Eva

Then finally, finally, I was able to drag Eva out the door with a wave and a kiss for Amelia. It was when we stumbled out the crowded doorway that I realized that Eva was drunk. I shouldn't have handed her the Screwdriver while I was talking to the execs from Herring. Damn.

"Jess, you're taking me home now, aren't you?" The words were slurred and murmured against my arm. It suddenly hit me that Eva was twenty, and she wasn't old enough to take alcohol. Double damn.

"Yes, I am. Then we'll just tuck you in so you can sleep."

"Sleep? But I don't wanna sleep," she protested, pouting. "I don't wanna sleep. I want you, Jessie. Take me home and make love to me." Her eyes pleaded with me. "Please."

"OK. We'll do that. Now, sit tight," I said as I positioned her in front of me on the Harley. It was an illegal position, but I couldn't take the risk of her passing out on the back seat and slipping to the ground.

Like I thought, she was asleep by the time I pulled up in front of my place. I parked the Harley and carried her up the front steps and into the house. Her precious weight in my arms felt so good that I was reluctant to put her down on the bed. But my arms protested and I had no choice.

'Eva. My drunk little Eva,' I thought as I slipped off her heels and put them away with my shoes. Off came her clothes next and I hung them in the closet with my jeans and shirt. I crawled into the bed next to her in my underwear, cuddling her soft warmth against my harder body. She sighed and smiled in her sleep, making me smile as well. All the expectations that I had for the night were crushed and I didn't feel disappointment at all. Why feel disappointed when I had tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that, and…

With that thought buzzing around in my head, I drifted to sleep.

*

It was early the next morning when I heard the sounds of the invasion of evil Martians. After a moment or so of contemplating crawling out of bed to shoo them away, I realized that the sounds were just coming from my phone. I reluctantly separated myself from the still-sleeping drunken woman and picked up the apparition from hell.

"What?" I snapped.

"Jessica? This is Quinn, from the office. We have a problem."

"What is it, Quinn? It's seven o'clock on a fucking Sunday morning."

"It's important, Jessica." He paused. "Can you come to the office?"

*

"What is it that's so important, Quinn?" I growled as I strode into Quinn's office half an hour later. I'd left a peacefully sleeping Eva at home and couldn't wait to get back to her. I was already missing her by my side.

"Have a seat, Jessica. I tried calling Ryan, but he's still out of town. Have you any idea when he'll be back?" Quinn adjusted the rimmed glasses on his nose and shuffled papers on his desk.

"He said he'll be back by next week. What's the matter? For fuck's sake, Quinn, it's a Sunday morning!"

"There's no need to be vulgar, Jessica." Jeez, he sounded like my dad. "Have you seen the JJ Inc. campaign by any chance?" He sat back in his seat.

"Well, no. I haven't. Could you get straight to the point? I have important matters to attend to back home."

"I can just imagine what that would be," he said wryly before turning the papers on his desk around to face me.

At first, nothing caught my eye. It was the campaign that our company was endorsing for the festive season. Everything was right, the tree that looked like Santa Claus, the bells, the reindeer, the 'Jingle me Green' slogan…

"What the f-." I recognized the company's symbol immediately. It wasn't ours.

"Exactly."

"But, this is ours, Quinn. It's our idea and all sixteen branches of the company are using this slogan, this picture! How could they have the exact same thing? How did they know?"

"Well," Quinn said, picking out another slip of paper from the stack. "These are the possible ways."

I read through them, then looked up at him again.

"You think there's a spy in our company?"

"It's possible, what with all the trainees from St. Michaels coming and going. Also, we've kept it within closed doors, so there's no way others could have had the exact same idea. And JJ Inc. has only released it here, in Boston. It was released exactly at midnight last night. I tried to call you, but you weren't picking up your cell, so I notified the other branches. The Singapore and Japan branches released the campaign two days ago, which gives us evidence that the campaign is ours. I've received orders from HQ to look into filing a court case against JJ."

I digested all that information, nodding as I understood.

"So, you need me to handle the legal procedure?"

Quinn nodded.

"All right, then. And you'll figure out how the info got out in the first place?"

He nodded again, and then both of us heaved a sigh together. I couldn't help it, I smiled.

"What're you doing here on a Sunday, anyway?" I asked as I got up to leave.

