Sugarplum: A Holiday Romance Read online

  “It’s important to crack your muscles, Jules.” She stretched her hands out in front of her, and began popping her elbows. When she was done with that, she began massaging her legs and cracking her knuckles.

  “Yeah, whatever. Anyways, how is it going with Ned? I haven’t seen him in a while.”

  “He’s been really busy with work.”

  “I’ve noticed he doesn’t come around as much. Are you guys doing okay?”

  “Yeah yeah,” Melissa mumbled distractedly as she took out her phone and checked it. “He’s just really worried about the merger, so we spend a lot of time at his house. I usually go over projects for the clients, you know how picky clients can be, and he sits there typing furiously away at his laptop.”

  “Don’t I know it,” Julie commented. “But other than that, you’re fine?”

  “Peachy Dorey.” Melissa turned around to face her. “What about you? How did it go with that guy?”

  “Oh, Bob? Yeah, it was okay, I guess. I don’t know Mel. I think I should just give up dating.”

  Melissa raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to turn into a spinster with 50 cats, are you?”

  “No, of course not. I’m going to be a spinster with 50 dogs.”

  Melissa chocked back a laugh. “While I do love dogs, and find this scenario highly amusing, there’s certain things a dog can’t do. Aren’t you lonely? It’s been a while since Chace.”

  Julie visibly winced at the mention of his name. “I know.”

  Melissa laid her hand on top of Julie’s. “Jules, I know it hurts. I haven’t pushed you to move on even though it’s time to try doing that because I know you need time, and only you can decide when you’re ready, but getting comfortable in your little bubble of protection isn’t going to help you in the long term. It’s just going to let your fear fester.”

  Julie stared at Melissa’s hand. “I know, but I’m just afraid. I really screwed up Mel. You know that.”

  “I know that hon, but we’re humans. We all make mistakes. You have to forgive yourself eventually for what happened. You had a moment of weakness, you made a huge mistake, and it cost you, but I’m sure that looking back at it now, in retrospect, you know now why it happened, and you know what you were supposed to learn from it.”

  “I think that I kept too many things bottled. I should’ve learned to speak out more, but I know that I only have myself to blame for that,” Julie said after careful consideration.

  The cars in front of them began moving, so Melissa removed her hand, and put the car back in drive. She stayed silent for a bit, but Julie knew her well enough to know that the gears in her head were spinning at a million miles a minute. “It’s good you’ve learned that at least. There’s always the good things, and the bad things to learn from any kind of experience Jules. I told you before that you needed to learn to speak up when things were upset, so I’m glad you learned how to do that. I’m sorry it had to cost you so much though.”

  Julie shrugged and gave her a small smile. “It’s okay. I’m the one who made a mistake, but still….”

  Melissa reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “It’s okay, Jules. You never know what’s going to happen.”

  They pulled up into their parking lot a while later, and chatted amicably about nothing in particular as they walked up the sidewalk and into the house.

  Chapter Two

  “What do you think, Jules?”

  Melissa twirled in her figure hugging blue dress that had a slit right down the side, and a daring v-cut. She looked absolutely stunning, and Julie grinned broadly at her. “You look fantastic Mel. Ned isn’t going to be able to take his eyes off you, and he’s definitely not going to be able to wait till he gets home and gets that dress off you.”

  “That is the point.” Melissa winked at her through the mirror. She turned around to face Julie. “However, I’m shocked that you even suggested such a scandalous thing. Could it be? Am I finally teaching you to be a little bit naughty? I’m so proud! They grow up so fast.” Melissa pretended to wipe away a tear.

  Julie rolled her eyes. “I learned from the master, Mel. You’ve created a monster, so don’t be upset when you don’t like the end result.”

  Melissa rubbed her hands together mischievously. “Why would I be upset? You’re my greatest creation yet. I feel so evil.”

