Chapter Fourteen

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Chapter Fourteen

"This is a good thing," Skylar told her reflection in the mirror. "A very good thing." And it was a good thing. Gregg had finally asked her out after spending a lot of time together. He'd ditched his friends during lunch to join her, he eventually got her to open up more. But she could trust him. He was a good person.

She spent extra time making herself look good. He was taking her to a concert downtown. A date, he'd told her. He said that he wanted to take things slow, that he wanted to make her see that he cared and just wanted to make her happy. "You deserve to be happy," he'd told her, giving her a smile. And his words struck her enough to make her want to try.

He picked her up from her home, her parents were happy to see her excited for something in a long time. She hadn't been that happy since before Ingrid passed away. They thought that Gregg was a good influence on her, that he would help her move on.

"You look beautiful," he said, leaning in to give her cheek a kiss. "But you always do."

She blushed because she didn't really receive compliments, well that was until Gregg started talking to her. He really knew how to make her feel special. "Uh, thanks," she said shyly.

They drove to the House of Blues where the concert would be taking place. The sun was setting behind the Chicago skyline. It was beautiful. There were people already in line, some probably having been there since the early hours of the morning. She didn't mind not being at the front, she was just excited to see the bands that would be performing.

"Are you excited?" Gregg asked.

She nodded. "Of course I am."

"I hope they don't separate us once we're in the crowd," he said. "These people get crazy."

The concert had been amazing. Sure, she had been stuck in between a bunch of sweaty people, crushed, and was slightly dehydrated, but it had been a blast. Gregg didn't let anyone separate them, not even the crazy fans pushing everyone to try to get to the front. He held her tightly throughout the entire show and made sure that she was safe, saving her from being kicked in the face by crowd surfers. He'd been the perfect gentleman.

When he drove her back home she didn't go inside her home quickly. She stayed in his car, both of them looking at each other with desire. She wanted to kiss him, and she knew that he wanted the same thing. So they did, and it felt great. And she didn't' stop him when he groped her in places she'd never been groped before, because she trusted him and wanted him to know that. She didn't seem like a prude. Gregg was, after all, older than her and probably had more experience. Was probably used to girls with more experience. She didn't want to ruin something good because of her insecurities.

Skylar was happy. Like, really happy. The next morning she awoke with a smile on her face, thinking about Ian. She loved that he wasn't being selfish or pushing her to do things she didn't want to. She'd learned that he liked to please her, and that was really sweet and she loved that about him. He was too good, really.

Sadly, she didn't have to go to her internship on Tuesdays. So she most likely wouldn't be seeing Ian that day, but she had made plans with Sarah. She would introduce her to Jason and Cindy, hoping that Sarah would open up to new friendships. And she didn't want to push everyone away just because Ian was in her life, she had to put a little effort into keeping her friends. She didn't want to go back to being that loner girl that pushed everyone away like she'd been in high school. That was the old her. And she didn't want to look back.

Before she headed out to school, she received a text message from Ian, which of course, brought a huge smile to her face.

So I bought two tickets to a concert Friday night...

Her smile faded. That was very kind of him. But...concerts usually brought back memories that she worked really hard on suppressing for the majority of the time. Not that she hadn't been to a concert after Gregg, but she found out that she couldn't really enjoy them as much as she used to.

Skylar didn't want to say no, though. Ian had bought those tickets with good intentions, and she didn't want to kill a good vibe. Those memories were old scars, but the future was much brighter. It was her life to live, she couldn't let her past hold her back.

Really? That's great. I can't wait! she text him back.

"F.uck Gregg," she hissed.

Skylar had come to a conclusion; Micah was an a.sshole. And he would never change, that she was sure of. She'd never thought that someone could be so full of themselves. But there he was, sitting in his seat at class, a smirk on his face as he sneered at everyone that wasn't his friend. When he saw her, he raised an eyebrow and chuckled. She responded by rolling her eyes and sitting down as far away as possible from him.

Micah really was an a.sshole. He got up from his seat and walked over to her, making direct eye contact, and sat down right next to her. He'd overdone it on his expensive cologne, the strong smell almost making her gag.

"Hello," he said.

Skylar sighed. "What do you want, Micah?"

"I can't say hi to you now?" he snapped.

"Well, with your obvious distaste towards me, I would assume there are ulterior motives," she explained, giving him a tight-lipped smile.

