by Lucy Robin
For a moment, we are both silent. All I can hear is his heavy breathing behind me. And then I feel his strong, warm hand on my shoulder. “Elena,” he says in a soft voice. “Please. Turn around.”
I turn around with my head bowed, avoiding his eyes, but my eyes fall on his crotch again. The bulge is still there. Oh, God. I squeeze my eyes shut. What does it mean? Is the coffee still hot? No, it can’t be because it’s been here for hours.
“Now, about lunch?” Keith asks, interrupting my thoughts.
“Uh,” I mumble as I glance at him. Lunch is the least of my concern at the moment, but I force myself to think. “I… don’t think you should go out…like that.”
He chuckles. “You’re right. People would be staring at my crotch.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say.
“Stop it,” he says, now putting both of his hands on my shoulders. “I’m going to fire you if you say one more sorry. Wait. You would love that, wouldn’t you? No, I’m not going to do that. I’ll tell you what. We can order for delivery.”
“Sure,” I say, eager to do whatever he suggests to ease my guilt. “Do you have any place in mind?”
“Yes.” He nods. “I’m thinking about Taco Queen. But what do you want?”
Seriously? Out of all the abundant choices, he wants tacos? My thighs tingle again but I force my inappropriate thoughts out of my mind.
“I like Taco Queen,” I say with a blush. “But I don’t think they deliver.”
“You’re right.” He frowns for a moment. “I guess I’ll order a pickup.”
Before I can stop him, he quickly dials the numbers on his cellphone.
“I’ll go with you,” I say to Keith after he places the order. “Just give me a moment.”
He grins. “Sure, but you don’t have to.”
“Somebody has to get out of the car to pick up the food,” I say, again reminding him of his wet pants.
“Damn.” He sighs. “You’re right again.”
“I just need a moment to, uh, freshen up.”
“Sure, take your time. I’ll wait for you in my car.”
I run to the restroom, comb my hair, and fix my makeup. I don’t know what’s gotten into me, but I can’t resist the urge to go with him.
Chapter 10
Keith
I wait nervously for Elena in my car. I didn’t expect she would want to come with me, but I guess she did it out of guilt because she spilled coffee on me. But I really didn’t mind it, considering the way she stared at my crotch. Damn, my dick twitches just thinking about her touch.
I’m the one who should feel guilty. She was so grateful for what I did to help her earlier, even though it wasn’t even a selfless gesture, because her website benefits my company at the end. I’m sure she understands it, too.
I feel like an asshole because I’m using her. I need Elena’s help in my battle against my dad. I thought about it long and hard and decided I would need to do everything I could to win the Roseville deal. From Dad’s behavior, I could see he wanted the deal as much as I did. It might determine the future of his company. Yesterday I checked online records and didn’t find any sales from his office for the past three months, and I have an inkling that his company is near its end.
My suspicion is confirmed by Tiffany, who’s still working for Dad but provides me valuable information about his company. As far as she knows, there aren’t that many able, experienced agents left at Dad’s office because he’s not trying to retain them with reasonable commission rates. He still maintains an adequate amount of agent count, but most of them are inexperienced newbies. I don’t know what’s wrong with the old man, but he used to be smarter than this.
Elena finally appears at the door. She pauses for a moment looking at my direction as if to make sure it’s me. I wave at her through the car window, and she walks toward me.
“Nice car,” she comments as she buckles her seatbelt. “I like Audi. I used to own an A5 coupe. I bought it with my first commission.”
“Thanks,” I say, glad we have something in common. Knowing she’s driving a Honda, I ask, “So, what happened to your coupe?”
“I sold it before moving to NorCal.”
Mention of NorCal shadows my mood. I was the cause of that. No, it wasn’t entirely my fault. She was responsible, too. Anger flares up, and I grip the steering wheel tightly as I turn into the parking lot of Queen Taco. I have to let go of the past. I inhale and exhale deeply. “Here we are!”
