“How’s the single hot dad?” Corrine, one of my roommates asked as I closed and locked the door behind me.
“Still hot and single,” I said.
“I don’t know why you don’t jump him,” said Allison, my other roommate. She was sitting on the couch painting her toenails a bright pink.
“Because I don’t want the embarrassment that would come with him rejecting me.” I sat on the couch next to Allison and looked over at Corrine, who was sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table doing some sort of formulas for her stats final.
“I doubt that would happen. You’re pretty with a good body.” Allison set her nail polish in the table.
“Remember, he used to sleep with Veronica Tisdale. There’s no way I compare to her.”
“He’s a man. I’m not sure they’re that picky,” Corrine said.
“Gee thanks,” I said with a laugh.
“You know what I mean.”
“I’d still jump him. I bet he’s good in bed.” Allison waved her hands over her toes to help dry the polish.
“He doesn’t seem to get out much.” Corrine put her pencil down. “Does he?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. I only babysit when he’s working. I’ve never seen him on a date. I think he’s too focused on raising Maisie.”
“He probably gets his jollies off with a woman at the gym,” Allison said.
I frowned. “You think?”
“He has to sometime, doesn’t he? Don’t men’s balls shrivel up or something if they don’t blow their load every now and then?”
I knew Allison was kidding, but I still said, “You’ve been letting Keith manipulate you into bed again, haven’t you?”
She gave me a coy smile. “Maybe. He’s good at it.”
“Manipulating or in bed?” Corrine asked.
“Both.” Allison waggled her eyebrows.
That night in bed, I thought about what Dylan might do if I came on to him. He was nice to me, but that didn’t mean he thought I was attractive. He’d probably act flattered, but inside be horrified. He was a man who’d had lots of sex with Veronica Tisdale, one of the most beautiful women in the world. I could imagine all the ways they’d had sex. With me, he’d have someone who had no clue what they were doing. Sure, there was an idea that men liked virgins, but I wasn’t sure that was true. Men liked creativity in bed more, I was sure, and that I didn’t have.
With a sigh, I rolled over and went to sleep. At least I could have him in my dreams.
2
Dylan
I watched as Tessa disappeared into the house next door. I was troubled by the idea that I might lose her as a babysitter for Maisie. It was going to happen someday, but I thought I had at least one more year of her help. The thought of having to find another suitable person to help me was only just one part of it. The truth was, I liked being around Tessa. On nights like tonight, when she stayed and ate dinner with us, I felt like I was giving Maisie a real family experience. Granted, Tessa wasn’t Maisie’s mother or my wife, but she fit with us somehow. Since I didn’t plan to ever marry again, nights like tonight were the only times Maisie would have something like that.
Tessa was smart, positive, and nurturing to Maisie, which I knew Maisie needed from a woman. Since her mother was off living her best life, Tessa was the next best thing to a mother figure, and she did it well. The only problem with Tessa was all the things I appreciated about her. Because she was so perfect as a person, wrapped up in a beautiful face and sexy body, it was sometimes annoying to have to deal with my libido around her. Tessa had that sexy girl-next-door look with her golden-red hair, green eyes, and a sprinkle of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She looked sweet and innocent, which made my attraction to her all the more disturbing. Adding the fact that she was only twenty-three so, I felt like a dirty old man. Granted, I wasn’t that much older than her in years, but in life experiences, I was ancient. A woman like her would become a successful teacher, find a nice man to marry, have a few kids, and live a happy life. She would have all the things I couldn’t give her.
As for me, until Maisie, I didn’t really know what happiness was. I thought I had it with her mother, Veronica, but as it turned out, Maisie and I weren’t enough for her. It didn’t take a shrink to tell me that marrying Veronica and having a child by twenty-two was an attempt to create the family I hadn’t had while growing up. My mother did the best she could, but as it turned out, her best was subpar. She struggled financially, and always sought out a man fix her money woes and unhappiness. As a result, I had a string of stepfathers who at best ignored me and at the worst, used their fists on me.