  Ned, Melissa’s boyfriend walked in a while later, looking dapper in a classic black tux with a white shirt, and plain black shoes. He froze in his tracks, and his eyes practically lit up as he took in the sight of Melissa who gazed at him seductively through lowered lashes.

  “I’m not sure we’re going to be able to leave the house with you looking like that,” he finally managed to choke out. Ned and Melissa had been dating for 2 years. They met through a mutual friend at a party one night, and the rest is as they say, history. Ned worked at a law firm, handling all their big clients, so he was usually pretty busy, but he treated Melissa the way she deserved to be treated, and in Julie’s book, that made him more than okay. That made him one of the good ones.

  “Like what you see?” Melissa murmured coyly.

  “Like what I see?” Ned crossed the room in two strides and took her in his arms. “I’d like it better if it was on the floor.”

  Julie pretended to gag. “Urgh, eww, guys. I’m still in the room, and I’d rather not have a front row seat to this little porno of yours. Besides, we’re going to be late for the wedding so, I think you’d better keep this little fantasy for later.”

  They both chuckled as Ned dipped and gave her a deep kiss. “I’ll be outside,” he said as he left the room.

  Melissa grinned at his back before she turned to Julie with a sparkle in her eye. “Now then. I already know you’re beautiful, so let’s see if we can make some guys sit up and notice you tonight.” She then took out an eye curler from her dresser.

  Seeing it, Julie pretended to back away fearfully. “What are you planning on doing with that?”

  Melissa spared the eye curler a look before she turned her attention back to Julie. “It’s an eye curler. Duh.”

  “That looks like a medieval torture device.”

  Melissa raised an eyebrow. “It’s just going to curl your eyelashes, give them a little pizazz.”

  “I like my eyes without pizazz thank you very much. I still echo my previous statement.”

  Melissa paused and placed her hands on her hips. “Alright, fine. Think of it this way, you can either sit still and let me finish, and that way you can be finished a lot faster, and believe me, you will love the result, or we can just stay here till you decide to play nice with the adults.”

  Julie looked up over Melissa’s shoulder and calculated the distance to the door as she wondered how far Melissa was really willing to take this.

  “Just so you know, you can’t outrun me. I can easily tackle you before you even make it halfway through to the door,” Melissa commented mildly as she checked her nails, a smirk playing on the corner of her lips.

  Julie scowled. “Urgh, fine.” She threw her hands up in the air and plopped into the chair in front of the dresser. “But let it be known that I fought you bravely till the bitter end.”

  “I’ll make sure the history books take note of that.”

  ***

  They both emerged a while later, all decked in their fanciest outfits, with their hair coiffed and their make-up, ready to go.

  Julie stumbled and tried to steady herself. “I hate high heels.”

  “You said that like ten times since we exited the bedroom.” Melissa commented as Ned offered them his arm. Melissa took his right arm, and Julie tucked her hand into the crook of his left arm.

  “It’s as true now as it was when I first started saying it 5 minutes ago.”

  They made their way out into the brusque night air, hugging their coats closer to their bodies when a blast of cool wind traveled between them.

  They piled into Melissa’s car
, as Ned took the keys and went around to the driver’s side.

  As they got out onto the main road, Melissa suddenly said, “Ned, you need to keep an eye on Julie tonight.”

  Two pairs of eyes turned around to stare at her in confusion, but Julie was the first one to break the silence. “What? What are you talking about?”

  “Sometimes, there are creeps at weddings, and I know I might have a little bit too much to drink tonight, but I know that Ned can handle his liquor.”

  “No problem.” Ned honked at an incoming car as he swerved to avoid hitting it.

  “I’m not a child Mel. Come on, I can handle myself,” Julie responded as she sat back in her seat and gazed out the window.

  “I know you can handle yourself, hon. But, you’re too nice, and sometimes you just don’t know when to draw the line with a guy who just won’t take no for an answer. Anyway, Ned won’t interfere if you’ve got it handled, right babe?”

