Walkie Talkie
- 3 years ago
- 45
- 0
Sweet Talk Ch. 04 free porn video
So…sorry it took me so effing long with this. I’m in the middle of applying for grad. school, so I’m dealing with that and all the lovely stress that comes along with it. Anyway—I almost feel bad about where/how this chapter ends (you’ll see). Apologies. This was supposed to be Chapters 4 AND 5, but because of my slowness, it’s really more like Ch. 4 and the first portion of Ch. 5. At least it’s a bit longer, though, so hopefully you’ll forgive the lag-time.
_____________________
‘Are you nervous?’
Anna’s voice, quiet and still husky with sleep, surprised Jason.
It wasn’t even seven in the morning yet and he’d been trying to be quiet so she could sleep in. Plus, he sort of wanted the time to think and mentally prepare for the day of competition he had ahead. Having her here eased his anxiety, but still, he couldn’t help but obsess about the ten thousand ways he might screw up today.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed, putting on his shoes, and glanced over his shoulder at Anna. She was lying on her side, one arm tucked up underneath her head. The ponytail she’d put her hair in the night before had loosened up, so some of her brown hair fell across her cheeks and forehead.
But it was her eyes, like always, that grabbed him and made him want to tell her that, yes, he was nervous as hell. Damn, he hated talking about stuff like this. It was easier to just pretend like all of the pressure wasn’t phasing him. Besides, talking about it would probably make him more nervous. So he just turned back around and tried to change the subject.
‘Did I wake you up?’ he asked. He knew she wasn’t a light sleeper but he’d really been trying to be quiet. In his book, being conscious before the sun rose was practically a sin.
‘No,’ Anna replied with a small yawn. ‘But the alarm on your Blackberry did. Way to hit snooze four times, Jay.’
He grinned as he finished tying his shoes. Only Anna could make him feel like a jackass first thing in the morning. ‘Sorry,’ he said, standing up. ‘I hate getting up early.’
‘I know.’ Anna sat up, hugging her knees to her underneath the plush, almost obscenely bright-white comforter on the bed. ‘And yet you still decided to become a baker,’ she pointed out, tucking some loose hair behind her ear. ‘You’d think after all of those early mornings working with my dad, you’d have picked a different career.’
He let out a small laugh. ‘Working for your dad was false advertising, though. He made everything seem so fun and exciting. He loved that bakery so much, he’d have left it open twenty-four seven if he could’ve.’
‘True,’ Anna said with a grin. ‘But, back to my original question…’
Oh, hell. He should’ve known she wasn’t gonna drop that question about his nerves. He tried to avoid her brown eyes as they searched his face. He always got the feeling that she saw through half the bullshit he put out there and, with her next words, she proved him right again.
‘You’re nervous, aren’t you?’
Realizing that lying was pointless, Jay walked around the edge of the bed, needing some motion, some action, to help with the jitters he was feeling.
‘Yeah. A little,’ he told her. Really, he felt like his mind was going in a thousand directions at once. He wanted to tell her exactly how nervous he was, but damn, he hated feeling dependent on other people.
Grinding his teeth together, he walked across the room.
Then, because it was on the small table next to where he was now standing, he flipped open his ‘tool kit.’ It had all of his utensils and supplies inside. The actual food and ingredients, he’d had shipped overnight and were waiting for him at his station in the hotel conference room.
‘You know,’ Anna said after a moment, ‘this isn’t any different than when you’re working in Sugar. Or at KIRA.’
He shot her a skeptical look. ‘Yeah, except there’s a panel of judges circulating the room. And I’m on a time limit. Not to mention that I’m up against a few dozen other bakers who’d just love it if I cut off a finger or—’
Anna’s laughter stopped his rambling. Turning his gaze back to her, he caught her amused eyes and couldn’t help but laugh a little. ‘Okay,’ he admitted, ‘maybe I’m more than a little nervous.’ Yeah, more like on the verge of freaking the hell out.
Climbing out of the bed, Anna padded over to him on the thick hotel carpet. She knew Jay well enough to see that, even if he didn’t want to come out and say it, he was really anxious right now. He was randomly poking at items inside his tool kit even though she knew he’d meticulously packed the bag before they left Seattle.
‘Jay, you’re going to do great,’ she said once she was standing next to him.
When he looked at her, his mouth quirked up into a smile, but she recognized the uncertainty in his eyes when he asked, ‘How do you know? There’re ninety-nine other damn good chefs down there.’ He grimaced. ‘My odds aren’t so hot. You’ve gotta admit that.’
