Inseparable: A New Adult Erotic Romance Read online

  "That would be fine." She practically spat the words out, but the veneer of civility was still holding.

  Julie suddenly remembered why she had come here in the first place. "Lisa, look what I have!" she said, picking up the pink sneakers from the side table.

  "My shoes!" She grabbed the shoes and hugged them, then ran out through the open sliding door as Julie followed along with a grin.

  Sophie watched as they went outside, her face changing from barely pleasant to a scowl. "That’s the girl from the fucking bounce house place? What the fuck is wrong with you, bringing her to this house?" She seemed to expect Jack to back down, but he filled out his chest and looked down at her with a sneer.

  "Fuck you, Sophie," Jack said, suddenly cold. "Don’t you even act like this counts. You left me, remember?"

  "She’s wearing my sweats and that was the kimono I bought you in Japan."

  "You haven’t been able to fit in those for five years. Besides she was too sore to get back in her jeans just yet," he said, giving her a cruel smile.

  "Oh, fuck you, I couldn’t care less who you screw. I’m only here to pick up some of the girls’ things and as soon as I get them I’ll be leaving again. Have you called the realtor yet? I didn’t see a sign out front."

  "It’s on the list for today. I will be changing the locks today as well, so if you think of anything else you need, be sure to call first to make sure I’m here."

  "OK, big man, whatever you say," she said with a mocking tone. She turned to go down the hallway to the girls’ rooms, stopping when she saw the cash on the counter. "What, did you have to pay for it?" She turned to laugh at him, then shook her head and continued on her way.

  "You are such a bitch," he whispered. The girls were in the yard with Julie kicking a ball to each other. Julie was laughing and smiling with such an open look of affection for his two girls it took his breath away. She was barefoot, with her hair tucked behind her ear and the colorful robe tied tight around her, looking so beautiful. He was so caught up watching them that he didn’t hear Sophie return until she shouted out the door for the girls.

  "Come on Lisa, Jen, we need to get moving!" They ran inside pulling at Julie’s hands, all of them laughing together. Sophie said, "Don’t forget your payment on the counter. I’m sure it was worth it."

  Julie just laughed harder and smiled bigger, "You’ve got it all wrong. I’m the one who paid. And believe me, I got my money’s worth." She stood in front of Jack and squatted down to be at eye level with the children. "Girls, I look forward to getting to know you both. If you want to come back to see me at Bigger Bounce, I’ll let you play for free."

  "Oh Mama, can we?" Both girls ran to their mother.

  "Not today," Sophie said, her face with a frozen smile, gritting her teeth. "That place is a little too dirty and low for us. We need to find one closer to where we live."

  Jack felt the dig, but Julie just kept smiling. "It may be low, but I keep it very clean. And just because one person decides she doesn’t want to play is no reason to close up shop. Lots of people would be happy to play, and with you gone I’ll have it all to myself!" Julie stood up and placed herself squarely between Jack and Sophie. "In fact, I think I’ll keep playing there every night this week."

  "Bye girls!" Jack said nervously, hugging them one last time. "I’ll miss you so much. It was great to see you again. Give Daddy kisses!"

  "Come on, we need to go back to Grandma’s right now. I bet we can make cookies this afternoon if you ask her nicely." Sophie seemed off balance and distracted, totally thrown off by Julie’s assertiveness.

  After the door shut, both Jack and Julie let out a big sigh together and then laughed at each other for doing it. She turned around to face him with a sheepish grin as Jack came up to kiss her.

  "I don’t know what to say," he said. "I’m stunned."

  "Well, I love your girls. They are both so sweet, very polite."

  "I’m glad, truly. I just can’t believe you got one on Sophie. No one ever gets one over on her."

  "Oh, I’m sure she’ll get her own back. I wouldn’t be surprised if I lost my job this week." Julie said, still smiling.

  "How could she do that?" he asked, sudden concern in his voice.