  She turned around to face him with expectant brown eyes. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. “Babe, I’m perfectly capable of speaking for myself you know, but yes, I can handle it. I won’t do anything unless Julie wants me to. Is that okay with you, Jules?”

  Julie shot him a grateful smile. “Of course it’s okay. I really appreciate the gesture, but you two have fun. You haven’t had a night out in like forever.”

  “Neither have you,” Melissa pointed out as she pulled down the mirror and began to check her reflection.

  “Yippee,” Julie grumbled from the backseat. “You know, I hate weddings. There’s always this expectation that you’re supposed to go with a date, but if you don’t, you’ll be set up by your parents or your friends, or your parents’ friends. The whole notion of not being able to go alone is so archaic.”

  “Preaching to the choir, honey.”

  Ned turned and shot Melissa a quick look. “Not you, babe. Obviously.” She blew him a kiss, and he grinned as he pretended to catch it.

  “Well, obviously what I’m saying doesn’t apply to the two of you,” Julie teased as the car rattled after it hit a particularly nasty speed bump. “Anyway, my point is, don’t worry about me. I think what I’ll have to worry about the most tonight is how many people are going to ask me where my date is, and how many people might actually try to set me up on the spot.”

  Melissa snorted. “You really don’t think they’d go that far, do you?”

  “Never say never.”

  Chapter Three

  Two hours later, the wedding was well underway, with loud music blaring from the speakers, and pulsing neon lights fading in and out of view, illuminating the tiled dance floor. Melody and Joshua had gone all out for their wedding. The décor practically screamed money, and Melody was decked head to toe in full glitter, and a stunning dress that probably cost way more than it should have.

  Julie never really got the appeal behind big, fancy weddings. I mean sure, the bride only got one night to be the center of attention, but what about the crippling debt? If it were Julie, she would’ve appreciated a small get together way more, with people she actually cared about, and not people she wanted to impress, and instead of spending all that dough on a wedding, she’d probably spend it on a fancy honeymoon, backpacking or something.

  Now that was something she could get behind, Julie thought as she nursed her vodka and orange juice. She was sitting off to the side on an abandoned table with her chair tilted backwards, and her high heels lost somewhere underneath the bottom of the table. She had abandoned the shoes an hour after they arrived, and she had no qualms about walking barefoot, though she could see Melissa giving her a dirty look across the dance floor as she stared at her feet.

  It wasn’t like anything was going to happen to the shoes anyway, and realistically speaking, even if according to Melissa, it made her ass look better, it wasn’t like anyone was looking, and since she didn’t personally care, then it was pretty much a moot point.

  Julie took a sip of her orange juice and ran her hands through her hair, making her already curly hair look even wilder than it was supposed to. She tried to fluff it out, but eventually, she huffed and rolled her eyes at it.

  “Do you want to dance?”

  Julie’s head snapped up, and she stared into the green eyes of a man who was standing there with his tie looking askew around his neck, rolled up sleeves, and black trousers with what looked to be vodka stains. He had his brown hair swept to the side, and his eyes seemed a little unfocused which meant he definitely had had a drink or two, but he stood up straight which meant he was aware of what he was doing.

  Julie briefly hesitated as she considered dancing with a complete stranger, but she figured what the hell, went ahead, and stood up. “I’d love to.” She set down her drink and made her way around the table.

  “I’m Dorian, by the way.” He held out his hand. Julie gripped it firmly with his. “I’m Julie.”

  He took her hand and led her to the middle of the dance floor. Julie wasn’t much of a dancer, but she tried to ignore her natural shyness, and just focus on the music vibrating through the speakers. The smell of stale sweat and alcohol permeated her nostrils as everyone around her engaged in sensual dancing. The bodies all around her were packed tightly together, lost in their own little bubble.

  Dorian tugged on her hand, and pulled her forward, so he was pressed against her body. The breath rushed out of her body as he dipped her backwards then forward. Julie swayed a little, so she clutched onto his shoulders for support. Dorian smirked as he placed his hand on the small of her back. He began to move his hips in slow movements until Julie followed suit.

