Downing Abbey – Chapter 9

(Abigail)

Nervous. I was definitely nervous. Atypical of me, considering I was a pressure person. Chatted up my driving examiner while getting perfect checks in every category. Haven’t had an interview where I didn’t get an offer afterwards. But the only thing keeping me grounded in this elevator was the touch of Luke’s hand on my waist.

Considering this was the first time that I’ve met a man’s family – I wasn’t about to say “boyfriend” because we’ve never had that discussion – I was doing okay. I didn’t spend two hours picking out the perfect outfit and I didn’t zone out into a wobbly abyss during the ride over here. I just wasn’t sure if these anxious wisps were from the fact that this was a first or that Luke was becoming more than a hot hook-up with eyes that could melt glaciers.

Speaking of them, looking into those emeralds solidified that he was my rock, his boyish grin yet claiming another gram of my heart. My lips mirrored his, as did my hand as I wrapped a free arm around his waist. That light electricity was there as usual, and deep inside I knew that it would always be that way.

He traced his index in a tight circle at my lower back, and I flushed. Why was that turning me on? I squeezed and felt the hardness of his body softening to accept my touch. I didn’t dare move my hands any further downwards, or we’d have a repeat of the last elevator fiasco and that’d be more voltage than I could handle right now.

Even if I was grounded.

‘Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?’ Luke smiled as his hands groped lower on my waist.

‘No, I don’t believe you have’ I said, playfully smug in the way that I knew drove him crazy. Other things that drove him crazy included flipping my hair and the way I sneezed. Apparently, I sneezed like a pixie and while I had no idea how to take that, I didn’t mind the way it always doubled his efforts when his head was between my thighs.

‘Well you look absolutely fucking gorgeous,’ he grunted while covering my ass with his palm, squeezing it so hard I let out an ‘eek’. He placed his lips on mine for a long kiss that felt like it lasted an entire lunar cycle, and if he didn’t break my out of that trance by smacking me on my behind I wouldn’t have had the with-it-ness to breathe again.

‘Are you excited to meet this gang? They can be a little . . . overwhelming,’ Luke said with raised brows.

I gave him an innocent smile I hoped was more affirming than I felt. If they were anything like Luke, I’d have a great time with them. And if my time with Luke was any indication, they’d like me as well, but these nerves still left tiny punctures in my confidence.

‘Excited, yes. Maybe too much so, I need a drink to settle these nerves the minute we get inside,’ I said as the elevator opened to our floor. We stepped out into the charcoal hallway and stopped in front of his brother’s door.

He kissed the top of my head and inhaled as he always did, and said, ‘You won’t be disappointed. Jacob’s been doing an overhaul on his liquor collection, and while it’s mainly top shelf stuff like Crown Royal or Grey Goose, there’s also a few for the college girls he tends to bring back. Not to say you’d have the tastes of a college girl.’

While his taste in women was questionable, Jacob’s choice of apartments was spot on. He lived in a newly built high-rise that was right in the heart of the city. It was artsy, it was modern, but more exciting than that was the fact that he lived thirty-one floors up. The entire building was glass, glass and more glass, and I couldn’t wait to see the view from such a high vantage point, but that would have to come after the whole meeting the family thing.

I tightened the hold on the sushi platter as Luke knocked on the door.

Steve opened the door, saw me, reddened, and left the door open for us.

Some start.

‘I knew he saw you naked. I’m going to throw him into a wood chipper or –’

I put my finger on Luke’s mouth as a short blonde with sparkling green eyes greeted us with open arms.

‘Yes! You brought her!’ she hollered as she folded me into her arms while I tried balancing the platter on one hand and flashed Luke a smile. She was spunky and energetic and handsy and I liked her immediately.

‘I’m Abigail,’ I smiled as she released me from her gorilla hold. She must have been a cyborg because she was stronger than the she-hulks I grew up wrestling. ‘You must be Jillian. I’ve heard a lot about you.’

‘Yes, all truths, I am the mastermind behind these boys,’ she winked. ‘And you got to start calling me Jill.’

She took my hand and wrought me from Luke’s, and I saw the shake of his head and a beginnings of a sigh before I was presented in front of a burly man looking moody on the couch, a slim-profiled man dress in a sweater vest cleaning glasses and Steve.

‘Everyone,’ Jillian said. ‘This is Abigail, Luke’s someone.’

‘You can call me Abbey,’ I said cheerfully to them. It wasn’t difficult to place the men as family of Luke’s. They all shared the same strong jawlines, the wide frames, and those green eyes. While Steve shared most of the other characteristics, he had blue eyes instead.

But talk about a good looking family.

‘Chris,’ the moody man said as walked over in two long strikes and held out his hand. My hand literally disappeared in his, and I had zero physical input in that handshake. It was clear he and Luke inherited the growth genes, but Chris must have taken the lion’s share. While Luke was built but lean, Chris was more thickly muscled. Add that to his probable subscription to Stoicism Weekly and I can already imagine how intimidating he must be in a courtroom. ‘You mind if I started on that?’ he pointed to the sushi platter. ‘We’ve been waiting almost an hour for the Chinese food.’