Anna felt a tug in her heart at the look on his face. After all these years, it still amazed her that he could be unsure of himself. On the outside, he was a force of nature while, inside, she suspected he battled a self-doubt that made him his own worst enemy sometimes.
So, maybe it was that vulnerability combined with the fact that she was still half-asleep—and the self-preservation part of her mind hadn’t woken up yet—that made her move closer to him.
She was constantly fighting the urge to touch him, inhale the scent of him, but today, just for now, she pushed all of that aside and linked her arms around his waist.
Tilting her head back, she gazed up into his hazel eyes, absently thinking about how much she loved the fact that they changed color at any given time. Right now, they were toffee-colored, clear and bright. She could see her own reflection.
‘Think about it this way, Jay,’ she said. ‘All you’re doing down there is baking. The same thing you’ve been doing for, what, the last half of your life?’ She shrugged as much as she could while still hugging him. ‘Even if you don’t place or don’t advance to the next round, what’ve you lost, really?’
One of his dark eyebrows went up. ‘Besides my dignity and self-respect?’
She laughed, giving him a tight squeeze before releasing him—she could only take so much of that, after all. ‘With everything you’ve accomplished—your column, your show and Sugar—I don’t think your dignity’s at stake here,’ she said, brushing his fidgeting hands away from the tool kit before zipping it up and handing it to him. ‘And, anyway, you’re too damn full of yourself for some competition to make a real dent.’
Jay shook his head, strangely calmed by her semi-insult. ‘Wow, you really need to work on your pep talk skills, there. But,’ he leaned down and planted a quick, light kiss against the top of her head, ‘thank you.’
It didn’t make much sense to him, but just the simple, familiar sound of her voice and her dry, sarcastic humor was enough to help calm him down. Yeah, they were an odd pair, but they worked and he wasn’t about to question it.
‘Guess I better get down there,’ he said, holding the tool kit in one hand, his eyes scanning the room trying to find anything he might be forgetting.
Anna took the moment to admire him. He really was so handsome, even this early in the morning. He had on a light blue, button-up shirt, the sleeves rolled up revealing his tan forearms. Khaki-colored slacks completed the simple, but devastating outfit. How the heck did he manage to make khaki look so damn good, Anna wondered. Then she noticed the ratty shoes on his feet.
Okay…almost good, she mentally amended.
She planted her hands on her hips. ‘Tell me you’re not wearing those sneakers. And with a pair of slacks.’
Jay was pinning a nametag with his contestant number to his shirt and laughed a little.
Damn, she would have
to notice the sneakers, wouldn’t she?
He glanced down at them, a pair of worn, brown-and-white Asics that he’d had for years. Anna was always nagging him about buying new sneakers, but honestly, he was attached to these ones. He’d had them since college and was used to them. Why mess with success?
‘I love these sneakers,’ he told her.
Her nose wrinkled. ‘I can tell. How old are those things, again?’
Shaking his head, Jason grabbed his tool kit and started backing toward the door. ‘Nope. I’m not answering that. You’ll judge me. And the sneakers.’
Anna rolled her eyes. ‘I already am judging you. Seriously, Jay, you look like a dork.’ A very sexy, dark-haired, drool-worthy dork, but still…
He had the hotel room door open by this point. ‘I take that as a compliment, sugar.’ Then, shooting her a final, parting grin, he said, ‘Now quit insulting me and wish me luck.’
She smiled. ‘You don’t need it, but good luck.’
He gave her a cheesy, overblown wink and before she even finished laughing at him, he was gone.
***************
Four hours later, Anna was still laughing, but this time at Sam.
‘You can’t be serious,’ she said, looking down at herself in the yellow sundress she had on. They were inside a trendy little boutique and, in her opinion, way out of their league.
Or, out of hers, at least.
After Jay left that morning, she’d met Sam for breakfast in the hotel restaurant. They’d decided to do a little exploring around the area before Jason’s baking session started at noon. Anna was fascinated by the clean, elegant lines of the architecture in and around downtown, but she wasn’t too keen on the hot, sticky Chicago heat.
She’d worn jeans and a simple, print top that, in Seattle, she would’ve been able to get away with. But in Chicago, the heat was unrelenting, made worse by the fact that they were surrounded by concrete buildings.
So, two hours into their sight-seeing expedition, she was muttering to herself about needing to buy some summer-appropriate clothing. And Sam, laughing at her in his cargo shorts, Calvin Klein polo and designer sunglasses, pulled her into the first boutique they came across.