"Well, I came here to work out this new problem, but I guess I'll continue with the Tennessee project now." He smiled a little sheepishly. I just shook my head.

"You know what you need, Quinn?" I said as I made my way to the door.

"What, Jess?" It was the first time I'd ever heard him call me Jess.

"You need a woman. A good, sturdy woman who'll fuck you silly on Sunday mornings so that you won't bug other people on public holidays. You're quite good-looking; why don't you find one?"

Quinn turned beet red.

"None of your business, Jess." He turned back to the computer.

I bet he heard my laughter, even through the thick glass door.

*

I rolled the window of the Rover down and put a lit cigarette to my lips. It had been nearly an hour and a half since I'd left Eva at home. I wondered if she was awake already, then realized that it was only nine in the morning. 'Even the early birds wouldn't wake up at this hour,' I thought to myself.

But the streets were already crowded with people and those little street-markets were brimming with bargaining mothers. I slowed down as I passed a flower shop on a corner, and then parked beside it. Without thinking, I got out and asked for twelve red roses. It wasn't until I caught myself smiling like an idiot at the thought of giving them to Eva that I realized something. I cared for Eva. I cared for her very, very much. And the reason that I kept wanting to give stuff to her was because… I didn't want to lose her. Just the thought of it made me feel sick. God, what was happening to me?

'You're in love, honey,' the pesky voice at the back of my head crooned. I stilled in the middle of paying the old lady, the money limp in my fingers. Love? Impossible, I thought. It couldn't be. I'd promised myself that I'd never go there again. Never again. So…why now?

'Because she's special,' came the voice again and I felt like throttling it.

"Thank you," I said to the old lady and made my way to the coffee shop I'd seen a block away. Perhaps a strong dose of caffeine would make me reassess my life. I just couldn't accept it. For nine years, I'd guarded my heart, never letting anyone near it. I chose the stupidest and most ditsy of women so that there was no need for emotion during sex. But all that changed once I laid eyes on Eva.

"Mocha-Latte with a double dose of cream, please," I said to the largely pregnant woman behind the counter. She looked at me, the roses, and nodded.

I watched her waddle about and make the coffee. She was a beautiful thing, with golden-brown hair and gentle eyes. She had a very feminine way about her, too.

'But she's not as pretty as Eva.'

I growled in my throat and the woman looked over at me quizzically.

"Hey," I said after a while.

She looked up at me.

"If someone whom you've known only for a couple of weeks starts haunting your every waking minute, makes you do stupid things and makes you smile to yourself, do you suppose you're in love with that person?"

She finished topping the plastic container off with cream.

"Well," she said, patting her enlarged tummy. "I wouldn't have supposed, honey, I would've known. Does she make your breath catch when she smiles? Do you feel like killing someone if you think about her in the arms of another?"

I thought for a moment, then nodded.

"You have your answer," she said.

"Thanks." I handed her a ten-dollar bill. "Keep the change."

"She's lucky," the woman said. "Whoever she is, she's lucky to have you."

Damn if I felt a blush creeping into my cheeks.

*

"Jess, is that you?" I heard Eva call out when I entered the house.

"Yeah. It's me," I said as I carried the bouquet of roses into the hall. Eva was seated on the couch, the morning paper spread out in front of her. She was wearing my shirt.

"You have to see this! Come here… My god, is that for me?" she squeaked when she saw the roses in my hands.

"Well, yeah. I thought you might like them." I'd never given anyone flowers before and I felt a little awkward. Should I go forward and give them to her or wait for her to come to me? She made the decision and got up from the couch, coming to stand in front of me. She reached out to finger one downy petal of a rose.

"They're beautiful." She looked up at me, her eyes bright.

"No," I said. "You're beautiful." I saw tears glimmer on her eyelashes and quickly covered her mouth with mine, telling her without words that I couldn't bear to see her cry.

The roses probably fell to the floor when our lips touched, but I'm not too sure. It could have been anywhere between then and when I got her on the carpet naked and begging. It had been a week since we'd been together and I could feel the need for frantic sex in the air, making me impatient to bring her to an orgasm.

Her lips yielded under mine as I kissed her thoroughly, roughly, my tongue mating with hers in a fiery dance. I don't know if it was the newfound love in me, but I felt our usually soft loving turn into a fierce one, with grunts and groans of pleasure.