I shook my head of my own dysfunctional childhood. I wasn’t able to give Maisie the ideal family situation, but she was safe and happy and loved.
“Come on Miss Maisie, time for a bath.” I shut the front door and scooped Maisie up.
“Can I have bubbles?”
“Two bubbles,” I said, walking toward her bathroom.
She laughed. “Daddy!”
“What?” I grinned at her. Yep, we may not have had a traditional family, but no child was ever loved as much as my Maisie.
A few minutes later she was in the tub, which was filled mostly with bubbles. I sat on the toilet seat, playing a guitar as Maisie and I sang old folk song, while she played with her bath toys. I washed her hair, and then got her out of the tub. After getting her pajamas on, getting her hair combed and dried, she was in bed. I sat next to her, reading a few books.
“It’s time to go to sleep,” I said setting the last book on her side table. “You have a big day at school tomorrow.”
“Will you come to my class party?” Maisie asked as she snuggled into her bed.
“I wouldn’t miss it.” I kissed her forehead.
“I hope Tessa can be my teacher next year too.” Maisie yawned and turned to her side.
I was sure that wouldn’t be the case, but didn’t say that. “That would be nice.”
“If you married her, she could be my mommy.”
My heart clenched, partly in sadness for Maisie, but also in resentment at her mother’s selfishness. “Honey, your mom will always be your mommy. Nothing will change that.”
“But she’s not here.”
“No, baby, she’s not. And Tessa is very good to us. We’re lucky to have her.” I patted her hand and then headed out of her room, turning off the light. Her nightlight cast a glow through her room. I took a second to admire my sweet girl, and then shut the door.
I pushed away my anger at Veronica for not being the mother Maisie deserved, and instead went to my home office set up in the third bedroom of my home. I reviewed some paperwork from the gyms I owned, and then went through the financials of my rental properties. On paper, I was financially well-off, although many people wouldn’t know it based on how I lived. I could afford a larger home in the ritzy part of town and a fancy foreign luxury car, but I didn’t need them, so I didn’t have them. Maisie and I were quite comfortable in our three-bedroom cottage on a quiet family street. The basic Volvo got us where we needed to go safely and fit all the equipment we needed to get there. I had everything I needed, as did Maisie.
After making sure my little empire was chugging along, I watched TV, and then with a final check on Maisie, I went to my own bed.
I woke at five the next morning, a habit I developed just after college when I read that most successful people woke up that early. Today I appreciated the extra time I had to myself before Maisie woke up to set my day on a positive path. I had a glass of water while my coffee brewed, and then I took a few moments out on our covered back porch to enjoy the quiet of the morning.
I had a few pieces of exercise equipment there, so after drinking my coffee, I lifted weights, ran three miles on the treadmill, and did some yoga stretches. I’d do a more extensive workout at the gym later, but this got my blood going and woke me fully for the day.
I got another glass of water while a second cup o
f coffee brewed. Coffee was my one vice. Sugar would be too, if I allowed it in the house. I knew Tessa thought I was too strict on that rule. I appreciated how she honored it most times, I thought as I saw the brownies on the counter. I liked how Tessa respected my rules, and at the same time would occasionally challenge them. It ensured I didn’t go overboard with Maisie. Tessa offered a good balance—a balance I’d lose if she was unable to continue to work for me after this summer.
I grabbed my coffee and headed to my room to shower and get dressed for the day. As I passed my window, I opened the curtain to enjoy the sun as it slowly ascended and lit the room. My bedroom was along the side of the house, and looked out toward the kitchen of Tessa’s house. As perverted as it was, I never missed a chance to glance over to see if she was there.
This morning, she was standing at the kitchen table, sipping coffee. Her golden-red hair was tousled. She wore a soft looking tank top and shorts. My dick immediately went full tilt at the sexy image. This wasn’t the first hard-on I got from looking at her. In fact, since I’d hired her last year, she’d starred in all the dirty fantasies I had when I jerked off in the shower. It appeared that this morning would be another one.