The only problem was that they were on North Michigan Ave. at the time and this little boutique, with it’s brightly-colored window displays, stark white walls and pop music piped in over hidden speakers, was serious about living up to its famous address on Chicago’s Magnificent Mile.
‘This thing costs over a hundred dollars,’ Anna hissed at Sam from where she was standing right outside the curtained dressing room.
‘And I’d say it’s worth every penny,’ he replied, scanning her with a teasingly critical expression.
He was leaning back against a square pillar, arms crossed over his chest, his laughing blue eyes visible now that he’d pushed his sunglasses into his hair. ‘It’s also probably ten times cooler than that little jeans and t-shirt outfit you had on,’ he added. ‘So think of it as paying for built-in air-conditioning.’
Even though she was trying to look disapproving, Anna laughed. ‘Somehow, I don’t think my landlord would sympathize with that story after I tell him I can’t pay my rent.’
As she was talking, she turned to peer over her shoulder into the mirror mounted on the wall behind her. Okay, she had to admit, for an over-one-hundred-dollar dress, this one was pretty nice.
She wasn’t really a dress kind of person, but the way the yellow fabric brushed against her legs, hugged her waist and swept across her breasts, well, it almost gave the impression that she had a great figure.
She bit her lip. Yeah, whoever had made this dress did a darn good job on the silhouette. Too bad it was so freaking expensive.
‘I’m gonna take this off,’ she said, giving herself a last, regretful once-over in the mirror. ‘Then we can go find a Macy’s or—’
‘Jeez, Anna, where’s your sense of adventure?’ Sam interrupted with a laugh. He leaned in. ‘Don’t you want to try on anything else? You don’t have to buy it, but, you know…aren’t you curious how you’d look in a…’ he randomly pulled a red dress from a rack next to him and checked the price tag. ‘A two-hundred dollar cocktail dress?’
Anna shook her head, shooting a glance at the shop girl who was standing behind the counter, fashionably clothed in all black. ‘What’s the point if I’m not going to buy it?’
‘But would you if you could?’ he asked, holding the dress up to himself in the mirror. He grinned at her, obviously delighted by the ridiculous picture he made.
Laughing, Anna grabbed the dress from him. ‘Yes, but that’s not the point. I don’t want to—’ she started, but Sam cut her off, taking the dress back from her.
‘Fine, if you’re not gonna try it on, I will,’ he said with a comical, snobby little sniff. ‘Red always was my color.’ He took two steps toward the dressing room before Anna, almost choking with laughter, snatched the dress from him.
‘Will you quit it?!’ she got out around a laugh. ‘I’ll try it on if you stop embarrassing me.’
Sam tried to look innocent. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
Rolling her eyes, Anna went back into the dressing room and pulled the curtain closed.
Outside, Sam started rifling through clothing racks while he waited for Anna to change. Shopping usually wasn’t his thing but, with her, it was kind of fun. Actually, almost anything he did with Anna was fun. He always had a great time when they hung out and, he admitted, his hands stilling on the clothing rack, that probably wasn’t a good thing.
She was practically Jay’s little sister, which made her every single variety of off-limits that he could think of. He sighed, shooting a glance at the dressing room curtain.
Just his luck.
Anna was one of the most genuine, open, sweet and funny women he’d ever met and she basically had a ‘Do Not Touch’ sticker plastered to her forehead.
He knew how close she and Jay were and, yeah, it didn’t take a genius to figure out that Jason would flip shit if he ever tried anything with her.
But, it wasn’t only Jason’s reaction that had held him back from making a move with her.
He’d sort of had a thing for Anna since the first time they met. She’d been a freshman at Syracuse and had caught the train down to Manhattan, where he and Jay were spending their spring break. A small smile played on Sam’s lips as he remembered how easily he and Anna had fallen into a friendship, he’d never met a girl who could take and give witty, sarcastic remarks the way she could and he loved that.
Even then, though, he’d suspected she had a crush on Jason. It wasn’t obvious, really, just something in the way she’d look at him, sometimes. He never could be sure one way or the other. Then, when he found out she’d quit, he’d thought that maybe he’d been wrong about her feelings for Jay. But, just like he’d half-expected, they’d made up. So now he didn’t know what to think.
But what really sucked was that, in the middle of their fight, while he’d been spending more and more time with her, trying to cheer her up, he’d realized that he really liked her. A lot. And not just in a ‘Hey, you’re my friend’s cool friend’ kind of way. No, this…this was more than that and he knew it.