I watch Elena walk to the restaurant to pick up the food, admiring her figure. Even in her business attire, she looks sexy. Her pencil skirt fits her snuggly, hugging her curvy ass and showing her long legs. My pulse quickens just watching her hips sway across the parking lot. I imagine how good she looks without the skirt… Holy fuck. I take a deep breath and remind myself not to get carried away. It’s pure business between us. I have to convince this woman to work for me, nothing else.
Elena gets back into the car a moment later, holding a large brown bag of take-outs.
My mouth waters at the aroma of the food. I start the engine as soon as she fastens her seatbelt.
Instead of turning toward the direction of Prestige, I head toward a side street.
When I stop the car by Garfield Park, Elena looks at me quizzically. “Why?”
“Let’s have a picnic.”
She blinks. “Are you sure? What about your, uh…?” She glances at my crotch.
Damn. I forgot about it.
I look down, and then I grin. The wet stain is gone.
“Have you been here before?” I ask her as we walk into the park.
She nods. “A few times back in school days. One time it was a classmate’s birthday party, and the other was a concert I attended with my friend Audrey’s family.”
“I came here a lot when I was little,” I say to her. “Both me and my mom made lots of friends at the playground.”
“I see,” she laughs. “Do you want to go back there and play?”
“Sure. After we eat,” I say with a wink, knowing she’s joking.
We find a picnic table shaded by an oak tree and across a lawn to a playground. Elena cleans up the benches while I spread the food out on the table.
“Mm—this is good!” Elena says after swallowing the first bite of her fish taco.
“Of course. They have the best tacos in town,” I say a bit smugly as if I owned Taco Queen.
“Wow. I didn’t know. I wanted to try the place but was always afraid to be disappointed. Thanks.”
“So, you love tacos?”
“Yep.” She nods. “My ex-husband Carlos makes great tacos. We used to have a food delivery business.”
“Oh?” Mention of her ex-husband sparks curiosity in me. “What happened?”
“It failed,” she says with a shrug. “He’s a great cook, but not good at marketing. And it’s hard work. I admit I didn’t share his enthusiasm.”
She stops abruptly as if suddenly realizing she was telling me too much.
“What’s your enthusiasm, then?”
“I like selling houses,” she says without hesitation.
Of course, what a dumb question. But I continue my inquisition, “Why?”
She thinks for a moment. “It brings back good memories. My parents bought their first house when I was ten. And I remember the excitement of viewing one house after another. We dreamed about living in it each time we go to an open house, and then we moved on dreaming about living in the other one. We never found the perfect house, but we loved the one we bought. Being a real estate agent, I get to experience those dreams again and again, with my clients.”
I like what I hear. It’s absolutely sincere. I’ve heard a lot of unconvincing declarations such as enjoying to help people and meet people, etc. “Where is the house? Do you still live there?”
“No. We lived there for only five years, and then my parents divorced, and they sold the house. My mom moved to San Jose two years later with her boyfriend.”
“I didn’t right away. But I went to college over there a year later.”
“Why did you move back? You didn’t like the Bay Area?”
She shakes her head. “Not really, even though the public transportation was great. I missed Nonna and my friends. And it rained too much.”
I nod and once again feel guilty of pushing her back to a place she didn’t really like years later.
As we eat, Elena’s eyes glue to the playground. I’m sitting with my back to it, but I can hear the laughter and shouts. She chuckles, too, obviously amused by what she sees.
“Do you have any kids?” I’ve been wanting to know this since the day I met her again.
“No,” she says with a sigh, looking as if she regrets the fact.
I refrain from asking why, but she volunteers. “We were too busy with the business.”
And then she stops talking, and we finish our meals in awkward silence. After we clear the table, I suggest taking a walk in the park, and Elena agrees.
“By the way, how’s your mom?” Elena asks as we stroll along the path between lawns.
