After introducing Abby to the one of a kind dessert combination, Abby learned to love it almost immediately and about as much as Sterling did. Any opportunity thereafter, Abby got to spoil him, she’d bring over his favorite mix to cheer him up and reminisce over their simpler, younger days. Granted, they weren’t old but they agreed things were easier back when their parents took care of them and all they had to do was worry about having fun and tackling their shared nemesis: schoolwork.
The more time he spent with Abby, the more he craved her presence. If he had it his way, she’d never leave his childhood home ever again. They’d share malted milk balls and strawberry ice cream for the rest of their lives with her nestled within Sterling’s strong arms and Sterling, blissfully happy. Sterling smiled, his mind lost in pleasant images of the two of them together, when someone snapped their fingers in front of his eyes. He shook his head to clear it, attempting to do the same with the temporary mind fog obscuring his whereabouts in favor of a more pleasurable future.
He stepped up to the table and leaned over it, cue stick pointing at the white ball in front of him and intentionally ignoring his friends’ questions regarding what planet he’d been on several seconds ago. When it came to Abby, he didn’t care what others thought. As long as she remained happy with him, that was all that mattered.
Playing through several games, taking turns with Sean as the second player for the game, he broke free and headed for the bathroom. At the sink, he washed his hands when the door opened and he thought he spotted a familiar face. Glancing away from the mirror in front of him, Sterling ducked his head in the opposite direction from the male striding through the door currently in deep conversation with another fellow. Swiping at several paper towels stuck in the holder, he quickly wiped his hands across the crinkled mess and balled it up, disposing of it before he slid his foot across a metal tab at the bottom of the door and swung it open to freedom. He waited in a nook outside of the door, partially hidden in the dim lighting, to determine if the male he saw ended up being the same one he could’ve sworn he spotted.
Within a few minutes, the familiar male stepped out, followed by his companion. They stood off to one side as Sterling observed them.
Mr. Familiar slipped an object out of his pocket. He tapped words across the screen and then placed it back. He then grinned at the guy next to him.
The stranger spoke to Mr. Familiar. “Your secretary’s hot.”
“Yeah, she’s even better in bed.” Mr. Familiar’s response caused Sterling to frown. If Mr. Familiar was who Sterling thought he was . . . Sterling’s fingers curled into fists. Still, Sterling had to be certain. He couldn’t report hearsay or gossip without evidence; therefore, he focused his hearing solely on their conversation and strove to block out as much excess background noise as possible.
“Man, you get to lie between those sexy thighs at night and tap into her pussy, whenever you want? How can it get any better? That’s got to be pure heaven in there, man. Pure heaven.”
Mr. Familiar smiled wide. His pearly white teeth sparkled in the dim lighting. “I know.”
Sterling held back an inhuman growl. Whoever Mr. Familiar was, he certainly had an inflated ego. Boasting about his sexual conquests as if they meant no more to him than taking a leak to relieve himself had Sterling’s stomach rolling and him, gritting his teeth to prevent from blurting out obscenities at him for his lack of decency.
The stranger shook his head. “I don’t know how you do it, man. You have all these women on the side and none of them know it.”
Mr. Familiar laughed. “We got to get back to the table or the girls will wonder where we are.”
Sterling’s eyebrows furrowed while worry lines etched across his forehead. Mr. Familiar’s voice sounded exactly like Phil’s; however, without a positive identification, he didn’t want to assume anything. Sterling moved off to one side of his hiding nook to get a better look when his phone jangled a familiar tune. He slipped it quickly out of his back pocket, sliding his fingers over the side buttons in an attempt to silence the blasted thing before the men turned toward him. Sterling’s eyebrows shot up as they stared straight at him.
Damn. He was caught.
Chapter Four
Phil took a step toward him. “Sterling?”
Sterling nodded in recognition. “Hey.” He turned away from Phil. Attempting to minimize the impact of the odd situation, he accepted the call and spoke into the receiver, ignoring Phil as if he happened upon them by chance and not as a result of his predatory stalking. “Not a good time, Abs.”