It was nice for him to ask with words, but if all he did was just point and grunt, I’d have handed over my first-born. ‘No, not at all,’ I chimed, thinking to myself if we brought enough. Chris seemed like he could solo the entire platter just on his own.

He offered me the smallest of smiles before taking the sushi to the couch. I didn’t know if that was a good sign or not.

‘Jeez Jill, could you maybe let her warm up a bit before throwing her to the dogs?’ Luke said, recovering his position beside me and handing me a glass of something brown. I felt immediately more comfortable with him beside me, and the smooth bourbon didn’t hurt either. ‘Speaking of dogs, you’re going to want to keep your guard up around Jacob,’ he whispered, eyeing the grinning man walking towards us.

‘Hey Abbey, it’s Jacob, but call me Jake or Jay. Whatever you want sugar,’ he said as he kissed me hand. ‘Luke’s been quite secretive with you, and I was beginning to think he was hiding you because you were hideous, but wow, those boots and damn, that dress! I think you and me can talk fashion for decades.’

I could see why Luke warned me. Unlike Chris, Jacob was charisma in a vest, and it was hard not to smile when talking to him. ‘Nice to meet you too Jake. Actually, I work in retail, so fashion is my forte.’

‘Then I think we’ll be best friends,’ he smiled as he looked at me, and when I say at me, I meant *all* over me, stopping a beat too long at my breasts. Somehow, it didn’t come off as creepy, and that was hard too pull off.

I felt Luke tighten his hold on me as we sat, and after a round of brotherly ball-busting the room fell silent. It was undeniable that I was the only one here that didn’t fit, the only one that wasn’t a lawyer, and it was time they put my feet to the fire.

The doorbell rang, cutting the tension, and Jillian jumped up. ‘That must be the food! I’ll get everything ready.’

‘Ow! What the shit was that for?’ Jacob cried after Jillian left the room, scowling at Luke.

‘There’s more where that came from if you keep staring,’ he muttered with a leveling tone.

‘Abbey isn’t a piece of meat for you to stare at like the women you normally associate yourself with Jake,’ Chris mumbled in between sushi rolls. At least half of the platter had been compromised.

‘Yeah, well . . . she’s no angel either,’ Steve muttered to a menacing glare from Luke.

‘Am I missing something?’ Chris scanned from Steve to Luke. I didn’t dare open my mouth. I wasn’t sure starting off with information that I had been naked in their firm was the best option, and I didn’t want to risk Steve’s safety even further by reminding Luke what happened.

‘You got something to say Steve-o?’ Jacob asked, narrowing his eyes.

‘He doesn’t,’ Luke said lowly. ‘Or he’s back on coffee duty.’

‘Whoa . . . that’s what I call an abuse of your position,’ Steve mocked. ‘I wasn’t going to say anything but quit power-tripping cousin.’

‘Bet your ass I am. I took you off coffee duty and I can damn well put you back.’

‘I thought you said Steve was more valuable on cases?’ Jacob sneered.

‘Is that right?’ Steve cooed with a bat of his eyelashes.

‘It was a moment of poor judgment,’ Luke scoffed, rolling his eyes. ‘I only said it because you were so bad at getting drinks anyways.’

‘I left you guys . . . enough,’ Chris said as he dropped the chopsticks, re-entering the conversation. If we were lucky, there was one piece left for each of us. ‘Damn, that was some good tuna. So I overheard you work in retail?’ Chris nodded at me. ‘Where at?’

‘Bloomingdale’s, in Soho. I’m the – ,’

‘She’s the *executive* sales manager,’ Luke announced with pride.

I smiled. I knew my position in retail couldn’t hold a candle to the professionals these litigation elites worked with on a daily basis, but it was something I was proud of, and Luke recognized that.

‘All the girls I talk to love that place. That’s right where Luke is right?’ Jacob asked. ‘Is that how you two met?’

Luke didn’t say anything, and Jillian returned just in time with the food for everyone to forget that question.

Luke kept his hand on my thigh the entire time, squeezing, caressing, and occasionally planting kisses that screamed “mine”. It was a miracle he hadn’t already puffed out his chest and peed a circle around me, and I’d be lying if I said that watching him in full on possession mode wasn’t slightly adorable.

As the night went on, I realized I had nothing to worry about. They were a fun group of people who’s mouths became more Irish with each swig of alcohol and loved to give each other a hard time, but I could tell that underneath the decorative egos, they loved each other. It made me think of Adam and Troy, who were still in the Middle East, and it made me slightly envious of Jillian and how close she was with her brothers.