I stop smiling. “She passed away five years ago.”
“Oh. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s fine. I got over it.” I say, but my trembling voice gives me away. The place reminds me of Mom even after so many years. It feels like only yesterday when I was here with her. Suddenly I regret not spending more time with her during the last years of her life. For years after I graduated from college, I lived alone and away from her. I didn’t want to see her simply because I didn’t want to go back to Dad’s house. I could’ve taken her out, to shopping, to movies, or to the park.
Elena puts her hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I say quickly. “I’m sorry. I spaced out.”
As we head back to my car, Elena casts a longing glance at the playground.
The look on her face makes me want to hold her. I want to tell her that she hasn’t missed her chance yet. Come on. She’s only forty, she can still have many kids if she wants. A lot of guys would be dying to put their seed into her womb. Fuck. The thought makes my dick jolt.
Sit, I chant a spell mentally to the horny guy. This is inappropriate. I quicken my steps so she wouldn’t notice my bulge. I’m not supposed to react to what she says or does or what I could do to her. I already regret taking her here on an impulse. I didn’t know I would feel so sentimental about the place. I only meant to keep her as an employee and don’t intend to be friends with her. My silent incantation works. My dick shrinks by the time we get to my car. I let out a sigh of relief.
“Thanks for lunch,” Elena says to me before we enter Prestige.
“You’re welcome.”
It’s two o’clock, but the building is empty—just the two of us. Elena and I both fall silent the moment the front door closes.
When we pass my office, we both pause and glance at each other. The air feel charged between us, and my pulse skitters. I need to touch her. She has a strand of hair that’s out of place. Perhaps I can smooth it for her. Perhaps I will undo her bun altogether and let her hair fall. I miss how she looked with her hair down.
I’m reaching out my hand when she blurts, “Are you and Tiffany seeing each other?”
I draw back my hand. “No. We’re just friends.”
“Does she still work for your dad?”
“Yes. Why do you ask?”
“Nothing.” She shrugs. “Just curious. And is Kelly affiliated with Brook?”
“No.” I stop smiling. “I have no relation with my dad now. I established my company without his help if that’s what you’re wondering about.”
“I see.” Her eyes widen. “That’s remarkable. I…honestly didn’t know.”
“You thought I was a spoiled kid?” I stare at her accusingly. “I know many people in the business think I haven’t earned my success with hard work.”
“I’m sorry,” she mumbles as she gazes at me.
Her eyes sparkle. Is it admiration? Whatever it is, it kindles a fire in me.
I reach to hold her hand. “Elena!”
She gasps and pulls back her hand. “I’m going to work on my website for a while, and then I’ll go home. I don’t have much else to do,” she says and hurries away.
I struggle with my urge to follow her and enter my office instead. I shut the door and plop into my couch. I have work to do, but all I can think about is Elena. I have an unquenchable thirst for her, and I’m thinking about all the ways I can take her. I can lay her over my executive desk, or bend her over the couch. Holy shit. What the hell has gotten into me? Okay. It’s been a while I had sex with a real person. I’ve been taking care of myself. I should do it now. Otherwise, I can’t imagine what I would do to Elena.
Without a second thought, I unzip myself and free my cock that’s been struggling against my pants on our way back. It’s so fucking thick and shining. Damn. What the hell is the woman doing to me? I grip it with force and stroke it up and down. Ahh. I stifle a groan, although I doubt she can hear me. As soon as I close my eyes, I remember her hand wiping coffee off my pants. I imagine it’s stroking my cock now. I imagine her lush lips wrapping me. Holy fuck. It doesn’t take long for me to come—a rope of cum spurts onto the floor.
I take a deep breath after I clean up everything, glad I get her out of my system. And then I remind myself, “You dickhead. You are not going to fuck her again. She’s sexy. Yeah. But she was a whore. She fucked Mike in his house, while Mom was there!”
