It's All Relative
S.C. Stephens
Published: 2010
Tag(s): "Adult Content" Romance Drama Angst
It’s All Relative
Text copyright © 2010 by S.C. Stephens
Thank you for downloading this eBook. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its original form. All characters and storylines are the property of the author and your support and respect is appreciated.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
Summary: The club was packed, the music was loud, and the alcohol was flowing. Jessie couldn’t keep her eyes off of the exotic man drinking by himself across the room. Kai couldn’t keep his gaze from the buxom brunette laughing with her friends at the bar. Fate pulled them together, giving them a night that neither one would soon forget. But then, you know what they say about fate. While their one night of bliss was perfect, neither Jessie nor Kai could have imagined what would be in store for them the next time they met, when fate again crossed their paths. As they both soon discovered, sometimes life places obstacles in the way that are insurmountable… even for soul mates.
***
Many thanks to all of you who have supported my writing and asked for copies. Thank you so much for your encouragement, as it means the world to me. I hope you get as much from reading this as I did from writing it.
***
The following story contains mature themes, strong language, and sexual situations. It is intended for adult readers.
Chapter 1
New Chapter
There was a chill in the air. Of course, in October, in Colorado, it wasn’t unusual to find a chill in the air. A dampness clung to that chill, making the shivering, huddled bodies rushing along the busy sidewalk pop into bars and restaurants, all in some hope to delay reentering that approaching arctic environment. It didn’t rain a whole lot here, but the weather had been making up for that fact for the past three days. Thick, dark clouds swallowed up what little of the stars would have been seen from the glare of the city. Whenever the moon peeked through that swath of rain-filled blackness across the sky, it was a pale, thin sliver, offering no comfort and definitely no light. The wan glow of streetlamps and the harsh buzzing of neon business signs, some open, most closed, only made the night feel emptier. Cool wind whipped through the streets, whistling up empty alleys and swirling up clusters of bright red and orange leaves that had collected along the edges of the road. Cars racing down that street, heaters on high and visions of fuzzy blankets in the drivers’ minds, splashed frigid water up onto the curbs.
All in all, it was not the night to be out and about. And as Jessie soon discovered, it was an especially bad night to be out. Letting out a surprised squeal, she immediately hopped on one leg and shook out her high heeled foot. Water dripped from the open toe from where she’d stupidly stepped into a foot deep puddle. She shivered as she let out an exasperated sigh.
Things were not going Jessie’s way, and her soaked and quickly becoming frozen foot, was only the latest example of that.
Jessica Marie, as her family insisted on calling her, was suffering from more than just a sodden foot and slightly wet trench coat. Jessica Marie was also suffering from a severe case of broken heart. Her boyfriend of the last eighteen months had broken things off with her a few weeks ago. He’d broken things off with her after she’d chucked a heavy glass vase at his head. She’d chucked that vase at his head because she’d decided to get off early from work and surprise him at his duplex. He’d ended up surprising her, by being in the middle of “consoling” his distraught-over-the-loss-of-her-cat neighbor. Consoling had been his turn of phrase. Jessie preferred to call what they were doing something far more vulgar. It rhymed with chucking.
So, he’d shattered her heart as she’d shattered her favorite vase. As pain and betrayal had started fading, anger had swept right into place. Now, she couldn’t stand the thought of that two-timing prick. She missed the shattered vase more than she missed him. But a hurt is a hurt, and it still stung.
Much like her foot.
She hopped up and down, trying to resume the blood flow to her chilly extremity. “This is seriously a bad idea. Let’s just go home and watch a chick flick.” She groaned at the two friends beside her who were barely containing chuckles at her misfortune.
Her redheaded best friend, Harmony, shook that long, flaming hair over her shoulders. “No way, Jess. You need a little fun.”
Jessie sighed and pulled her friend’s arm, hoping forward movement would put a halt to the tingly feeling creeping up her leg. Her shoe squeaked when she started walking. “I have plenty of fun, Harm. This is cold and wet and…not fun.”
Jessie’s second best friend laughed heartily. Her full name was April-Mae, but due to a severe case of teasing back in grade school, she only referred to herself as April now. April came from a pretty traditional Japanese family and had the dark hair and deep olive skin to show for it. That was about all she’d inherited from her family though. Their “traditions” were sort of lost on her, as she’d fully embraced the modern lifestyle.
While April was generally just a hair behind Harmony on the best friend scale, at hearing her laugh, Jessie thought about moving her good friend back a position, to bestie number three. The Asian beauty ran a hand through her perfectly straight hair. “This will be funner when we get a few shots down you. Promise.” She smiled charmingly and batted her eyelashes, small raindrops collecting on the long, mascaraed tips.
Jessie sighed and groaned dramatically as April grabbed her arm and the two of them pulled her towards the club just up the street. As the loud music thudded out whenever the heavy door was opened, Jessie was warmed by the idea that at least it wouldn’t be so cold in there.