For every one of Chris’ sentences, Jacob would have twelve, and therefore I got to know him better. He was a big fan of fashion, tanning beds, and massages. If I thought Luke was metro, Jacob was in another league of his own. He had an ability to relate whatever you said back to him, and while that was an annoying trait in girls, I found it a refreshing change of pace from the surly guys who thought that all women preferred strong and silent.

As the men sparked discussions of basketball, Jillian dragged me away from the crowd and we ended up in front of the gargantuan window overlooking the city. Though he was fully engaged in the sports talk, Luke kept one eye on me from across the room.

My creep.

‘Finally,’ she sighed. ‘They were one shot away from pulling out the dick-measuring tape.’

I laughed. ‘Is Luke always this intense with women?’ I asked, matching his eyes, and that look made me swallow.

‘Actually, he’s never cared enough to have any meet us,’ Jillian murmured. ‘He hasn’t had many relationships – none of us have. Sometimes I feel like everyone I know is getting hitched and I’m the one moving in slow motion.’

I clinked her glass with mine. ‘Isn’t that the truth. Now that my best friends are moved on with their husbands and homes in good school districts, its been hard to find close friends,’ I confessed. ‘The work hours don’t help either.’

‘Tell me about it, it’s like I put my head down, start working, and the next thing I know the sun is gone. I need to get a tan and a man who’s not a boy in a disguise,’ she sighed.

I giggled. ‘The last guy I was with, I walked in on him with his dick in another woman’s mouth,’ I said, rolling my eyes. ‘In my apartment.’

‘Oh my god. I’m so sorry,’ she comforted with a hand on my forearm. ‘That settles it. You aren’t uptight and scared to talk about the real shit and I think we’re going to work out. How about next Monday. You, me, happy hour?’

A warm excitement tickled my spine. This woman was gritty and real and a potential friend for me. It was an opportunity and I was not about to let it slip through, even though she was Luke’s sister and that complicated things a few magnitudes. ‘Done,’ I smiled. ‘As long as you come with Carol and I to the farmer’s market this Sunday. I need to cleanse my system for all the pastries I let in between my lips.’

As I we talked Jillian, drinks three, four, and five flew by as the scenery called for lowered inhibitions, and I was sure Jacob’s plan of action once he got the girls to his apartment must have been pretty simple: get them in front of this window and keep their glasses full.

After setting up back-to-back dates with my lawyer’s sister, I slipped into the hallway leading to the bathroom, but not before giving Luke a heated gaze that he reacted to with an opened mouth. The entire time Jillian and I were talking on the other side of the room, he kept his eyes on me, and the tension needed an outlet.

The intent in his gaze was unmistakable, and if I was being completely honest with my body, it wanted reciprocation. It wasn’t ten seconds after I closed the bathroom door that it opened again, and Luke was there with his open collar and wide shoulders. I felt it again, the build. The building up to the top, like when the cars of a roller coaster are going up up up, and every part of me was filled with anticipation.

‘You took way too long with Jill,’ he snarled, wrapping his hand around my waist. ‘Too damn long.’

‘You never stopped staring at me like a creep. Give me some space Lucas,’ I teased as I laced my fingers together around his neck.

‘I’m afraid that’s not possible,’ he said before biting my ear and I shrugged up a shoulder in response. ‘There’s a gravity.’

‘A gravity?’ I smirked. ‘Is that right?’

‘Absolutely,’ he murmured with his face buried in my neck. Covering up the hickeys tomorrow was a small price to pay for this oral massage.

‘Turn on the fan,’ I cooed into his ear.

He reached behind himself, eyes still glued to mine, and felt for the switch. The gentle hum of the fan would give us some leeway, but this couldn’t be the rough, shouty sex that we were used to having.

He trailed kisses along my lips, chin, neck, and then deep in between my cleavage. ‘Jacob may have gotten a few looks, but this is all mine to feel,’ he mumbled as he fondled my breasts. I arched into his touch as he easily found my tips over three layers of clothing like he had a mental map. ‘Tell me Abbey, tell me you’re all mine.’

‘You know that,’ I moaned as he worked my bra out from underneath my shirt and dug in with his hands. ‘You don’t need to ask.’

‘Say it,’ he growled, lift my shirt and plopping my nipple into his mouth as I squealed. ‘I want to fucking hear it.’

I lost my fingers in his hair and cried out as he bit down – *hard* – on my nipple, ‘I’m yours! . . . I’m all yours Luke, you and no one else’s. It’s all for you.’

He released a guttural grunt that would have scared off a hungry pack of velociraptors.

‘Fuck Abbey, you make me want to tie you up and spank your ass seven shades of red before fucking your brains out. I want you so well-fucked that you can’t walk the next day and I want to fuck you so deep your moans are going to keep up the neighbors all night.’ His look could have only been described as fire. Pure, wanton fire.

‘And once we get back to my place, that’s exactly what I’m going to do.’

And down hill on the coaster I went. All the way down.

Source: reddit.com/r/eroticliterature/comments/7c2cn0/downing_abbey_chapter_9