Abby replied, “Where are you? I’m at your house and dessert is waiting.”
Phil interjected. His words were shaky. His tone of voice trembled. “Are you—are you talking to—to—Abby?”
Sterling looked over at Phil, unsure of what to do or say next. With Abs on the phone, decking the sorry son of a bitch apparently was out of the question. Did she know Phil had a woman on the side? He doubted it. Abby would never willingly share the limelight with anyone nor should she. Capturing a guy’s sole attention meant too much to her.
A leggy brunette with glossy red lipstick and a too short skirt skidded up to Phil, temporarily stealing his attention away from Sterling. She placed her hands around his left bicep and spoke softly to him. “What are you doing back here, lover? I thought you left me.”
Sterling glanced at the woman Phil was cheating on Abby with. He balled his hands into fists as images of Abby’s sweet, genuine smile, the joyous ringing of her laughter and her beautiful, kind eyes shot across his mind. His heartbeats escalated as he glared at Phil. Sterling gritted his teeth and rushed past him before he had the chance to pummel the guy into the ground.
Phil reached out toward Sterling to stop him and then thought better of it when he caught Sterling’s murderous glance.
Sterling raised his voice, speaking clearly into the phone, before exiting the short hallway and walking back into the main room. “Did you know Phil has a girlfriend?”
The leggy brunette flirtatiously smiled at Sterling as he brushed past them. Phil waved his hand in the air and shouted after Sterling. “Don’t tell Abby, please.”
The brunette exclaimed at Phil, “Who’s Abby?
Abby slightly raised her tone of voice. “What are you talking about? What girlfriend? Unless you mean me.”
Sterling replied, “No, I mean a tall, busty secretary in a tight, red dress. She’s here at the bar with him, right now. You know the one I’m at, with my friends.”
Abby’s response was almost incoherent. Sterling strained to hear her whisper, “What? Are you serious?”
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Abs.”
There was a short pause before Abby replied, “I have to go.”
Sterling stared at his phone as the call abruptly ended. He placed the phone back up to his ear in case he was mistaken and she had stayed on.
“Abs? Abs? Abby? Are you there?” he asked, yet there was no response. His return call went straight to voicemail.
Sterling silently chided himself for Abby’s distress. Why did he have to be so thoughtless? He should’ve been more tactful in giving Abby the news, yet he had been angry with Phil’s betrayal of his best friend. Telling Abby the news gave him a warped sense of satisfaction that was, sadly, at her expense.
Sterling pleaded into the receiver. “Please call me back. I didn’t mean to distress you. I want to know that you’re okay. Please. Call me. Back.”
He re-dialed her number, yet each attempt went straight to voicemail. Striding quickly over to his friends, who remained at the pool table, he made a plausible excuse regarding his dad and then raced to his car.
At each stop light, he attempted to call Abby but he either got her voicemail or she let the phone ring. He slammed the palm of his hand across his steering wheel, silently cursing his impetuousness. How did he disregard Abby’s feelings? How could he be so impulsive? All he wanted to do was call out the good for nothing loser.
&nb
sp; He’d never forgive himself if anything happened to Abby from his plain stupidity. He left her one last voicemail, urging her to contact him.
“Abby, please. I need to know that you’re okay. Please call me back.”
His call to his dad fared no better. Marvin informed him Abby didn’t say where she was going and that she left a while ago.
“Damn it. Where are you, Abby? Why won’t you answer your phone?” He racked his brain for the usual places he might find her and came up with only one alternative. Aiming the car in a different direction, he drove until he rounded the familiar twenty-four hour diner they used to frequent as teenagers. He stopped short of a parking space when he spotted her hunched over and sitting on a wooden bench just outside of the double doors.
He breathed a sigh of relief at finding her. After rolling the car up to her spot, he lowered the window and softly spoke her name. She promptly stood and walked away. Shifting the car into park, he shoved open the car door and took off after her.