  Somewhere in the back of her mind, her brain was screaming at her to be careful, to not get too comfortable dirty dancing with a complete stranger, but she told that part of her brain to chill and go sip on a long island iced tea. She felt the alcohol coursing through her veins, and it gave her the courage to begin playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

  Dorian smiled as he spun her out then spun her back in, but this time she was facing the front, and her back was pressed up against his crotch. Julie found it strangely enticing and intoxicating to be in that position, so she let herself stay that way for a while as he began kissing her shoulder. Julie felt a vague sense of discomfort at how familiar he was being. A growing sense of panic was beginning to bubble up in her chest as she tried to move away. His arms were locked around her in a vice like grip, so she squirmed a little, figuring that he’d eventually get the hint.

  Instead of loosening his grip so she could leave, he tightened his grip and lowered his mouth to her ear. “I like this little ‘hard to get’ game we’re playing. It’s such a turn on.”

  Julie swallowed back the bile in her throat as she tried to keep her fear at bay. “I’m not playing Dorian. You’re making me uncomfortable.”

  “Aw come on baby, don’t be like that.” The smell of heavy alcohol hit her, and all of a sudden Julie realized just how intoxicated Dorian really was. He was pretending to be sober earlier, which meant that he would be a lot harder to handle right now.

  “I’m not your baby,” she hissed as she struggled against his grip. “And if you don’t let go of me right now, I’m going to scream.”

  Dorian laughed, but it wasn’t the warm kind of laugh that makes butterflies erupt in your stomach. No, this was another kind of laugh, something altogether sinister, and it made Julie shiver in fear. She tasted acid in the back of her throat, and the cold metallic taste of dread.

  “You’re not going to scream because with the way you’re dressed, and the way you look, you’re practically asking for it. You’re lucky I’m even trying to seduce you first. I could just take what I want, and you wouldn’t be able to stop me.” His tone was deadly calm, and filled with a certain kind of malice that had Julie’s fight or flight instinct kicking into overdrive.

  Julie opened her mouth to scream, but Dorian clamped his hand over her mouth. Panic flooded her senses as sh
e began to think of the best way to escape. Julie leaned back, and pretended to relax into his embrace, and as he loosened his grip a little, she head-butted him. His grip slackened, and Julie took advantage of the situation by sliding out of his reach. She wheeled around to face him, and he was standing there with a stunned look on his face as he held onto his nose. He spat blood out of the corner of his mouth.

  “Slut.”

  Julie’s hand reached out and punched him, and she was dimly aware of a sickening crunch as it connected with his jaw. By now, a small group of spectators had noticed what was going on, but they couldn’t quite understand why Julie stood over Dorian, with her hand clenched in pain as he lay on the floor, bleeding.

  “You self-entitled jackass. Did you honestly think that you could get away with this? I’m a human being, not some commodity to be bought, or somebody to be used and tossed aside when you are done. I don’t know what kind of sick mind you have that would make you think that it’s ever okay to force yourself on a woman just because she’s dressed a certain way. That makes you an animal not a man.” She felt a pair of arms go around her, and she began kicking. “You freaking coward!”

  She was dragged outside by a pair of arms that were much stronger than hers, and as she struggled to get out of their grasp, she noticed that her assailant had his hand around her mouth. She opened her mouth and dug her teeth in as hard as she could.

  Her assailant shouted as he pulled his hand away allowing her to break free. She wheeled around, ready to land in another punch, when all of a sudden her entire body froze. Her brain wasn’t quite catching up to what her eyes were seeing.

  He didn’t look all that different. His hair was a bit longer, but he still had the same scar on his right eye. His pants were rolled up around the ankles, and his shirt had the first 2 buttons popped open. His white shirt had smudges all over it, and his hair stuck up in tufts on his head.