  "Call the owner and complain that I slept with her husband. She doesn’t have to mention the other details if she plays her cards right. If she mentions she’s going to put something bad on Angie’s List or Google Places about them, he’ll probably drop me in a second."

  "So why are you smiling?"

  "Because I’ve lost lots of jobs, it’s no big deal. I am a survivor." She looked at him with a disturbingly evil grin. "And I fight dirty." She stepped close, stood on her toes, and kissed him softly on his lips. "And I’ve just decided that you’re worth fighting for."

  They finished their breakfast leisurely, seeming to be in no big hurry. Julie left later that morning while Jack was kneeling by the front door replacing the locks. Before she left, Julie had called a friend of hers who worked in a real estate office while he had gone to the hardware store. The realtor had been happy to come out with the forms and had planted the large sign in the yard right after Jack signed them.

  After the realtor was gone, Jack showered and dressed for work. He marveled at what a difference a really good day could make to his outlook. It had been so long since he dated, he had forgotten how to talk to a woman.

  Of course he hadn't been completely unprepared for the impromptu date last night.Between the time had Julie called and stopped by, Jack had built the situation into a kind of test for himself. He got the steaks ready and had nervously picked up the house, even fantasizing a little about what might happen.

  When he realized how badly he had botched it up, he felt like he hit rock bottom. He gave up completely, deciding to go with his first plan for the night and drink himself into a stupor. In his darkest heart, he knew how the night would have ended, but Julie saved him. She actually saved his life.

  ***

  Jack arrived at work with a spring in his step and a smile on his face. Nancy noticed immediately.

  "I thought you sounded better this morning. You look positively wonderful," she said.

  "And I am, my dear, I am on top of the world. Which conference room are we meeting in?"

  "The corner room is set up and ready. Do you need me to prep anything for you?"

  "Just the numbers report from last month. I’ve got the projects list ready on my laptop. Let me put my stuff down and we’ll go through the agenda."

  The meeting was upbeat, the team laughed at his jokes, and the boss smiled in the back of the room. Jack assigned some trips to customer sites, privately glad it was his prerogative to stay in the office if he wanted to. He loved to travel, but now suddenly he found he wanted to stay home.

  All throughout the meeting he found himself catching whiffs of her scent. It seemed to be a kind of cloud around him, keeping her close and reminding him that he was still desirable, attractive, worthy. He knew it wasn’t fair to put that kind of pressure on her after one night. She was right, he needed to get back on his feet before she would be anything other than a rebound. The idea filled him with determination to get stronger.

  Mike stayed after everyone left for lunch as Jack put away his printouts and laptop.

  "I like seeing you back, Jack. I have to admit I was getting a little worried." Mike stood up and walked over.

  "I know I’ve been all over the place lately, but I’m determined now. I’ve got a plan."

  "Let’s hear it!"

  "I got the house listed this morning and changed the locks. I had to after Sophie came by with the girls and found Julie there with me. It’s needed doing for a while anyway. I am getting an apartment in the area by this weekend and I’m going to get myself back in shape."

  Mike seemed surprised. "Wow, that all sounds great."

  "That's not all," Jack continued. "My attorney has been bugging me to finish reviewing the divorce agreements, so I’m go
ing to get that done and really start fighting for the girls. And there are some projects here I’ve been excited about starting on and I’m going to work on them in the evenings instead of drinking myself to sleep. Mike, I feel like someone pressed the reset button on my life. Do you know what I mean?"

  "Yeah, I do. It is so great to hear you say all this. I’ve missed you."

  "I missed me, too. Sophie really took the wind out of my sails, but Julie is like a breath of fresh air. I really needed it. You ready for lunch?"

  ***

  After work, Jack drove home and changed clothes to work in the house. He cleaned everything, filling huge garbage bags full of things he no longer wanted to keep. While he worked on his long overdue loads of laundry, he made decisions about what he wanted to take along when he moved into his new apartment. It felt so good to look forward to things again. After he got through the bulk of what he wanted to do, he picked up his phone and sent Julie a text message.

  want to see that movie tonight?