A staff member shouted after him, “Sir, you can’t park here.”
In mid stride, he called over his shoulder, “I’ll be right back, I promise.” Then he broke into a sprint as Abby picked up speed. Abby had never been good at distance running. Sterling knew he’d overtake her, eventually; still he called out to her to let her know he wasn’t giving up.
“Abby. Please don’t run away from me.”
She stopped abruptly. Bending over at the middle, she covered her eyes with the palms of her hands and sobbed into them. Sterling surrounded her in a hug, yet Abby bucked her elbows at him, attempting to thwart his efforts to console her.
“Abby, please stop. Stop.”
She cried out loud as she slowly sunk into his arms.
The same staff member walked toward them. He raised his hand and pointed at Abby. “Ma’am. Are you okay? Do you need help?”
Sterling shook his head at him. “She’s okay. She’s just had a little bit of an upset tonight. I’m here to help her.”
The worker ignored Sterling’s effort to explain and turned toward tear-stricken Abby. “Is that true?” Sterling reined in his growing frustration with the staff member. Instead, he ran his fingers through varied strands of her hair and concentrated on soothing and consoling her as much as possible. Abby nodded at the staff member who, after receiving the response he needed, promptly left their side and walked back to the diner.
Sterling appealed to Abby. “Let me take you home or if you want you can stay with me tonight. But that’s up to you. Tell me what you want, Abby. What you need.”
Sterling caught her teary-eyed gaze. Her trembling lips surged to the surface an urgent need to protect her. “Am I unlovable?”
Her question pierced through tender areas of his heart. His gaze, fixated and forceful, focused on Abby. How could she question her worth?
“Of course not! He was an asshole. He didn’t deserve you. He never did.”
He swirled lazy circles across her upper back with his fingers, mixing the loving gesture with tousling random strands of her hair in between gentle caresses. “Please. Talk to me, Abby. Tell me what you need. But don’t tell me you’re not good enough because you are. Any man would be lucky to have you in their life. I know I am . . .” He left his confession lingering in the air between them. He’d do anything for her. Anything. The way Phil’s secret came out tonight was the worst possible scenario. Sterling remained ashamed he’d been a part of the horrendous unveiling. If he could take it all back, he would, for Abby.
“I’m sorry, Abs. I shouldn’t have told you about Phil the way I did. I was angry, and you had called me. One thing led to another and now, here I am. I’m so sorry, Abby. Please tell me how I can make this up to you.”
She straightened up. Taking a step back, she swiped at her eyes before she croaked out several words. “Take me home.”
Sterling reached for her. She hesitated several seconds before slipping her hand within his.
He gently squeezed her fingers. “I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”
He led her toward his car which was thankfully, still parked and running. If anyone had taken off with it, he supposed he’d have to figure out how to report it stolen and find another way home. In no frame of mind to make sure everything was locked up and secure, he’d chased after Abby without another thought as to the possessions he left behind. He moved, purely on impulse, afraid for her safety, and unconcerned for anything else. He pictured Abby running into traffic, trying to get away from him. Whether she’d act upon an erratic impulse like that, he hoped to never know. Yet, Abby was a passionate, impulsive soul and the last thing he wanted was to find her injured because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
He helped her into the passenger seat and then, quickly, slipped behind the driver’s seat before steering the car out of the parking lot and onto a side road. He’d just crossed the main road when she leaned onto his shoulder. Interlocking her arms just above his elbow, she nestled her head against his upper arm and sniffled. He always loved it when she leaned into him. Yet now, it seemed she needed him more. Sterling was willing to give her anything she wanted if it brought her peace and joy once again.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?”
He felt her shake her head. “No. I just want to be with you.”
God, he loved it when she needed him. Yet, she needed peace and rest more than company at this moment. “I’m still taking you home, right?”
“No. I don’t want to be alone tonight. Can I go home with you?”
