The time on my phone showed it was a quarter past eleven. My meeting with Walter was at eight tomorrow morning. If I got on the plane now, it would be tight, but I would have just enough time to wish her a happy birthday in person and then fly back to LA to make the meeting.
I pulled up my Favorites and hit my assistant’s name, listening to her answer after the second ring.
“Val, I need the plane.”
“Okay, hang on one second. Let me call the pilot.”
The sound of her voice told me I’d woken her. But it didn’t matter; this job was twenty-four/seven, and she got paid a hefty sum to always be available for me, knowing to expect my calls at all hours.
“Jenner?” She didn’t wait for me to reply before she continued, “There’s a problem. Your parents are on the plane as we speak, flying to Brazil.”
“They’re flying … where?” I raked my hand through my hair, trying to remember if they’d told me about this trip. “Oh fuck, that’s right.”
“Should I reach out to the private airlines and see if they have a plane available or look for a commercial flight?”
I was far too drunk to fuck with anything commercial, and finding another private jet could take hours—time I didn’t have.
“Change of plans,” I told her. “I need you to shop for a gift instead. It’s for a woman, a twenty-second birthday. I’ll text you the name and address.”
“Do you have a preference on the type of gift?”
I stared out the window as Steven began the hike up the Hollywood Hills. “Something beautiful, something she won’t forget.”
“What’s my budget?”
I sighed. “You don’t have one. Make it memorable, Val.”
“I’m on it.”
I thanked her and disconnected the call and pulled up Jo’s message.
Me: For the record, I just tried to fly there, so I could say those words to you in person. My parents took the jet overseas, or I’d be on my way right now.
Jo: Don’t tease me, Jenner.
Me: Would you want me for your birthday?
Jo: In ways you couldn’t possibly understand.
This girl did something to my cock. She taunted it, teased it; she made me want to fucking pound her in ways she couldn’t possibly understand.
Seven days since I’d seen her, and even though I’d been swamped with work, I hadn’t been able to get her out of my head.
I couldn’t stop thinking about her body.
The only thing I wanted in this moment was to tie her to my bed and rip off that jersey with my teeth, kiss my way up those beautiful legs, and bury my mouth between them.
I wanted to rub my nose across her pussy.
I wanted her scent all over my fucking face.
I wanted her wetness in my beard and on my lips, tasting her every time I licked them.
I wanted to devour her.
I wanted to fucking savor her …
Me: I think you’re wrong about that …
Me: Have a good birthday, gorgeous. Celebrate your ass off, but not too hard—you know how much I love that fucking ass. This moment only comes around once, so enjoy it.
Jo: Thank you. <3
Jo: Are you nuts? Jenner, I have no words right now. I’m absolutely shocked you did this for me …
Jo: The bag is so incredibly beautiful and the special interior—I’m completely dead over it. What an amazing, beyond generous present. Please know how much I appreciate this gift and YOU. I love it. Truly. Thank you sooo, so much.
I smiled as I read the text from Jo, my lips widening even more as I viewed the picture she’d sent, showing her wearing the bag.
My assistant had texted me the receipt from Gucci, so I knew all about the three thousand dollars she had spent on Jo. But after my assistant made the purchase, I decided it wasn’t enough.
It wasn’t personal, the way I wanted her gift to be.
So, I’d reached out to the store and had them contact an artist, who painted Jo’s name on the inside of the bag along with a small skyline of Vegas above it.
I blew up the photo to get a better look. I knew nothing about purses, but the large red crocodile-looking-skin bag looked sexy as hell on her shoulder.
Me: It looks stunning on you.
“Who’s making you smile so hard?” Walter asked, returning from the restroom.
I glanced up from my phone, shoving it back into my pocket. “A business deal that just closed.”
“Bullshit.” He placed his napkin on his lap. “You’ve been in this business for far too long to get a hard-on over real estate. Plus, you’ve closed deals for me that have exceeded half a billion dollars, and I’ve never seen you smile like that. It’s a woman. Who is she?”
I shook my head. “Nah …”
“You think I don’t know what a man looks like when he’s in love? Come on, son. I’ve been around the block plenty of times in my old age. That’s a smile caused by a woman—nothing else.”
I was impressed that he could read me so well. Practicing law had given me this enigmatic edge. Most people had no idea what I was thinking, and I preferred it that way. Aside from my brothers—those cocky bastards who thought they knew everything—Jo was the only other person who seemed to have a way inside my head.
“She’s someone I met on vacation. It’s nothing serious. We live on opposite coasts, and we’re in different places in our lives.” I thought of her trying on her graduation gown, studying for finals that I assumed were coming up, while I sat in this meeting with my top client. Man, two different places was an understatement. “But she’s a good girl, and I hear those are hard to find.”
“I knew there was a but coming.” He gripped my shoulder, squeezing it. “Take it from someone who knows. There aren’t many good ones out there. When you find one, hold on to her. Put a ring on her finger and then make her a mother.”
I chuckled. “Ring, children—hell, I’m not ready for that.”