Hollywood Harlot

Chapter 12

Bella walked slowly to a rack of shirts hanging near the back of the store and began filing through the hangers. Jake stayed in the front of the shop chatting casually with Mrs. Collins. By the time he joined her a few minutes later, she had two shirts and a pair of jeans hanging loosely over her arm.

Jake walked up behind her and put an arm around her hips, pulling her closely to him. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and said, “Come with me.”

She lifted her fingers to where he’d just kissed her. Her skin was tingling and her belly had butterflies in it. Something about that man’s touch always sent shivers of delight through her spine, no matter how innocent his action had been.

“You promised me shopping!” She protested as he dragged her to the very back of the shop.

“Twice now, I believe,” he answered. “And shopping you will get.”

Bella giggled at his silliness, well aware that he was still tipsy at best and drunk at worst.

She looked at him questioningly and he wiggled his eyebrows. “Do you trust me?”

Bella froze in her tracks for a moment. The last time she had trusted someone, her life had been destroyed in every way. She had vowed never to trust again. But somehow, for no reason she could explain, she did trust him.

She skipped to catch up with him. “I do.”

“Good, then,” he said, opening a door to a dressing room in the back. “Let me make a few things up to you.”

The dressing area was a small alcove off the main shop, complete with two white velvet couches, a mirror-top coffee table, and a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

“Go try those on,” he said, pointing to the changing rooms. “Mrs. Collins will be back with a few more in just a minute.”

Bella grinned at him, unsure, but followed his direction. She’d never been picky about clothes, and the two simple shirts and jeans fit fine, so she was done in just a few minutes. Still wearing the jeans and a soft mauve long sleeve sweater, she popped back out from the swinging door.

She gasped when she saw Jake sitting on one of the white couches. A rack had appeared from somewhere in the back apparently, perpendicular to the dressing room, stocked with at least a dozen outfits. An impressive spread of cheese, crackers, and fruit splayed across a stone tray on the coffee table. And a mug of hot chocolate, complete with a perfect dollop of whipped cream, sat next to the tray.

“Jake!” She exclaimed, “How did you arrange all of this?”

He smiled that beautiful crooked smile of his. “I told you, I wanted to make it up to you. And I have my ways.”

Bella walked to the table and picked up the warm mug, holding it carefully between both hands. She breathed in the delicious chocolatey scent. “Mmm,” she sighed.

“I agree,” Jake said, looking her slowly up and down.

A blush crept up her face and she stared down into the mug.

“That outfit looks amazing on you,” he continued, his voice low and gravelly. He stood from the couch and walked slowly toward her, putting his hands on her hips. He stared at her from across the top of the mug, still warm in her hands. He leaned in close to her ear.

“It would look even better off of you,” he whispered.

The back of her neck started tingling and deep inside of her she felt the familiar burning he always gave her when he got close. He pulled back slowly so he was looking directly in her eyes again. Without breaking eye contact, he slowly took the mug from her hands and placed it on the table next to them. He stood back up intentionally. She nervously licked her lips in anticipation of his next move. He groaned, but still didn’t go in for the kiss. He just continued to stare, allowing the moment to build naturally. Then, ever so slowly, he placed his hands on her sides and rubbed up and down gently. Finally, he leaned toward her and brushed her lips with his own. It was a soft kiss, so delicate, until he pressed harder against her, pulling her whole body up against his. He moaned into her mouth and switched his grip to behind her neck. Their bodies were tight up against each other, no space between them at all. Bella reached up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, running her hands through his hair. Visions of the night before, the two of them tangled up in nothing but the soft sheets and each other’s arms, teased at her memory. Jake must have been thinking the same thing.

“Too…much….clothes,” he gasped between kisses. Bella moaned and lifted one leg up to wrap around his waist. He grabbed onto it, holding under her thigh.

“You’re so damn hot,” he whispered, his lips leaving hers to caress her neck. He licked under her ear and then down her neck to her collar bone.

He pushed her backwards to the fitting room and slammed the door shut behind him, starting to unbutton her jeans before the door was even shut.

“Mrs. Collins is out there!” Bella whispered nervously.

“We’re alone, baby, it’s okay,” he answered, pulling her jeans down and pausing a moment to admire her full, n***d beauty.

“Still no underwear?” He asked, his eyes gleaming.

She blushed, embarrassed. “You never took me shopping!”

“I love it,” he growled, bending down to lightly kiss her bare skin just beneath her belly button. He grabbed onto her butt cheeks with both hands and sighed, “So soft, so beautiful.”

Bella tugged the sweater off over her head as fast as she could and unsnapped her own b*a. As Jake continued kissing her, and then slowly began massaging her with his tongue, she stood up on her toes and gasped, “Oh my God!”

“Yes!” he shouted, her small movement giving him the vantage he needed to slip his tongue deep inside her. Desire exploded from within, and she grabbed the top of his head with both hands and shouted, “You! I need you!”

