimed.
“She was all right with it,” he said with a shrug. “She hadn’t planned on attending—I don’t think she had a date—but I finally convinced her to go.” He paused, smiling at the memory.
“Huh,” Pam snorted. “The girl didn’t know how to appreciate a good thing. All those popular, pretty girls must’ve had a collective shit fit.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “A lot of people were surprised with my choice, but I was proud to have her as my date. Even at such a young age, she was very accomplished and really good company.”
A sneaking suspicion crossed her mind. “You’re still in contact with her, aren’t you?”
Jared nodded. “Yes. Every now and then. I visited her just before I relocated to New York.”
No, she was not jealous. Well, maybe a little. “Did you date her after the prom?”
“For a short time. But it didn’t last. We weren’t compatible.” His voice had taken on a teasing tone.
“Hmmm” was all she said.
His widening grin told her she was probably giving him the “creepy fish eye,” a term he used whenever she looked particularly suspicious or pissed.
Pam’s curiosity was killing her. “Did you sleep with her?” she blurted out.
Jared gave her a pointed look. “Now, you know I’m not the kiss-and-tell type,” he admonished.
“Ha! I’ll take that as a yes. Otherwise, you would’ve flat-out denied it.”
He played with one of her curls, his smile gone, but his dark eyes still danced. “I think someone’s got the jellies.”
“So you had sex with her,” Pam insisted. “It’s no big deal.” She tossed her head, trying to appear nonchalant. “I can handle it.”
Jared sighed. “You’re a terrible liar.” He hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. We did have sex. Once.”
Now he had her undivided attention. “Why only once?” she asked.
“Bea wasn’t impressed and told me so.”
Pam was aghast. “What the hell? What an ego-deflator that must have been.”
“I was absolutely devastated,” Jared affirmed.
“My, oh, my,” she murmured, intrigued with the possibility that Jared—a skilled lover in her estimation—was a fumbling clodhopper at one time. “Wait. Didn’t you claim yesterday there were never any complaints about your sexual prowess?”
“Now, now…be nice,” Jared chided, looking more amused than insulted. “Bea told me it had nothing to do with me or my technique. It just wasn’t for her.”
“And what exactly does that mean? Is she frigid?”
“No. Not that I know of…” He picked up his drink and took a sip.
“I know young guys sometimes have control problems,” Pam said. She leaned in closer. “Is that it? Did your trigger go off too soon?”
Caught off guard, Jared nearly choked on his scotch. It took a few moments for him to catch his breath. “Premature ejaculation? Me? Never in my life.”
“What was it, then?” she demanded.
Jared now looked resigned. “Bea’s a lesbian. She wasn’t absolutely sure then, but she is now. Which means her opinions don’t count in this particular matter. You can’t keep score of a person’s bedroom skills if you bat for the other team. She’s automatically disqualified. So there. My perfect record of sexiness still stands.”
They argued the point further, but Jared finally got Pam to admit his studly reputation did indeed remain untarnished.
They looked through the album again and Pam was struck at the absolute normalcy of Jared’s young upbringing. And all that perfection was recorded in the photo collection. Birthday parties. School events. Family vacations. All preserved with a loving touch.
The entire Marlowe clan was blessed with the beautiful gene. Pam was particularly interested in Jared’s father. Prior to this, she’d seen photos of every family member but him scattered around Jared’s apartment. The most recent album photographs were those taken at Jared’s high school graduation nearly a dozen years before. At that time, his father was about fifty and, to her, he looked like a man still in his prime.
Not even bad camera angles could diminish the man’s presence. He oozed charisma and power. It was like looking at Jared in twenty years.
“You strongly resemble your dad, Jared,” she noted—and felt him stiffen at her side.
Interesting.
“Are you alike in personality too?”
“I guess we have a few things in common,” Jared said noncommittally. “Although I was never thrilled to be seen as the proverbial chip off the old block. We do have some important differences.” Now his voice held a slight edge.
Touchy, she thought, tucking away the observation for future analysis.
“Well, it’s time for bed,” Jared announced. “Why don’t you go get ready? I’ll finish the cleanup.”
“But you cooked dinner. I can help…” Pam protested.
His eyes narrowed in warning, and she leaped up, dodging the swat aimed at her butt. “Missed me,” she boasted. He stood up, and she scampered from the room.
* * * *
Pamela had finished turning down the covers when Jared entered the bedroom on silent feet. She glanced over her shoulder and gave a little smile of greeting. He tried smiling back but somehow failed to as he drank in the sight before him.
Inky black curls tumbled down her back, nearly reaching the narrow indentation of her waist, while the gauzy negligee revealed tantalizing glimpses of the dusky cleft of her ass and the outline of a pink-tipped breast. She turned to face him, and Jared took in every luscious curve. His quiet scrutiny appeared to unsettle her, and she rested against the bedpost as if for support. Intrigued by the play of emotions on her face, he wondered at her thoughts.
Looking hesitant, she came to some sort of a decision and lifted the nightgown over her head. She sank to her knees and took position, her pearly skin glowing in the diffused light of the lamps. Gorgeous.
And naked. Without any prompting. Progress.
He strode toward her with an outward calm that belied his growing desire—and a burning need to bury himself inside her receptive body. Murmuring his approval, he helped her to her feet.