He sucked in a breath of air. To hear those words in another context, at another time, would mean the world to him. Yet Abby was in pain. She needed to heal.
“Of course. I told you that I’ll take you anywhere you like.”
She planted a kiss just underneath the sleeve of his t-shirt across part of his tattoo. Her soft lips seared over his skin, creating their own permanent etching within his memory. His head fell back onto the headrest as her gentle words pinged across his eardrums. “I love you.”
“I love you too,” he whispered back, turning toward her in time to catch her eyelids closing.
Less than thirty minutes later he rushed her quickly through the front door in an effort to avoid any inquiry from his dad. The last thing she needed was to re-live the reasons why her eyes were red. His dad would naturally be curious, as to what happened between her departure and return, starting a game of twenty questions neither of them wanted to play. Yet, he had no reason to worry as it seemed his dad was already in bed and nowhere near the front entrance.
Ascending the stairs, he made his way to his bedroom when he heard her footsteps behind him. She ran into his chest when he abruptly swiveled toward her.
He brushed the back of his hand down her right cheek and gently asked, “Where are you going?”
“I thought I’d stay with you and Gunner tonight.”
“You sure?”
Her soft irises looked into his. “I need you. I need your arms around me, please.”
He shrugged his shoulders and sighed. “I can’t deny you. Anything you need, I’ll surely give you.”
He lowered his cheek to her as she struggled to plant a kiss on it. He smiled shortly after she accomplished the task, watching her girlish figure in fascination run past him and lay claim to the bathroom. He imagined her in her nightgown and then grunted low. After she was done, it would be his turn in the shower. Right after he grabbed the conditioner.
Gunner dropped to the floor and groaned, as if weary from hearing his dad’s broken record of wishes with his mom.
“You’re a dog, Gunner. You wouldn’t understand. It’s a good thing you don’t or you’d have competition for her affection. Mainly me.” Sporting a whimsical smile, Sterling thumbed at his chest. He turned his head and eyed the closed door leading into the bathroom, currently keeping Abby hidden from his prying eyes. “Your mom’s hot but it’s good you don’t know it.” He chuckled as he stepped over Gunner to find
the remote for the TV. Lunging back over the dog, he propped himself up on a pillow in his bed and flipped through the channels until he found the local weather.
Sterling jerked his head toward the bathroom when the door suddenly propped open.
Abby called out to him, the running water almost drowning out the soft tone of her voice. “Sterling, I need your help.”
Lifting from the bed, he stood still and stared at the door, unsure what to make of the odd situation. “Are you okay, Abs? What do you need?”
“I need you, Sterling. I need your help.”
He moved toward the edge of the bed, hesitant to take any further steps toward the puffs of steam rising from the doorway. Maybe she needed something from the kitchen? From his position he could easily bolt out the door and grab whatever she needed. “Is there something I can get you?”
“Please, come in here. I need your help.”
He rounded the bed and shuffled carefully across the bamboo flooring until he was in front of the door. Then he nudged it open.
His breath caught in his throat. He widened his eyes as his greedy irises swept slowly over the most breathtaking image it had ever captured. There, in front of him, stood Abby, gloriously nude. Beads of moisture pooled on areas he’d enjoy raking his tongue over. He gasped, his lungs drawing in large volumes of oxygen with every breath and expending it shortly afterward, urging him to replenish his need to breathe.
“God, Abby, you’re beautiful.” He attempted to ignore the muscle between his thighs which he sensed was already swelling and lengthening to impossible proportions. The more tantalizing delights his irises exposed on her luscious form, the more his hardened member readied itself for play.
His gaze swept slowly over her curves, across her dusty pink nipples, around her sensually feminine hips, and down her thighs to the apex encompassing most all of his wet dreams while her eyes shot straight down his clothed body. As much as he wanted to hide his intense attraction for her and save his dark secret for another time, it was already too late. She noticed.
No Man Left Behind: A Veteran Inspired Charity Anthology Page 24