My mouth wasn't gentle on her breast when I bit down, then suckled on each globe. Her belly ring glinted in the warm morning light and I used my fingers to pull at it, making her gasp in surprised pain and pleasure. My fingers and mouth continued to work on her breasts while my other hand slipped to her pussy.

She whimpered when I pushed myself into her, feeling her tightness clench around me. She felt so good inside, like satin or silk. Her juices lubricated my every thrust, until with every movement, she was gasping for air. Her eyes were tightly closed, concentrating on the pleasure rising in her body. I saw her belly quiver when I curled my finger inside her, trying to find her G-spot.

I knew I was wet, so wet that my jeans were probably soaked through. But I didn't seem to care about my own pleasure when I had her beneath me, trembling so sweetly. I pushed into her harder and heard her let out a small scream of pleasure. Her thighs clamped down on my hand as I put my lips to hers to capture the sound of her release.

She poured into my hand like honey, making me groan against her lips.

"That's it, baby," I whispered as her breathing started to settle. I pulled out of her and licked my fingers, tasting her -- a taste that was almost as familiar to me now as my own. I kissed her again, letting her taste herself and she responded weakly. I lay down beside her on the carpet, cradling her pliant body against mine.

With tender fingers, I brushed the damp hair back from her face. My body was throbbing with need but I could take care of it later.

"Eva, are you all right?" I asked a moment later, when I saw a tear drop slip from between her lashes. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Yeah. I'm fine," she sniffled. "You just make me feel so good, Jess. Do you mind if I…you know…" Her fingers trailed down my torso tentatively. I leaned back against the carpet to give her fuller access.

She slipped her hands under my shirt, pulling the hem up to expose my black sports bra. Then, she ducked and lightly bit me below my breastbone, making me gasp and look down at her. She was smiling rather impishly.

"You have to help me get this off," she said, pointing to the bra. When I did as I was told, her hands settled on my shoulders and she pushed me firmly down onto the carpet. She stared at my breasts for a good long while, before meeting my eyes again.

"I like your breasts," she said shyly.

"They're tiny, Eva," I replied.

"No, they're not. They're just right."

She kissed her way down from my neck to my breasts pausing only to flick occasional licks across my heated skin. Her naked breasts grazed my exposed torso when she leaned down and I groaned when she settled her mouth over one of my nipples.

Her mouth was slick, hot and wet when she laved at my breasts and I felt the familiar heat scorch my lower abdomen. She kissed my breast after each suckle, making me feel a little cherished. And when she bit the sensitive skin on the underside of my breast, I arched my back and groaned with pleasure.

Her lips traced a wet path over my belly, down to the waistband of my jeans. Her nimble fingers flicked the button open as she placed a chaste kiss on my hipbone. Then, my jeans and undies were out of the way, leaving me totally bare to her gaze. She stared at me avidly for a moment, taking in my engorged lips and pink slickness. I gave her time to get used to me, knowing that this was her first time ever looking at a pussy.

Slowly, I felt her hand stroke the soft skin around my clit. The pleasure of it sent goosebumps down my body. I had to fight from closing my thighs around her as she inquisitively ran a fingernail down my slit, making me shiver. She placed her thumb on my clit, lightly massaging the tight pleasure pack until I was writhing on the carpet, eyes closed, body waiting to surrender.

She stroked me once, twice, three times and I could see heaven behind my eyelids. And when she put her mouth on me, sticking her tongue into me, I felt the tight knot in me shatter, bringing forth a gush of juices. I was saying something, but everything was beyond comprehension -- everything except for the pleasure between my legs and pulsing through my body.

Eva was hovering over my face as I came down from my orgasmic high. She stared into my face, and the chain that I'd given her dangled below her. She smiled when I opened my eyes.

"Was that OK?" she asked.

I pulled her down for a kiss, rolling her beneath me.

"That was more than OK, baby. That was fucking fantastic!" She giggled and then became serious. I felt the shift of emotions in her and leaned back so that we both lay on our sides.

"What's the matter?" I asked.

"Jess, just now, when you came, you said something…" she started, then stopped to look at me.

"Oh. What did I say?"

"You said you loved me."

I stared into her doe-like eyes, feeling a rush of warmth surrounding my heart. Yes, I did love her.

"I do love you, baby," I said after a while. Her eyes filled with tears. God, would she cry about everything?