I entered my master bath, which I’d redone when I bought the home for Veronica and me after we learned she was expecting. Veronica wanted one of the larger homes along the river, but this was a safer, more affordable investment. The compromise was that the home was remodeled with all the high-end fixtures she wanted. Three years later, she was gone. Still, I couldn’t deny the tile shower with multiple shower heads was nice.
I shucked off my shorts and t-shirt, and stepped into the hot spray. I looked down at my still-hard dick. When I’d first gotten a hardon involving thoughts of Tessa, I was mortified. She was my daughter’s babysitter, for fuck’s sake. Then I decided that in the privacy of my brain and shower, it didn’t matter what I thought about. In fact, I was glad I wasn’t thinking of Veronica or Brenda from the gym. With both of them, I’d had occasional friends-with-benefits sex up until nearly a year ago. Since then, my only sexual release came from thinking about Tessa. Not that I didn’t have opportunities with Veronica or Brenda, or other women, even. But it seemed like it was time to stop fucking Veronica, since we’d been divorced for nearly three years, and it wasn’t good business practice to get naked with a gym member.
As I gripped my dick, I scanned my brain for what I should think about today as I jerked off. Tessa on her knees sucking my dick? Tessa standing in front of me in this shower as I fucked her from behind? Maybe in my bed, with her legs wrapped around my hips as I pounded away inside her.
I stroked my cock as I shut my eyes and let the image of Tessa with her tousled hair and skimpy shorts and tank top come to mind. She looked so soft and warm. The need to touch and taste her spread through my body, making me hotter than the water pelting me. In my mind, I entered her kitchen. I was naked except for the tattoo of Maisie’s name, which was decorated with daisies. Tessa turned, looked at me with surprise, and then smiled. That sweet innocent smile.
Her eyes drifted down my naked body to my cock, widening again. She didn’t say anything as I dropped to my knees and yanked her shorts down, revealing her sweet pussy. I imagined running my tongue through her folds, tasting her. A woman like her had to taste like honey.
Seconds later, she was naked, and I had her on the table, her legs open wide, that wet pink pussy glistening with desire for my cock.
“Fuck.” I gripped my cock tighter, sliding my hand along his length faster as I imagined plunging my aching dick inside her. I held her hips and let loose my raging need. I pounded into her, harder, faster.
She was moaning and writhing, urging me on. “Come in me, Dylan. Fill me with your hard cock.”
“Ah fuck, yeah.” Electricity gathered in a hot ball, and then like a bomb my orgasm blasted through me, starting from my dick and radiating out to every nerve ending of my body. My cum sprayed shot after shot onto the tile wall. My hand pressed against the wall to support me as I yanked out the last few drops.
I took a breath and then dunked my head under the spray as the sweet sensations of pleasure washed away. Now that was done with, I needed to get thoughts of naked Tessa and orgasms out of my head.
I washed up and exited the shower. I shaved and brushed my teeth, and then putting my robe on, I re-entered my bedroom. I dressed in slacks and a polo shirt with my gym’s logo on it. Then I went to wake Maisie. Fortunately, she was a morning person, and always bounded out of bed with a cheery disposition.
“Today is my party,” she announced as she came into the kitchen wearing the clothes that she’d set out the night before.
“It is.” I set her breakfast of an egg and some fruit on the table.
“You won’t forget to come, will you?” She sat in her chair and looked up at me with her big blue eyes.
“When have I ever forgotten?”
She grinned at me. “Never.”
“I won’t forget today. Now, eat up. Tessa will be here in a few minutes.” The image of Tessa naked on her kitchen table flashed in my brain, and blood rushed to my dick. Down, boy, I thought, chastising myself for letting my brain go there. God, if she knew the things that I thought of her, she’d probably be horrified.