The dance club that Jessie was being dragged to was right in the heart of downtown Denver, so the dolled up girls had to pass a good helping of beggars and homeless people to get to the door. Jessie couldn’t help but look at them as she hustled through the cold. She imagined that most of them were strung-out junkies, their life taking a horrid turn at some point that they probably wouldn’t ever recover from. But a handful of them had to be purely down on their luck, down in a way that made her wet heel seem like good luck. She felt horrible for them as she slipped through the door, knowing those poor souls were going to have to try and stay warm in this mess.
Her bad feelings were stripped away from her as Harmony stripped the jacket off her shoulders. Both the coat and her purse were shoved at the coat check girl, an adorably cute Goth wannabe. April waved her hand seductively at the muscled help barring the entrance and he smiled, sweeping her into a bear hug. April came here a lot, and had gotten herself on the ‘never has to pay’ list. The man moved aside from the entrance of the club and indicated to the woman collecting everyone else’s cover charge, to stamp the trio of girls’ hands.
Jessie sighed, adjusting her short, black club dress while April hugged the perky blonde collecting money and waved everyone to follow her into the throngs. Jessie watched her friend’s jet-black locks swish side to side, marveling at how it flowed like a river down the backless top she was wearing. From behind, April looked naked, clothed only in tight leather pants that flawlessly matched the shade of her hair. Several guys noticed this too, and April was whisked away to the dance floor before she could start doling out the drinks that she’d promised.
Harmony glanced at April shaking her ass with some random guy, then smiled back at Jess and nodded to the far end of the packed-with-people room. The music thumped through Jessie’s chest, slightly making her ears start to bu
zz. Bodies jostled against her, warm and sweaty. Jessie sighed again and was at least grateful that soon she’d be warm and sweaty too.
Harmony led her to a fifteen foot bar, the dark wood chipped and damaged from years of drunken abuse. Putting her elbows on top of the sticky-looking surface, Harmony expertly emphasized her cleavage in her tight red top. The male bartender did not let that go unnoticed. His eyes drifted to her chest, and stayed on her chest, as he cocked his head to listen to her yell out her drink order.
He grinned, nodded, and started pouring them shots of a dark liquid, covered with a light creamy liquor. Jessie smiled as Harmony twisted back to her. “Bottoms up!” she yelled. The two girls clicked their short glasses and tilted them back. The sweet yet potent drink burned and soothed all the way down Jessie’s throat. Shaking her head and laughing, she stopped feeling bad about her wet foot and ass-aholic ex-boyfriend. Coming up to the bar with Harmony, Jessie leaned over the counter with her and showed off her no less impressive amplitude. The bartender grinned wider at the two racks put on display for him and poured another round of drinks.
Three more rounds later, the girls finally went to find April on the dance floor. They found their gregarious friend in a swarm of beautiful boys, each one trying to get a hand on her slim body. She expertly slinked between three or four of them, placing her hands all over them, but somehow managing to stop them from groping her. It was an impressive feat to watch and Jessie’s slightly slow mind laughed at the sight.
Giggling in delight, April squealed at seeing her two friends back in her midst. With arms on each other, for support, and to keep back the eager boys, the girls danced effortlessly. As the alcohol burned through Jessie’s body, her moves became looser, her dress riding a little higher. A couple of guys took advantage of that, resting fingers on her toned legs. She let them, enjoying the feeling of a man’s attentions. She even laughed when one forward guy wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her hips back into his. She allowed herself to grind with the older man, but immediately broke away from his grasp when it became obvious that he was enjoying it a little too much.
Grabbing her girlfriends’ hands, she pulled them back to the bar for another round. The man looked highly disappointed, but Jessie could only laugh at his dismay. He was really too old to be at a club purely for the fun of it. Obviously well over forty, Jessie was sure he spent his weekends strolling through clubs, looking for young, easy hookups. The horny man had even decided to complete the player look with a paisley dress shirt, opened about three buttons too far, and a gaudy gold chain poking through his chest hair. Approaching the dark, stained bar, Jessie wished him luck, but she had no intention of being an easy score.
The next several hours went much the same way - finding a group of guys to dance sexily with on the floor, then ducking out to grab some more shots. The bartender started offering his suggestions on what they should drink, and pretty soon they had moved past the sweet, creamy liquors to the hard stuff. Several guys, hoping to speed up the inebriation of three attractive girls, bought them even more drinks. Each man was obliged with a swift kiss to the cheek and an intimate turn on the dance floor, but not much more than that.
Jessie was pleasantly buzzing, laughing with her friends at the bar, when she felt a set of eyes on her. She’d been feeling eyes on her for awhile, being in a club filled with college age guys and wearing a distractingly short dress will do that to you, but these eyes felt different to her. Twisting her head, she instantly spotted a guy at a nearby table. He was standing by himself, sipping a beer and looking at her. Jessie couldn’t help but stare at him. Even if she’d been completely sober, he’d have gotten her attention. From their distance, he looked tall and athletic, the cut line of a muscle visible on his arm as he tilted back his bottle. While his body seemed nice enough, that wasn’t really what focused Jessie’s gaze. It was more his face.