"Skylar, I hope you know that under different circumstances I would let you be my girlfriend," he said. "You're hot, you really are. But you're going around sleeping with Ian and using your body to get ahead in life. How do you think that makes people like me, who work hard to get what we want, feel?"

She really wanted to punch him, but she couldn't. She had to keep her calm. "Why do you make it sound like you'd be doing me a favor by letting me be your  girlfriend?"

He gave her a look as if the answer was obvious. "My family is wealthy. My father is a senator. I'm a handsome man with goals in life. I'm smarter than everyone in this class, you included. I'm the perfect man, the one every girl wants because I'm perfect husband material. You can't really argue against that, can you?"

She had so many things to say to that, instead she laughed.

He frowned. "What's so funny?"

"You're so full of yourself!" she exclaimed. "You're just some privileged guy that thinks the entire world has to bow down to him. Micah, you're a narcissistic as.shole."

"And Ian isn't?" he snapped.

Okay. He could say whatever he wanted to her and she would just brush it aside. But when he brought Ian into things, well, she wasn't about to just sit back and let him talk.

"Ian is a great man," she said defensively. "He's caring and hard-working and unselfish. He's a better man than you will ever be."

He rolled his eyes. "You're just saying that because you let him have his way with you. I mean, come on. Do you think a man that has a daughter will really stay with you? He'll probably get back with the mother sooner or later because he'll want his daughter to have a real family, and what will happen to you? You'll go back to Chicago and be depressed for a little bit, but you'll move on eventually. All of this, whatever you two have, is temporary."

Ian stood in the middle of the conference room, in front of all his employees. He wasn't nervous, though. He was used to being in front of people, stating the facts, and not letting himself be intimidated by anyone else. What kind of lawyer would he be if he cowered away from the spotlight.

He went over the progress of each lawyer, going over new cases, and any other important details. He was used to it. The firm held those types of meeting almost everyday. But usually they didn't last longer than they needed to. This time, though, it was different.

"I have a question," Katherine George piped in.

"Yes," Ian said, allowing her to speak.

"Do you really think it is appropriate you have your lover working at this firm?" she asked. "I mean, if you don't mind answering."

"Yeah," another person said. Jonathon Vendrades. "I get that she's your girlfriend and all, but what if things end badly, Ian? We don't know how that awkward tension will affect the workplace."

Of course there would be people who question his relationship with Skylar. There would always be those that frowned upon it. But, he so happened to own the place. What could they do to really harm him or her?

"I believe that my relationship with Miss Grant is my personal business," he said. "If some of  you find it inappropriate, well, I can't really do anything to change the fact that we are two adults attracted to each other. And if things end badly, I'm pretty sure we're both mature enough to handle it. We're not a little high school couple."

That shut everyone up, and Ian hoped that they wouldn't say anything about it again.

"Are you sure they'll be okay with me joining you guys?" Sarah asked as they made their way up to Jason's floor. She'd been pretty unsure about the whole ordeal, nervous about meeting new people that she was sure she didn't have anything in common with. But Skylar knew they'd like Sarah.

"Of course they won't mind," she promised her. "They're all really cool people."

When she'd let Jason know that she would bring Sarah, he was all for it. Cindy, Ronnie, Ash, and Gwen would also be there. The original gang that had taken her in. And hopefully they would soon take Sarah in.

Jason greeted her with a hug, and she enjoyed his embrace. Maybe things had been awkward between them for a little bit, but he was a great guy that she just didn't want to lose. And apparently he thought the same, or else she probably be at his at apartment.

"This is my friend Sarah," she said, introducing the shy girl. "Sarah, I would like you to meet Jason, Cindy, Gwen, Ash, and Ronnie."

"Hi!" Cindy mused, giving Sarah an unexpected hug. "It's great to meet you."

Gwen looked Sarah over the same way she had looked at Skylar the first time they'd met. And they still weren't very friendly with each other. Skylar liked to think of her more as an acquaintance.

"Welcome," Jason said, giving her a smile, and looking at her with kind blue eyes. The same ones that had made her melt the first time she'd met him. And judging by the way Sarah looked at him, his eyes had done the same to her.

"Hi, thank you for having me," she said, offering him a shy smile.

Hmm. She hadn't been that friendly to her when they'd first met.

Jason took out a bottle of wine and served everyone a glass, the sweet sound of Metallica filling their ears.

