When Sparks Fly (Sexy Secrets Book 2) (14 page)

I look at her, perplexed.  “Why do they call me what?”  I
ask.

“Livy?”

“Because it’s my name,” I say slowly.

“No – your name is Olivia – not Livy.”  She quickly scans
her eyes over my new group of friends.  “I find nick names lazy and
disrespectful,” she finally says.

“Well I find you pretentious and full of shit,” I respond
back.  I look at her fully, letting her know that I meant to say it and it
didn’t accidently slip out.

A tension-filled silence surrounds our group.  A good minute
passes before Jacqueline speaks up. 

“Well, I see that your new friends have corrupted you and
are causing you to behave badly.” 

I continue to look at her.  She looks at me as if she is
expecting me to apologize. 

Nope – not today. 

Maybe it is the wine talking, but I don’t care.  I keep my
face blank as I watch her and Taylor gather their gigantic purses and stand to
leave.  She gives me one last look before she and Taylor leave.  

I feel weird – I am sad and relieved at the same time.  I am
vaguely aware of Isaac leaving his seat and sitting down next to me on the
bench seating.  He wraps his arm around me and pulls me close.  I can feel my
eyes get teary.  I blink fast to keep the tears away. 

I do feel bad for being mean to one of my oldest friends,
but I know on some level, she deserved it.  However, she didn’t deserve for me
to embarrass her like that. 

“You okay?”  Isaac asks me, nipping my ear in the process. 

“I think I just ended a friendship,” I whisper so that only
Isaac can hear me.  He pulls me closer and kisses the side of my head.  I
relish the warmth and strength of his arms and breathe deep – allowing his
scent and closeness to soothe me.  He doesn’t say anything, he just holds me. 

It takes me a minute or two to compose myself.  It is then
that I notice that everyone is making an effort to ignore us as they look at
the dessert menus.  I pick up the dessert menu, just to give me something to
do.  I am not really looking at any particular item.

“You want to try the Chocolate Fondue Experience,” Isaac
asks softly; his lips ghosting across my ear.

I find the item on the menu and read the description.  It
looks good, so I nod my head, not wanting to speak just yet.  I am not sure if
my voice will be wobbly or not.

The waiter comes up and asks if we are ready to order
dessert.  We are.  I listen as each couple rattles off a dessert to share along
with some sort of wine.  Isaac orders the chocolate fondue for us.  When the
waiter asks if we want something to drink, Isaac asks the waiter if they have a
tawny port.  He affirms that they do and he orders a glass of Cockburn’s
20-year port. 

I give him a questioning look. 

“I think you will like it.  It is a fortified wine and it is
a good paired with the chocolate,” he says.

“You don’t want any?”

“Not tonight.  I want you to enjoy it though.  Besides,” he
says, his lips ghosting across my ear again, “I will need to drive later, so I
am sticking to water for now.”  I shiver at the contact.

Slowly but surely, I come out of my funk.  By the time our
desserts arrive, I am in a heated, yet playful debate with Zoe on why I don’t
consider Iron Man a true super hero.

“He wears a suit!”  I protest.  “Without it – he is just a
mere mortal.”

“That is not the point!” she counters.  “When he puts on the
suit, he becomes a superhero - that is all that matters!”

I blow a raspberry at her because I don’t have a good
rebuttal.  It is then that a waiter sets down a hot pot of fondue chocolate and
a tray of fruit and mini confections.  Zoe sticks out her tongue at me before
blowing me a kiss.  We both dissolve in giggles.

My cheeks are aching from smiling so hard.  The dark cloud
that had been hovering over me regarding Jacqueline and Taylor is all but
gone.  I will wait a few days and apologize, but for now, I am going to enjoy
my new friends.

By the time we all spill out of the restaurant, it is a
little after 11pm.  It has been decided that we will all head back to Isaac and
Judah’s house; the guys have remained sober and want to kick back with a few
drinks.

After giving Isaac my valet ticket, he joins the guys at the
valet booth waiting for the vehicles.  Once we are in my car, I watch Isaac
adjust the driver’s seat to accommodate his tall frame. 

“So – we’ll stop by your house to pick up Chewy and you can
pack a bag?” he asks softly as we drive through the city.

I nod, knowing he can see me.  I settle into my seat,
enjoying the warmth of Isaac’s hand on my dress-covered thigh. 

We are the first to arrive at the house.  Before going out
onto the patio where everyone will gather, we both head up to his bedroom to
change into more comfortable clothing. 

__________________________

Isaac

I grab a beer from the drink tub before I take a seat in the
only empty chair left.  I keep quiet as I twist off the cap with the bottom of
my t-shirt.  Someone has turned on the string lights that run along the beams
of the overhead pergola so I am able to see Olivia as she joins the girls on
the lawn.  The girls are lying on a quilt as they all talk and giggle.  I also
see a bottle of wine that they are passing around.  I feel something brush my
leg – I look down and see Chewy.  He turns around two times before he settles
down next to my chair.  I give him a few scratches behind his ears before
leaning back in my chair.  After sitting for a bit, I can sense the guys
looking at me while I take a pull from the bottle. 