There was an intriguing blend of ethnicities there that her buzzed brain couldn’t quite place – a mixture of Caucasian, Latin, Asian, or maybe even Puerto Rican? His skin was that beautiful mulatto color that always looked deeply tanned, regardless of the season. But even that wasn’t what had Jessie still staring at him. It was the eyes. He had the most incredible shade of sea-green eyes. She wanted to be closer, so she could see for sure, but she was positive that if she were staring into those eyes, it would be like staring at a tropical ocean. Her drunken mind suddenly wanted to be swimming in those eyes.
He blinked and looked down, almost as if he’d finally realized that they’d been staring at each other for while. Jessie knew that she had a certain attractiveness to her. Her mother had graced her with aforementioned cleavage and a trim waist to emphasize it. Her father had given her dark brown hair with matching chocolate eyes. When she was younger, she’d wished to be blonde and blue-eyed, but over time, she’d learned to embrace her dark features, playing them up with dark dresses and natural earth tones. And of course, on special nights, smoky eyes and perfectly painted red lips. Since Harmony and April hadn’t let her leave the house today until she’d shucked off her I’ve-just-been-dumped sweats, and since she’d spent a good hour perfecting the thick ringlets of her naturally curly hair, she knew she looked pretty darn good. The alcohol freely flowing through her veins made her think she looked amazing.
She bit her lip as the beautiful boy kept his eyes on the table, a small smile on him. Jessie couldn’t be sure, but he didn’t seem to be waiting for anyone, he seemed to be here at the club alone. Maybe still feeling her eyes on him, he lifted his gaze back to the bar. As Jessie was still staring, he smiled briefly before bringing his vision back to the table, his smile a little bigger.
Laughing that the most attractive guy in the club was actually being a little shy with her, she twisted around to order a couple shots. April and Harmony looked at her expectantly, but furrowed their brows when she only purchased two. Seeing their confusion, Jessie nodded her head at the man. “He looks lonely. I’m gonna go cheer him up.”
Her friends laughed and immediately, and not subtly, checked him out. April bit her lip and nodded her approval. Harmony raised an eyebrow and waved. Jessie swung her head back around, hoping her friends hadn’t scared him off, but he was still there, shaking his head and laughing a little as he stared at his table again.
Throwing her friends a warning glance, Jessie started stumbling her way over to him. Ignoring a few slurred greetings as she waded around a couple groups of men, she approached his table with what she thought was a sexy swagger. Immediately, she got her foot stuck in a crack. Luckily it wasn’t enough to twist her ankle, but it did jar her step and she stumbled and started to fall.
Strong arms were around her waist as she squealed in surprise. Her body was now completely pressed against a hard, flat stomach, her ample cleavage now pushed up against a lean, muscular chest, and her wide brown eyes now completely lost in the most incredible set of eyes she’d ever seen. They were as amazing as she’d hoped they’d be. It reminded her of the brochures that travel agencies used to promote faraway island getaways. She was pretty sure those photos were edited to highlight the perfectness of the warm water, but this man’s eyes were definitely not enhanced in any way. He was just…spectacular.
“Are you okay?” he asked over the thump of the music.
Jessie pulled her eyes from his, her languid head remembering the awkward situation that she’d gotten herself in. She laughed, the alcohol in her system covering her embarrassment. “Yeah, I’m just not having a good shoe day.” She picked up her foot, the insole mostly dry by now, but still a little squeaky, she was sure.
Not understanding, he only smiled at her and gently released her from his arms. Jessie found that she missed the contact, and stepped into his side, closer than she generally stood to complete strangers. He didn’t back off though, just continued to sweep those amazing eyes over her face. Even in her drunken haze, it pleased her that he focused more above her neck, than below it.
She handed him the dr
ink, or what was left of it, since some had splashed onto the floor during her scuffle and was now resting in a pool by his shoes. She raised her own as he tentatively took the glass she offered him. “Drink with me?” she asked, in a way that really didn’t sound like a question.
He smiled and raised his glass. “Cheers.”
They touched glasses and Jessie watched as he closed those marvelous orbs and swished back the drink. She left her own eyes open, wondering how those full lips, pressing so softly against his glass, would feel like pressing against her. A little surprised at her immediate attraction to this unnamed man, she shook her head and laughed a little.
Gently laying his glass down on his table, he politely said, “Thank you.” Jessie flushed at his simple words. Amazing, how two small syllables were doing so much more for her than an entire night of hip grinding had done.
He looked over her flush, his smile captivating. Then his hand came out, right at hip level. As hers were nearly pressed into him, she had to back up a step. “My name’s Kai.”
Jessie smiled at the excuse to grab his hand. She didn’t shake it, so much as clench it and press it against her belly. His mouth dropped open a little.