"Now, is that so bad?" I asked when she buried her face against my neck.

"No, no, Jess. It's not like that. It's just, god, I love you, too. At first, I thought it was just an infatuation. You were my boss and all tall and gorgeous. I just thought that any woman would like you and naturally, I liked you, too. But last night, when I was dancing with you, I realized that what I felt for you went beyond liking. I think, no, I know I love you, Jess."

I tilted her head up to meet mine.

"Eva?"

"Hmm?"

"You cry for the silliest things." She laughed through her tears. "God, how I love that about you."

She smiled as I kissed her, sealing my vow of love to her.

"You're gonna have to move in with me, you know. I don't feel safe with you living in that flat of yours. I'll help you bring your stuff here later. Is that all right with you?"

"Yeah, it's all right. But are you sure about it? Do you really want me to move in with you?"

"Of course. Now, get dressed." I swatted her chubby behind. "You're tempting me with that ass of yours."

"Oh, really?"

I had to love the devil in her eyes.

*

Dear Diary,

I'm moving in with Jess. She told me she loved me today and practically bullied me into moving in with her. Well, I really don't mind being bullied by her, since it always leads to something, er, nice.

But diary, I don't think I can keep it a secret anymore. The whole thing hurts when I think about it. If I don't tell her soon, I have a feeling that it'll affect our relationship. I'll tell her as soon as possible. Then maybe I'll go to Uncle Bryan and tell him that I won't do it; I just can't.

Yes, that's what I'll do.

I just hope that I've the courage to do it.

Evvie.

*

"'Afternoon, Marie. Any messages for me?" I asked as I passed my secretary the following Wednesday, after lunch. Eva had been missing for the whole day. I hadn't seen her since this morning, when we'd left home together.

"Yes, there was one from Ryan. And then there're two from Monica." She laughed at the face I made. "I've put them on your desk."

"Thanks. What would I do without you," I called as I made my way to the office. I was surprised to find the in-office phone ringing.

"Jessica Carter," I said when I picked up.

"Jessica, this is Quinn. I need you to come to my office for a minute. It's about the campaign issue."

"Sure. I'll be there in a sec." I grabbed the documents that I'd filed against JJ Inc and moved to the office a corridor away from mine.

"I've got the doc -." I stopped short when I saw Eva in the room and two security guards in the corner. It took my mind only two seconds to put everything together, but my heart wouldn't accept it. It couldn't. I stared at a wide-eyed Eva as I stood in the doorway, heart thumping heavily in my chest.

"Quinn, why is she here?" I asked. My voice sounded hoarse.

"Come take a look at these, Jess."

My legs felt like lead when I started across the room. This couldn't be happening. I refused to accept it.

On Quinn's table were pictures, large, blown-up pictures from surveillance cameras. Pictures of Eva in the reception area of JJ Inc.

"No," I whispered, mostly to myself. No, I won't believe it.

"I don't believe this," I said firmly.

Quinn shook his head and handed me a cell phone. I recognized it immediately. It was Eva's.

"Check the messages."

I flipped through the inbox, vaguely realizing that my hands were trembling.

'Hurry up. We need the information before Saturday.'

'Eva, we need the info now.'

'Just read through her files!'

I'd had enough. I leaned back in the chair, totally numb.

"Jessie?" I didn't turn around. I knew it was her.

"Jessie, please. You can't believe this!" I didn't say a word.

"Of course she can," Quinn cut in smoothly. "There is sufficient evidence to prove that you're the one who's been leaking information to JJ Inc. The police are over at the company now. We'll know the truth sooner or later."

"But it's not the truth! It's true that I applied for an attachment here to find out about the Christmas campaign, but I swear, I never said anything to anyone. I didn't even manage to find out about the campaign. The only thing I found out about was the contract you were talking about the other day! Jess, you have to believe me! God, I love you!" Her words cut into my heart. Fuck, I was hurting.

Quinn's cell phone rang. He nodded twice, then snapped it shut.

"JJ Inc.'s owner, Justin Johnson, admitted everything. He probably saw no way out. He also revealed that he got the information from her, his niece, Eva Smith-Johnson." Quinn turned to Eva. "There will be legal action taken against you, Miss Smith-Johnson, on conspiracy and theft. Since you are still under the legal age-limit-."