  She texted back almost instantly. Got to do laundry. Can I do it there?

  come on over!

  Be right there! she replied and Jack did a little dance around the kitchen.

  He was standing in the open garage packing boxes when she pulled into the driveway. As he walked over to her car, he said, "I like that uniform on you." She was wearing a green collared shirt with the Bigger Bounce logo printed across her breast, khaki green shorts and brown belt.

  "Oh, stop being silly." She still blushed.

  He scooped her into a giant hug and kissed her lips for a long moment. "I missed you all day."

  "So did your wife. She called my office this afternoon."

  Jack’s heart sank. "Seriously? Fuck, what happened?"

  "My manager heard her message on our machine. After I explained a little of what’s happened she has agreed to speak to the owner about it. Looks like we may have won the second round as well, but don’t count it yet. She’s just getting warmed up."

  "You speak like you know her," he said with an odd look on his face.

  "Not her, but her type, very well."

  "Why does hearing that make me worried?"

  "I told you, don’t worry. I fight dirtier than she does. You ain’t seen nothin’ yet." She wiggled her eyebrows and went back to her car for her baskets of dirty clothes.

  The front loading washer and dryer made short work of her laundry. They watched television while they folded clothes, giggling at the occasional embarrassingly ugly garment, stain or holey sock. Jack watched her put the last load in from the kitchen as he got a drink of water. She unselfconsciously removed her uniform and added it into the wash, leaving her wearing the same lovely bra and panties from the night before.

  Jack leaned against the doorframe to stare openly. When she realized he was watching she turned to him with an innocent look on her face.

  "I need to wash these by hand. Would you have a sink I can use?" she said playfully.

  She reached behind her back to unclasp her bra, slowly sliding the straps down and letting the cups fall away from her breasts. She rolled the sides of her panties down, she kept her eyes on his face until the panties fell. She stepped out of them, and used her foot to bring them up to her hands.

  Jack whispered, "You are so beautiful. Come, let me show you."

  After putting the underwear to soak in the on-suite bathroom sink, he drew her to the bed. They kissed in the dim light, touching and exploring, taking the time to be tender. He touched her face, kissing her chin and neck, caressing her breasts, not as much to excite, but to relax. He massaged her feet and legs with lotion as she lay on her stomach, moaning softly.

  He moved to work on her back, spreading the lotion between her shoulder blades. The knots of tension melted away under his gentle fingers as he kneaded her shoulders, moving her hair out of the way to squeeze along her neck. He finished with her arms and hands, squeezing outward towards her fingers, leaving her melting into a puddle in the middle of the bed.

  The quiet sounds she made slowly changed to soft snores as she relaxed into sleep. He lay down next to her, staring at her sleeping on her stomach, his arousal not letting him relax. He began to slowly stroke his shaft, squeezing hard from the base up, his eyes moving from her thighs, over her rounded curves, to the sides of her breasts. Her beautiful face was shadowed in the dim light, but she still made his heart ache when he looked at her.

  His erect member filled his fist as he pulled slow and hard, harder than he’d ever been able to convince a partner to do. He remembered her smooth sex, the taste of her as he licked her open, feeling her respond to his touch. He kept the strokes slow, enjoying the sensations as he began to leak a little from the tip.

  He ran his thumb over the top to spread the slick fluid over his whole head. His thumb and finger began to slip and slide as he stroked, pushing his head through his tight fist, working up and down all the way to his balls. His breathing started to deepen as he got closer, but he kept the pace slow to make the buildup as long as he could, attempting to keep her body and the memories of their time together in his mind.

  Going that slowly, he could feel his release coming, but pushed it away to make it better, more intense. He was leaking so much it dripped off his head onto the sheets below, flowing over his fingers into his fist. He was now able to slide into his whole fist, lubricated entirely by his own secretions. The desire to let go was almost overpowering, but he was enjoying the tension so much he stopped for a moment to let the intensity pass.