Jared reached out and cupped her shoulders, letting his fingers span them in a gentle caress. He moved his hands to the back of her neck, then threaded his fingers through her hair. Lightly tugging her head back, he bent to taste the skin of her throat. Pam smoothed her hands over the muscles of his arms and chest as he placed kisses along her jawline, the corners of her lips, then back to the column of her neck. Jared traced the delicate lines of her collarbone with a soft mouth, her light shivers urging him on. When he latched on to a rosy nipple, Pam’s fingernails dug into the flesh of his arms. He gently bit on a pointed tip, and she stood on tiptoe with a gasp.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he said, crossing over to tease the other nipple. After sliding his hands up her torso, he palmed her breasts, relishing their satin texture. He pressed them together, nuzzling and licking until his erection strained against his jeans in protest.
Jared bent over, his lips now hard and demanding. He allowed an inquisitive tongue to trace the seam of her lips while he moved the pads of his fingers whisper-soft along her damp slit of her mound. When he breached her lips to explore the recesses of her mouth, he inserted a thick digit into her drenched channel.
He slid his tongue and fingers in and out of her body, penetrating with sensual, unhurried movements meant to stoke the fires of arousal in slow degrees. But Pam was having none of it. She tried to engage his tongue in a game of chase with hers while she snapped her hips against his hand, seeking relief. He detected her mounting tension yet continued his slow, maddening pace.
Jared lifted his head, noting Pam’s flushed face and half-closed eyes. His pulse quickened with the realization that, along with her labia, her lips had swelled from his attentions. Emotions, both dark and light, wild and noble, swept through him as he perceived the depths of her need.
He spoke against her lips, his voice low and a little harsh. “Right now, your body belongs to me. I’ll give you what you need tonight, Pam, but I will decide when and how. Submit, and I will reward you with pleasure.”
Pam’s frustrated groan not only heightened his arousal—it hardened his resolve. After scooping her up in his arms, he then placed her in the middle of the bed. Her lush body looked full of promise as she reclined against the pillows. He stripped with great haste, watching his eager dick strain in her direction. Pam’s eyes glittered with triumph, and her lips curved in a slight smile as her fingers moved toward her tender folds.
“Hands off my pussy,” he barked.
She flinched at his command, her hand frozen over her crotch. When Pam’s lips set into a stubborn line, Jared climbed on the bed and yanked her off the pillows, the unexpected move bringing about a startled squeak.
He flipped her onto her stomach, then seized the cheeks of her ass and spread them wide. Her nether lips shone with her arousal, and he gathered her juices, then spread them over his throbbing penis. Pam wiggled her hips invitingly and he gave her bottom a cautionary tap. This only served to provoke her, and she lifted her rump high in the air, presenting like a female in heat. Cursing under his breath, Jared trapped her thighs between his own, settled on top of her, and pinned her to the bed.
“Nice try, little one,” Jared said while she squirmed beneath him enticingly. He captured both wrists in one hand; then, lifting them over her head, he grasped his erection with the other hand and eased himself between the fleshy tops of her tightly closed legs. His rigid cock slid between her slickened inner thighs, parting her swollen labia effortlessly. He plunged in and out, his shaft stroking her pussy lips and clit while avoiding penetration.
At her disappointed hiss, Jared placed a warm peck on her shoulder. “Tell me, little one, was this the kind of heavy petting you did with what’s-his-name?”
“No, Sir,” she choked.
He shifted and placed himself at her entry, applying enough pressure to open her up but not quite enough to enter. Pamela quieted, the tense lines of her body communicating desperate expectancy. But instead of entering her ready depths, Jared eased away, gliding over her soaking channel with fast strokes.
Pam’s soft purrs soon gave way to a growl of frustration. “More,” she insisted. A brief pause. “Please, Sir.”
Jared stopped and rose from her trembling body. After turning her onto her back, he settled between her legs and breathed in the seductive scent of her longing. He reached out and caressed her inflamed bud with his thumb, continuing to tease her opening. Whimpering, she grasped her knees and lifted her legs high, trying to tempt him into filling her hungry cunt. With an inward groan, he ignored her demands and kept her on the edge.
Suddenly, Pam stilled and Jared locked his gaze with hers in silent challenge. But instead of flashing defiance, her smoky eyes held an expression so soft and imploring, his breath seized in his chest. He noticed her lips had parted slightly and no longer were pressed into a defiant pout. Her silky legs now rested on the mattress and were opened for him in quiet supplication. And rather than anxiously fisting the sheets, her hands rested atop the pillow on both sides of her head, palms up.
Sweet surrender.
Jared positioned himself and sank into her liquid heat. When fully seated, he kissed her on the mouth, offering quiet, tender praise. Pam reached up to smooth back the hair from his brow, her fingers trailing a path from his temple and over the sharp planes of his stubbled cheek and jaw. Then, with a sigh, she wound her legs around his waist, allowing the insides of her thighs to cradle his hips.
Jared drew out the moment, keeping his strokes measured and shallow, reveling in the vision of those lovely breasts swaying as he rocked against her. When he pushed in deeper, Pam’s eyes glazed over and her delicate pants became an urgent, erotic plea. She curved her back to take more of him, and, in answer, he grasped the iron bars of the headboard and drove into her, his fierce gyrations making the bed shudder.