“What?”  I ask – irritated that they are staring at me with
smirks and smiles on their faces. 

“Nothing,” both Charlie and Wood say with mirth in their
voices, yet they continue to stare at me as if they are expecting something. 

I look to my twin and he is grinning like a jackass.

“What Judah?  What?”

He takes a pull from his beer bottle before speaking.

“I was wondering – well, we were all wondering,” he says
gesturing towards Charlie and Wood.  “You and Liv were the first to leave the
restaurant and yet you two are just now coming out to the patio – some twenty
minutes…”

“Thirty minutes,” Wood chimes in. 

“My mistake…some thirty minutes
after
we have all
arrived,” Judah, continues. 

“You know we had to pick up Chewy,” is my response.

“Yeah, I figured as much, but you two still beat all of us
back to the house, yet it took y’all thirty minutes to come out to join us?”

My twin loves to bust my balls.  I shake my head a little
and take a sip of my beer.  If my skin were lighter, they would definitely see
my face turn red.  As it is, my face and my ears are hot with embarrassment,
because before we came down, Liv gave me a knee-buckling blowjob and she
swallowed.

I lean forward in my chair, elbows on my knees as I shift in
my seat ever so slightly.  A visible shiver runs up my spine as I remember how
her hot little tongue lapped at my balls while she had those big brown eyes
trained on me. 

Raucous laughter rings out as they point fingers at each
other and slap hands.

Assholes.

“I told you,” Judah whisper-yells.  “He got his shit
greased.”

I turn my head and look out on the lawn to the girls.  My
eyes set on Liv and I feel my heart clench when she looks my way and blows me a
kiss. 

Olivia

The next few days are a blur of Isaac, Isaac and more
Isaac.  Ever since the night I met Jacqueline and Taylor for dinner, I have
been at Isaac’s house. 

Saturday, we went for a walk in the woods behind his house
where I explained to him my weird friendship dynamics with Jacqueline and
Taylor.  That talk was emotional for me.  Some part of me thought he would
chastise me for letting them treat me like they did, but he was very supportive,
giving me a different perspective on my friendship with the two.  To cheer me
up, he took me to a comic book store where I lost myself for two hours while he
patiently waited for me. 

He is such a good boyfriend - not that I know what a good
boyfriend is supposed to act like - but I like to think that if I Googled ‘what
is a good boyfriend’, a picture of Isaac would pop up.

That night we cooked dinner together.  I love cooking with
Isaac – it seems to be our thing.  I love the intimate nature of it; like when
I ghost my hand around his waist while picking out the type of spice/seasoning
I want or the soft kiss he places to the side of my neck before he reaches for
a mixing bowl in the cabinet above my head. 

Everyone ended up at his parents’ house for Sunday dinner,
which made me a little homesick for my family but I still enjoyed myself.  Mr.
Matty grilled chicken and steaks while Ms. Ronnie recruited us girls to help
her in the kitchen to prepare the side dishes.  Maddie and I didn't mind.  Zoe
and Ivy – they threw minor hissy fits.  

Even though I was having a great time with everyone, the
words I carelessly said to Jacqueline and Taylor, well to Jacqueline actually,
are still rattling around in my head and I need - no, I
want
to
apologize to her.  My plan is to go home and invite Jacqueline and Taylor over
for dinner tonight. 

It is currently early Monday morning and I have been trying
to leave Isaac's bed since we woke up some ten minutes ago, but he has been
distracting me with his hands, his mouth, his fingers – hell his everything.

"Don't go,” he says sleepily before sucking my nipple
into his mouth. 

My pussy clenches as he sucks deep.  I half-heartedly push
his head away.  I really would love to stay in bed with Isaac all day, but we
both have things to do. 

“Isaac,” I moan almost breathlessly as I maneuver away from
him, wrapping the sheet around me as I climb out of his big bed.  “We both have
a busy day ahead of us.”

He is meeting the guys at the gym at seven for their morning
workout, then Isaac has a full morning of video edits and in the
afternoon/evening, he will be filling in for one of his camera guys (whose wife
just had a baby) on a local location shoot. 

My day will be full of completing some design work on a few
limited edition jewelry pieces for my Simply Simone line, taking Chewy to the
vet/groomers, an afternoon hot yoga class with the girls and hopefully dinner
with Jacqueline and Taylor.

“Baby Girl,” he says, his deep voice rumbling through me. 
He knows I love it when he calls me that.  I bite my lip and slowly inch back
towards the bed. 

“Just a quickie,” he says.