"Oh, I don't drink," Sarah said, looking at the glass Jason offered her with distaste.

Jason looked at her with understanding eyes and said, "Oh, that's fine. I respect that."

Sarah blushed. "But could I get a cup of water?"

"Of course," Jason said. "I'll be right back."

Ash nudged Skylar and motioned towards Sarah. "Looks like Sarah and Jason are getting along quite well."

She laughed because it was true. Watching their interaction had warmed her heart. Sarah and Jason. Hmm. They would be a good couple. They really would. Well, she had not seen that coming. Not at all.

"Hey, don't say that," Cindy said behind them. "At least not in front of Jason or Gwen."

"Why?" Skylar asked.

Ash sighed. "They kind of hooked up after you rejected Jason. Personally, I don't think they're a good couple. They used to be friends with benefits, but then Gwen started getting too attached so they ended things. I guess Jason was too vulnerable and Gwen took advantage of that. But you can't blame her, she's always had feelings for him."

So  no Sarah and Jason sitting in a tree...

Gwen and Jason, though. Wow. But she had to agree with Ash. They didn't make a good couple. They didn't seem compatible enough. Well, it was their life and their decisions. Who knows, maybe they were perfect for each other and she just couldn't see it.

After a while they ordered pizza and put on Avengers because everyone could agree that that was an epic movie. Skylar sat next to Cindy, sharing a blanket between the two. Gwen sat with Jason, practically sitting on his lap. Sarah sat in between Ash and Ronnie, the two boys having taken a liking to her. Ash in a friendly way, obviously. Ronnie...well, Ronnie was a bit too flirty for comfort. But Sarah didn't seem to mind. She seemed to be flirting back as well.

The day had been productive. She'd managed to get Sarah out of her comfort zone and expose her to others her age and a bit of fun.

Skylar was exhausted by the time she got back to her apartment. The first thing she did was strip off all her clothes and get into the shower. She relaxed under the water, but she was hungry and couldn't go to sleep yet because of that. She dried herself off and wrapped herself in a burgundy bath robe. She almost cursed when she heard a knock on her door. Probably a neighbor or something.

But she was wrong. It wasn't a neighbor. It was a dangerously delicious-looking Ian. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, his hair was slightly messy, and his tie loose.

"I'm sorry, did I come at a bad time?" Ian asked, stepping into the apartment.

"No," she said, realizing how very little clothing she had on. She blushed. "I just finished taking a shower."

Ian couldn't take his eyes off her exposed legs. Her hair was still wet and small droplets of water go onto her chest. She was beautiful. So he did the only rational thing he could think of. He took her in his arms and kissed her hard. He was quite aware of the fact that she only had on her robe, but he wasn't about to push her to take it off. He'd be patient with her.

"How was your day?" she asked almost breathless when they pulled away, but he still kept his arms around her.

He chuckled. "Stressful."

Skylar placed a kiss on his temple, her hands feeling his hard chest. "Let me help you relax," she whispered.

That was all it took for his manhood to harden. He'd really been hoping that he could control himself.

"Skylar," he started.

"Ian," she said, stifling a giggle. "Come on. Let me return the favor."

He was about to protest, saying that they should really take things slow, but her lips were on his again and he forgot about everything else. When one of her hands went to the bulge in his pants, he really forgot about everything and focused just on her. He could combust right then and there.

She got on her knees and started unbuckling his belt, unzipped his pants and pulled them to his ankles. With a satisfied smile, she placed a small peck on top of his happy trail. He groaned. The woman knew how to torture him. Finally, she pulled down his boxer briefs and his desire was released from its imprisonment.

Oh.

Well, Mr. Ian Rinaldi had quite a big package.

Her hands wrapped around him and he released another groan, a very s.exy on at that. She could feel herself getting excited by just pleasuring him. When her mouth wrapped around him, Ian felt like he was in heaven. Her mouth wasn't big enough to take all of him in, so she used her hands to get the rest of him. She had to admit, she liked the taste of him. And he loved the feel of her mouth around him.

She looked up at Ian to see his green eyes looking at her with lust. He was breathing hard, and he was trying to contain himself. As she went faster and faster, he got closer and closer. Until finally, with a groan, he reached his climax.

Ian helped her up and looked at her in amazement. "You really are an amazing creature, Skylar." And he crashed his lips to hers once more.