Chapter 11
Elena
The moment I pull my car into the driveway, I hear the sound of mahjong tiles. This surprises me. Wednesday is normally singing day at the senior center.
“Hi Nonna, I’m home,” I say to her before greeting Stella, Giovanni’s grandma, and Susan, Audrey’s grandma. I pause when I see a new face: A tall woman in her seventies, with short silvery hair and piercing grey eyes.
“Elena, meet Paola, our new club member,” Nonna says to me, beaming. “We met at the senior center this morning.”
That explains the change in the routine. I shake hands with Paola right away, glad that she’s saved Nonna’s mahjong club. “Nice to meet you. I’m Elena, Mia’s granddaughter.”
Paola has an air of authority about her. Unlike the others who wear a t-shirt and yoga pants, she wears an elegant two-piece georgette dress and a double-strand pearl necklace with matching earrings. She doesn’t look like she belongs to the group and I wonder how long she’ll stay.
“Elena! A beautiful name for a beautiful girl,” Paola says, surprising me with a soft voice and a kind smile.
I blush at the comment. “Thank you. Are you from around here?” I ask, curious about her accent.
“Paola recently moved here from New York,” Stella chimes in.
“Welcome to Los Angeles,” I say.
After lingering in the living room a moment longer, I leave them and head toward my bedroom. I need a bath, and I need to be alone.
Once I’m soaking in my bathtub, my thoughts drift to Keith again, like they have done the entire afternoon. After we parted outside his office, I didn’t have any work done. I kept thinking about him. Our afternoon together was also unforgettable. Why did he take me to the park? He’s still as whimsical as he was twelve years ago. The way he spoke of his mom made me change my opinion about him, and when he told me he built his empire without the help of his dad impressed me more. Shit. I think I’m falling for his charm again.
The way Keith held my hand frightened me and thrilled me at the same time. If I didn’t get away, I knew I would be falling into his arms again, and I couldn’t imagine the consequences. Why am I still attracted to this guy? Just remembering his penetrating eyes makes my lady bits tingle, and adding his megawatt on top of that dissolves me. For the first time in years, I have the urge to touch myself. I
slide my hand toward my aching point to release the tension that’s been building since this morning.
I step out of my bathroom, feeling refreshed. I’ve made up my mind—I’m no longer in a hurry to leave Prestige. I’ll give my new boss a chance, just to see how crazy it gets. Before I reach the living room, I hear Nonna shouting, “mahjong!” Soon after, the chairs move as the ladies chat about their next meeting.
I return to the living room to say goodbye to the guests. Susan is calling her husband to pick her up, and Stella and Paola are helping Nonna to clean up the table. When Stella and Susan say their goodbyes, Paola thanks them for the mahjong party.
“Don’t forget, Friday evening at six. Gianni will pick you up, honey,” Stella says to me as I walk her and Susan to the street.
“Thanks for reminding me, but I won’t forget, Stella.”
“He’s dying to see you. He remembers how pretty you are.” Stella winks at me.
I chuckle, feeling sure the guy’s just being polite. Back in high school, I was a skinny girl. He probably thinks I haven’t grown.
“Ciao!” she says as she cheek-kisses me.
“Ciao!” I watch her until she reaches her front door.
Susan’s husband arrives soon. “Bye, sweet pea.” She hugs me before getting into the car. One reason I enjoy being with my grandma’s friends is that they make me feel I’m still a little girl.
When I’m back in the house, Paola’s on the phone. “Oh my God,” she mutters while listening intently to voice on the phone. “Are you all right?”
I mouth “what happened” to Nonna, and she sticks out her lower lip while shrugging her shoulders.
I help Nonna move the dining table back against the wall and the chairs in their normal places.
“My son won’t be here for another half an hour,” Paola says after hanging up. “He got a minor accident on his way.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry,” I say. “Is he okay?”
“Yes, he sounds okay. But I’ll have to bother you for a longer while.”