Blowing out a breath, he stared sightlessly at the boutique’s far wall. After a moment, he heard the metal rings on the dressing room curtain clinking and turned around, taking in Anna’s appearance.
Her hair, like always, was down around her shoulders, but that was where the familiarity ended. His gaze traveled down, then back up, touched along her waist, took in the creamy skin of her breasts, revealed by the v-neck of the dress which, he was only now realizing, was a halter dress.
All of a sudden, he was really regretting teasing her into that thing.
‘Well, how bad is it?’ Anna asked.
He brought his eyes to hers, opene
d his mouth to respond, but the only thing he could think was how pretty she looked.
He was in trouble. Really, really big trouble.
‘I…you look…wow,’ he managed to say, blinking a few more times.
Anna laughed. ‘Wow, good? Or wow, bad?’ Before he could answer, she turned to face the mirror and he saw that the back of the dress was pretty much nonexistent. It dipped down across the middle of her back, then up and around to tie behind her neck.
‘I don’t know,’ she said, examining herself in the mirror. ‘This isn’t really my style. At all. I feel…kind of naked,’ she told him in an embarrassed half-whisper.
Oh, man. He needed to get out of here.
He started backing toward the counter. ‘I…uh, I just remembered, I have to make a quick phone call. I’ll wait for you outside, okay?’
‘Okay…’ Turning, Anna watched Sam head for the door. What was his problem? With a shrug, she stepped back into the dressing room and quickly changed clothes, trying to hurry so he wouldn’t have to stand outside in the sun too long.
She’d just pulled her top back on when someone knocked on the wall outside her dressing room. Peeking her head out, she came eye-to-eye with the shop clerk.
‘I’m almost done,’ Anna told her with a smile.
‘Oh, you’re fine,’ the girl said, ‘I just wanted to know if you’re ready for me to bag those clothes up for you.’
Wow, this was one optimistic little store clerk, Anna thought. Just those two dresses and the silk blouse she’d tried on would cost nearly four hundred dollars. ‘Uh, no, that’s okay,’ she said. ‘I don’t think I’ll be buying anything today.’
The girl’s brow furrowed. ‘But…’ she started, obviously confused. ‘The man you were with already paid for them. He said to just bag them up for you when you finished.’
Anna stared at the girl for a minute. Sam? Sam had paid for the clothes? What the heck?
Walking out of the dressing room, Anna saw the girl reach in to grab the clothes, but she headed for the door and stepped outside.
Sam was leaning against the building’s stone wall, his sunglasses on again, and looked up at her.
‘What do you think you’re doing?’ she asked.
‘Uh…waiting for you?’ He sounded confused.
‘No, I mean in there,’ Anna said, nodding toward the shop. ‘You bought all of those clothes?’
He smiled, digging his hands into his shorts pockets. ‘That a problem?’ That dress might have just half-killed him, he thought, but she looked too good in it for her not to have it. He just hoped to hell she’d never wear it anywhere near him. He was only human.
‘You had to have spent at least four hundred dollars in there, Sam,’ Anna said. ‘I don’t feel right about that. Especially since I’ll probably never have anywhere to wear that red dress, anyway.’
Giving her a small shrug, he cocked his head. ‘Well, too late, now. They’re already paid for.’
Anna sighed, giving him a small smile. ‘Sam, I can’t accept them.’
Stepping up on the bottom stair leading into the store, he urged her back inside with a hand at the small of her back. ‘Nope, no arguments. I can afford it, Anna. And, if you ask me, you deserve it. Plus,’ he whispered as they neared the counter where the smiling store clerk was waiting with the bags, ‘ do you really want to deprive this poor girl of her commission?’
‘Oh, such a low blow,’ Anna hissed.
Laughing, Sam picked up the bags, thanked the clerk, and turned them back toward the door. ‘You’ll thank me when you’re all cool and breezy in this dress,’ he said.
Falling into step next to him as they left the shop, Anna shook her head and smiled. ‘Why are you such a nice guy, Sam Wyatt?’
He looked down at her, his eyes hidden behind the reflective lenses of his sunglasses. ‘Not all that nice,’ he said. ‘But I am rich. So it evens out, I guess.’
The self-deprecating, sarcastic tone of his voice made Anna laugh. ‘Well, rich boy, let’s hope you’re around when it comes time for me to pay off my student loans.’
*****************
Jason had never been so damn stressed out in his life. After a two-hour orientation that morning, followed by a short break, he and the other competitors were entering into the last hour of today’s baking session.
Nanette
- 29.04.2021
- 19
- 0