I snort out a laugh.  While Isaac may do many things
quickly, making love/fucking is not one of them.  He likes to take his time
wringing pleasure out of me – even if it means prolonging his release.  I
glance at the bedside clock. 

It is only a quarter till 6am.  Technically, we do have
time.  If he wants to meet the guys on time, we just need to be out of the
house by 6:45am.  He gives me that dimpled smile of his and crooks his finger
at me – beckoning me back to bed. 

__________________________

We don’t make it out of the house until 7am. 

“I’ll see you tonight,” Isaac says before squatting down and
giving me a hot and hurried kiss after I get into my car and close the door. 
Chewy is in the backseat and appears to be asleep already. 

“Do you want me to wait up for you?”  I ask, looking at him
through my open window. 

“Nah, you don’t have to.  I will be in pretty late.”

He leans in and gives me a quick peck. 

“Love you lots,” I mumble against his lips. 

“Love you more,” he says smiling against my lips. 

I feel ten feet tall when he says this. 

Once home, I get busy with sorting laundry and working on my
jewelry pieces.  I’m also rehearsing in my head what I am going to say to
Jacqueline and Taylor when I call them.  A little before ten, I give Jacqueline
a call.  I am not sure what to expect, but she is pleasant, acting like nothing
is amiss between us.  She readily agrees to dinner tonight at six-thirty and
asks if she can bring anything.  I tell her no and we hang up with promises of
seeing each other later.  When I call Taylor, the call goes pretty much the
same way.  After I hang up with Taylor, I wonder if my behavior wasn’t that bad
and I have been worrying for nothing. 

At a quarter to four, I am back home, sweaty still from hot
yoga with a healthy and good-smelling Chewy.  After feeding Chewy, I rush
through my shower and start dinner.  Isaac calls me while I am cooking.  We
have been in contact all day via text and a few phone calls.

“So how are you feeling?” he asks.  Earlier, I told him how
nonchalant Jacqueline and Taylor were when I spoke to them. 

“A bit nervous, but good.  I’m really starting to think
maybe I blew it out of proportion in my head.”

He’s quiet for a few moments then asks what I am cooking.

“I’m making your mom’s chicken spaghetti recipe.”

“Yeah?  With extra mushrooms?”  He sounds excited.  His mom
told me it was one of his favorite dishes. 

I giggle softly.  “Yeah, I’ll leave you a plate in the
oven.”

We talk a few more minutes before he has to go.

“You’ll call me if you need anything, right?” he asks. 

I frown and then shake my head.  Isaac is always worrying
about me.

“I’ll be fine Isaac,” I say softly.  “I am a big girl, I’ll
be okay.”

“I know, I know.”  He takes a long pause.  “Love you.” 

I smile to myself as I disconnect the call.  I place my
phone on the counter and continue cooking. 

At 6:30pm on the dot, my doorbell rings.  I peer into the
peephole and see a distorted view of Jacqueline’s head.  I open the door to
greet Jacqueline, but I am surprised to see someone who is not Taylor with
her.  Before I can say anything, Jacqueline speaks up.

“Taylor couldn’t make it.  This here is my new friend,
Claire.”  She makes a gesture at the other woman as if she is a game show
hostess showing off a prize. 

Um, okay.

I look at Claire and she looks as uncomfortable as I feel. 
I am not sure why I feel this way, but I do.

“Please to meet you Claire.  Why don’t you both come in?”  I
say, remembering my manners.

I usher them both into the house, softly closing the door
behind me.  Chewy trots up to see who is at the door.  He gives a few sniffs in
my guests’ direction and turns to go down the hall. 

“I see you still have
that
dog.”  She says ‘that’ as
if my dog is a disease.

I choose to ignore her and ask if they want anything to
drink as they take a seat on my sofa. 

“No, we are fine,” Jacqueline replies.  “Have a seat; I have
something I need to talk to you about before we have dinner.”

I take a seat in my oversized gray chair and look at her
expectantly.

“Because I am your dear friend,” she begins.  “I think you
should know what kind of person you are dating.”

“What?”  I ask, completely perplexed. 

What the hell is she talking about?

“Isaac Rossi is no good for you.  He is a player who only
uses women for sex.  He is not the relationship type.  I brought Claire along
so she can tell all you about how she fell for his good looks and charming
personality.”

I look at Claire and she has a ‘what the fuck’ look on her
face – probably like the one I am sporting too.

Jacqueline shifts on the sofa some, crossing her legs
elegantly and looks at Claire.

“What the hell are you doing Jacqueline?”  Claire demands in
an angry whisper.  “I did not come here for this.”  Her pretty face is a mask
of anger.  She gives me a brief apologetic look before directing her attention
back to Jacqueline.