There was a knock. As I went to answer it knowing it was Tessa, I had to hope she couldn’t tell that I lusted for her.
3
Tessa
Dylan’s ex, Veronica, was a well-known model who likely made a ton of money selling lingerie, designer clothes, and skin care products. But I was sure that Dylan would make more if he decided to go into modeling. He was a perfect specimen, at least as far as I could see. The truth was, I hadn’t ever seen a lot. I’d never seen him without his shirt on. But he wore his clothes in a way that showed off his perfect physique.
When I arrived to pick up Maisie for school, Dylan answered the door in khaki pants and a polo with his company’s logo. I watched him, appreciating the hard-defined muscle from his taut ass to his sculpted chest and strong arms as he made his way through the open living area to the kitchen. I wanted more than anything to see what he looked like in the flesh. Even if I could only look and not touch, I wanted to see the six-pack of his abs and defined pecs. Okay, so I did want to touch too, but even if I couldn’t, seeing him in all his glory would give me plenty to work with when I was alone at night in my room wishing for a man’s touch.
“Maisie, Tessa is here,” he said, helping her down from the table. When he turned to me, I quickly tried to mask that I was admiring him from behind.
I turned my attention to Maisie. “Don’t forget your brownies, unless your dad ate them all.”
“Daddy, did you eat them?” Maisie looked up at him as she put her hands on her hips.
He held his hands up in surrender. “I wanted to, but didn’t.”
“I knew you were a secret chocolate monster,” I said teasingly.
He winked. “Mais, go get your backpack.”
“’Kay.” She ran out of the kitchen toward her room.
“Do you want some coffee?” he asked.
“No, thank you,” I said. “The school party is at one today, if you can still come.”
“I’ll be there.” He ran his hand through his short dark hair. “I can’t believe Maisie is finishing her first year of school.” He shook his head. “It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital.”
I smiled, not hiding how much I loved how open he was with his love for Maisie. I’d never seen nor heard about grandparents, which lead me to believe Dylan hadn’t had a family life like he was working to give Maisie.
“I hear that a lot from parents. Do you think you’ll have more kids someday?”
He shook his head as he dumped his coffee in the sink. “No. Maisie is it. She’s all I need.”
“What if you got married again?” It would be a shame that such a wonderful man wouldn’t share his love with more children.
&nb
sp; He pulled Maisie’s lunch box from the counter and began filling it with healthy foods. “Been there, done that. Didn’t take.”
“Really? You’re giving up just because your first-at-bat didn’t go so well?” I wasn’t sure if I was more surprised or disappointed in his insistence that he wouldn’t marry again. Not that he’d marry me, but it seemed like there had to be someone who’d appreciate the man he was.
“I’ve had step-parents. I won’t put Maisie through that. Besides, I don’t need a woman.”
I quirked a brow. It didn’t seem possible that a big, sexy, manly man such as himself didn’t need a woman. Taking my mind out of the gutter, I realized he probably meant in terms of raising Maisie. “You’re a great dad, Dylan. Maisie is lucky to have you.”
His cheeks tinged with pink, and I was pleased to have made him blush.
“She’s a great kid. And you’ve been a big help. I don’t want to discount all you’ve done for us. But in terms of marriage … I won’t be doing that again.” He set Maisie’s lunch box on the table and then went to the counter. “Don’t forget your brownies.”
I took the plate from him, noting one or two were missing. I looked at him. “You are a brownie monster.”
“That’s why we don’t normally keep treats in the house. I can’t be trusted around them.”
I laughed.
Maisie returned to the kitchen. “I’m ready.”
“Here’s your lunch, Miss Maisie,” he said handing her the lunch box.
“Did you put grapes? I like them better than apples.”
“I did.” He squatted down to her level. “Now, give me a kiss and go learn something.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her lunch box making a banging sound on his back. She kissed him. “Don’t forget my party.”
Heart of Hope: Books 1-4 Page 49