That was all he needed, so Jake quickly leapt up and stripped his clothes entirely in less than a few seconds. Both fully n***d and breathing hard, he took a moment to admire the full, standing up version of her nakedness that he had not gotten to see the night before.

“Now!” She directed him, and he casually lifted her up, holding her by her bottom, so she could wrap her legs completely around him and let his full length slide all the way inside.

They moaned in pleasure together, completely as one, moving in perfect unison. She leaned into him to kiss his neck and took his earlobe gently in her mouth to suck lightly at first, and then gave it a teasing bite.

“Bella,” he groaned, and the sound of her name in his raspy, wanting voice pushed her to the edge.

“Jake,” she whispered back, urgently, “Come with me.”

With a final thrust, she felt him release entirely inside her and she shuddered over and over with him until her body went nearly limp. Spent, he continued to hold her in his arms, gently kissing her shoulder. She enjoyed it for a moment, and then slowly unwrapped her legs so she could stand on her own.

“Best shopping trip I’ve ever been on,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

She giggled as she glanced around for her b*a. “I better try some clothes on for real before Mrs. Collins checks in on us.”

Jake traced a single finger down her skin, from her collarbone down to her breast.

“Are you sure? It’s a shame to cover all of this perfection up.”

His touch sent shivers down her spine and she could feel herself starting to crave even more from him, but she pushed the feeling aside. She didn’t want to let herself need him too much. Quickly, she put the clothes back on that they’d just tugged off.

“I’m sure,” she said lightly, stepping back out of the dressing room to look through the rack provided. “I don’t want to keep borrowing from your sister! I really do need some clothes.”

Jake pouted. “But I thought we were having fun.”

Bella glanced at him and his pathetic puppy eyes made her insides hurt for him. She smiled coyly. “Oh, it was fun, for sure. But now we need to get back to business. And where did you send Mrs. Collins anyway?”

Jake sat back down on the couch and smiled. “Down the street to the sweet shop. I want to bring my dad his maple fudge, and it was the perfect excuse to get this place to ourselves.”

She giggled. “It’s maple everything with you people.”

Jake shrugged. “It’s Vermont. What did you expect?”

Belle turned back to the rack, slowly thumbing through the clothes Mrs. Collins had apparently put out for her. What had she expected, coming to Vermont for a whirlwind week of romantic wedding festivities in the quaint-town capital of the world? She shook her head to herself. Whatever she had expected, it hadn’t been how adorable Jake would be, and she certainly couldn’t have guessed how he’d make her feel when he was touching her, or inside her. She began burning for him again just thinking about it.

The front door suddenly jingled as Mrs. Collins bustled back in.

“Well, that looks darling on you!” Mrs. Collins gushed as she rushed to the back of the store where Jake and Bella were. She placed a pale pink bakery box on the coffee table and stepped over to Bella to take a closer look at the soft sweater Bella was still wearing.

“I’m still deciding what to try on next,” Bella said, smiling at the kindly old lady and gesturing at the rack of clothes.

“It’s everything in your size that a young person might want to wear. I’ve been doing this a long time, so I’m pretty good at guessing sizes,” the shop owner said, gesturing to the over-stuffed rack.

The sweet aroma of freshly baked treats suddenly accosted Bella’s nostrils and she looked over at Jake, who was reaching back into the box. She walked over to him and wiped some crumbs from his top lip.

“You better jump in here before I eat it all. Mrs. Collins brought us back a sampler box, and he almost forgotten how amazing it all is, but I have been reminded!” he said jovially, taking another big bite.

Giggling, Bella glanced into the box. “How will I ever choose?”

Jake lifted a swirled brownie to her lips to offer her some. She took a delicate bite and the chocolate brownie melted in her mouth like a piece of ice on a hot summer day, leaving behind a delectable combination of dark chocolate with a hint of maple syrup.

“Mmm,” she moaned.

“You don’t have to choose. You can have them all. The clothes, too,” Jake said, looking up at Mrs. Collins. “Can you have them brought up to the lodge this afternoon?”

“Of course,” Mrs. Collins began, but Bella interrupted her.

“It’s too much, Jake, really. I just need one or two outfits to last the rest of the week.”

“It’s already been done,” Jake answered. “Can you please add a couple suitcases to my order, too? She’ll need a way to get this all home.”

The older woman nodded and started bustling upon, taking clothes from the rack and folding them neatly in a stack. “Take the treats, too, Jake. I like to see you enjoying them so much.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice!”

The two of them stood up from the couch and headed to the exit, the bakery box in one of Jake’s hands and his other wrapped around Bella’s waist. He pulled her close to him so their hips bumped against each other comfortably as they stepped back out into the chilly sunshine. In silence, he gently guided her down the block to the end of the tiny strip of shops and turned left down little alley toward an ice-covered river. At the riverbank, he sat on a bench and patted his lap.

“Have a seat. I’ll keep you warm.”

Jake’s eyes glistened in the sun and Bella had no doubt at all that he could do that much and more.