“Oh, it’s okay.  Don’t be upset.  You are here because I
need you here.  If it were just me informing Olivia about Isaac, she would
never believe me.  However, since you were one of his many sexual conquests,
you lend credibility.”  She gives Claire a beatific, yet fake smile before
continuing.  “Why don’t you tell Olivia here what Isaac put you through?”

Claire immediately stands up.  “Jacqueline, you are crazy
and out of line.  I am not going to stay here for… for whatever this is.” 

Before she can take two steps, Jacqueline responds – her
eyes never leaving mine.

“Fine, I will tell Olivia.  Claire and Isaac had a physical
relationship last year.  It lasted about six months.”  Jacqueline looks over
her shoulder at Claire as if asking for confirmation.

Claire looks utterly appalled.   

“Anyway, forgive me for being so crass,” she says in a stage
whisper.  “But they fucked for six months and when Claire hinted that she
wanted more, Isaac broke if off with her.  You see, Isaac always tells the
women he is seeing that it will only be a physical relationship.  However, poor
Claire here, fell hard and fast for him.  She even had a threesome with him on
two separate occasions, trying to entice him to stay with her.  But of course
that didn’t work because he dumped her on New Year’s Eve.”

She has a little smile on her lips.  She is enjoying this
and I feel sick.  I look at Claire and realize that she is someone Isaac has
had sex with.  Someone he has had a threesome with.  And she is standing in my
house, looking like she wants to throw up
and
murder Jacqueline. 

Claire shakes her head in disgust and heads towards the
front door.  I turn my attention back to Jacqueline and she is looking at me
with a gleeful expression on her beautiful face. 

I remember the words of my mama from when I was younger and
Jacqueline wouldn’t be my friend at school.  She told me then that real friends
are your friends all the time and not part time.  I remember the words of my
sister, Paris, when Jacqueline started to talk to me at school again my senior
year of high school.  She told me that Jacqueline saw me as a threat and by
having me as a friend, she could ‘control me’.  Then I remember the words that
Isaac spoke to me just this past weekend when I told him about my friendship
dynamics.  He said that Jacqueline liked being my friend only when it was
convenient to her and seemed to find some sick pleasure in trying to
embarrass/humiliate me for whatever reason.  

Yeah, it sucks that I just met someone that Isaac used to
have sex with – had a threesome with, but all that happened in his past.  I
can’t really get mad for something that happened before we met.  I have a past
sex life too – although not as colorful as Isaac’s it seems.  Jacqueline is
banking on me getting all emotional and breaking things off with Isaac because
of this revelation. 

HA!

Isaac has never told me that our relationship is just about
sex.  At the risk of sounding over confident, I know that Isaac loves me and
not because he tells me, but because of his actions. 

I guess I am quiet too long because Jacqueline speaks
again.  “I really hated to do this, but I had to let you know what kind of
person you were dating.”  She gives me a long appraising look – from head to
toe before she resumes speaking.  

“Olivia, what I’m about to say, I want you to know that I
mean it in the nicest way possible; even if it is only just a sex thing, you
are not Isaac Rossi’s type.  You saw Claire -
that
is his type.  You…,”
she pauses, placing a perfectly manicured finger against her lips.  “You are
just too
weird
for a man like that.”

Yeah – I did notice that Claire is the complete opposite of
me.  She’s very polished and put together.

Jacqueline gives me a condescending smile.

“You know what Jacqueline,” I say in a very controlled
voice.  “You need to leave my house – now.”  I stand and grab her by the arm,
pulling her up from the sofa.  I usher her towards the front door.  She is
sputtering and uttering nonsense, but I don’t care.  I open the door and jerk
my head towards her car. 

“Leave,” is all I say.

I do a double take when I see Isaac’s truck parked along the
street in front of my house.  I do a quick scan and I see him talking to Claire
in my driveway. 

I thought she would have been gone by now and why is he
here so early?

Upon further inspection, it looks like Isaac is pissed as he
talks to Claire.  I can’t be concerned about that now; I need to deal with
Jacqueline.

“Really Olivia!  Are you going to side with some man over me
– we have been friends since childhood.” 

I want to laugh at her fake indignation, but I don’t.

“Jacqueline, you haven’t been a true friend to me since we
were eight years old.”  In my peripheral vision, I see Claire walking to her
car and Isaac approaching the house.

I turn my attention fully back to Jacqueline, knowing I am
about to let my inner thoughts out.  I give her my sweetest smile.

“Jacqueline, what I’m about to say, I want you to know that
I mean it in the nicest way possible - go fuck yourself,” I say as I give her a
little shove out my front door onto the porch.  She stumbles but rights herself
quickly.

“I need my purse,” she says through clenched teeth.

I hurry back to the sofa and pick up her gigantic purse. 
Instead of handing it to her, I chuck it out the door, getting satisfaction
when I see it sail over the porch railing and land on the lawn.