  "What are you doing?" she whispered, watching him quietly in the dimness.

  "I’m touching myself and looking at you, remembering last night," he said, surprised at his own honesty.

  "Can I watch?"

  "... Yes," he said, a little surprised..

  "Show me, I want to see how you do it."

  He was still on the edge when he began again. Squeezing so hard he could feel his veins and ridges as he pushed his fist down over his head and shaft. The fluid was still dripping out, so she reached over to catch some on her finger. Watching her bring it to her lips was the final push. He couldn’t stop the manic pulses as they began at the base of his shaft. His jaw dropped as the pulses moved up his shaft and past his fist, ejecting thick globs of fluid across the bed, some drops landing as far as her back.

  "Oh my God, that is so cool! I wish I could do that!"

  "You can, anytime you want," he said with a grin. "This one is yours anytime you want to try it. All yours."

  "All mine," she repeated to him. She crawled over and kissed its messy head. "All mine."

  Chapter 5: Julie

  Julie put the small paintbrush between her teeth to smear a line of paint into a shade with her thumb. Her gift for the girls’ shared room in Jack’s new apartment was almost complete. She was down to final touches on the face of the princess. Exhausted after two long days of painting, and sick from the paint fumes, she made another small adjustment and smiled.

  "OK Jack, come see!"

  Jack stepped into the girls’ room and looked around, walking to the center of the room, eyes sparkling as he turned slowly.

  "I’m glad you didn’t let me see it until now," he said with a smile beaming across his face. "It looks as good as the theme park. I can’t believe how good the trees look! Even the stones on the tower look real! How did you manage to get her hair to look like spun gold?"

  "You have to paint from back to front, with the base color at the back, ending with the highlights. I used a thick hair brush instead of the roller and painted over the darker color while it is still a little wet to get them to mix together. When I paint it, I make the brush curve like the hair would. It’s really easy, I promise."

  "The girls are going to love this. I just wish you could be here tomorrow when they see it."

  "It’s fine, I only had two days off. Besides, I doubt Sophie would be happy to see me. I don’t want to make things hard for you, especially tomorrow."

  Jack
sighed. "Look, we’ve already agreed to all the terms of the interim custody agreement, so the court date is just a formality. I’m sure it’ll be fine."

  Julie wasn’t convinced. "I have a bad feeling for some reason... or maybe it’s just the paint fumes. Promise me you’ll be careful tomorrow, OK?"

  "I promise." He looked at the details under the tree. "Hey, are those fairies down there?"

  "Yeah, I put them down under the leaves like they were hiding. See if you can find the family of gnomes and the Cheshire cat."

  Jack let out a delighted laugh as he pointed to the grinning teeth hovering above the tree branch. "Found him!" He looked around at the painting, bending down near the floor. "There’s the gnome family mushroom house!" He looked closer at the gnome family, then gasped. "They look like us! How did you make a face with six lines look like Lisa? You could make money doing this!"

  "I did make money doing this, you ass! I cleared five hundred at the art festival in one weekend painting faces, and got three a piece for some murals I did at a little restaurant downtown. You think I need you to tell me how to earn money?" She laughed even as she was warmed by his compliment.

  "I know they saw the sketches you showed them at the house closing last week and were excited. They bounced around for ten minutes, you know? But this is going to blow their minds. They’re going to freak out when they see this."

  Julie smiled. Jack was so loving and went out of his way to make her feel welcome in his life. He had even asked her to come to the closing, albeit to help with the girls, but she had never seen what it took to sell property before. The amount of paperwork involved was staggering, not to mention the incredible sums of money being thrown around for filing papers. Her pre-paid debit card felt very small in her pocket.

  "Did I mention the glow-in-the-dark paint?"

  "No," he said. "What did you do with it?"

  "It comes nearly transparent, so I painted it over the sun and put highlights where the moonbeams would hit so when the lights are off it’ll look like it’s nighttime in the mural as well."