A Mermaid's Kiss

by Katie Holland

  “So, what’s so important that you needed to talk to me first thing on a Sunday morning?”

  “I need you to check your student email.”

  She raised her eyebrow at me, but did as I asked. I could tell the instant she saw the email “from” Wes.

  “Before you get mad, I want you to know that he didn’t send that email. Bodie did.”

  “Huh? I don’t get it?”

  I told her what we had done with the emails and his grades.

  “Do you really think it’s necessary to get him kicked out of school?”

  “Yes, I do. It’s only a matter of time before he does something worse to you or another female student here.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “I didn’t tell you something yesterday. When Bodie found out it was him that created the link and had hacked my phone, he found other things.”

  “Like what?” she asked cautiously.

  “Pictures of you and a few other women as well.”

  “What kind of pictures?”

  “Just random pictures were taken without your knowledge. Like you in class and stretching at practice. Walking on campus and eating lunch. Stalker type pictures.”

  Kayleigh looked slightly horrified. I wanted to make it better for her, but I wasn’t sure how to do that.

  “Kayleigh?”

  “That fucking bastard. I’ll kill him. Wait ‘til Karma finds out. She’ll rip his balls off.”

  “I have no doubt about that, but we can’t do anything to make him think we know what he’s doing. We have to let the University take care of it. When they kick him out it’ll go on his permanent record as to why he’s no longer at this school. They might even get the police involved.”

  I could see her thinking about everything. I wasn’t sure how she was going to feel, but I shouldn’t have worried at all.

  “Good,” she finally said. “He obviously has some serious issues and the farther away from me he is the better.”

  “So you’re really okay with all of this?”

  “Yep. At first, it was a shock but now it just makes me furious. I’d better not run into him today. I don’t know if I can keep my mouth shut.”

  “Can I take you to breakfast?”

  “Huh?”

  I think she was confused by the abrupt change of topic.

  “Can I take you to breakfast?” I repeated. “Are you hungry?”

  “Um, yeah, okay. That actually sounds good.”

  “Good. Get your purse or whatever you need. I’m going to take you to a favorite place of mine.”

  She got what she needed and quickly wrote Karma a note telling her not to read her email until she talked to her, me or Bodie.

  I opened the door to find Wes standing there. He seemed really shocked to see me. All I wanted to do was punch the motherfucker in the face.

  “Oh Wes, uh, hi.” Kayleigh managed to say.

  “What are you doing with him?” he asked, like he was barely able to hold his anger in.

  “We … are going for breakfast,” I answered for her. “Gotta go.”

  I held her arm and walked quickly to the stairs. I didn’t want to have to wait for the elevator and have him say something more to Kayleigh.

  Chapter 47

  Kayleigh

  We were out of the building, and in the parking lot, as fast as we could get there without actually running.

  “That was uncomfortable,” I said, as Major backed out of his parking spot. “Did you see how angry he was?”

  “You caught that, huh?”

  “Oh yeah. You don’t think he’d try to get into our dorm room would he?”

  “I don’t think so, but it’s best to be safe in this case. Call Karma and tell her that Bodie will be there to keep an eye on her.”

  “I don’t know how that’s going to go over, but I’ll make the call.”

  He made a call at the same time I did. Waking Karma up on a Sunday was never very fun, but I felt it was necessary in this case.

  “Hello?” said a very groggy Karma.

  “Hey, it’s me. I can’t explain everything over the phone, but Bodie is going to be there in a few minutes and he’ll be able to tell you what’s going on. Whatever you do, don’t open the door for anyone but Bodie. Okay?”

  My words instantly had her awake. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I’m with Major, but Wes was outside the door when we left. He wasn’t happy Major was there and we’re just being cautious.”

  “Bodie’s on the way to her,” Major told me.

  “Karma, Bodie will be there in a few minutes. Do you have clothes on?”

  Major raised his eyebrows at that, but didn’t say anything.

  “Sort of,” she told me.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I have panties on, does that count?”

  “No. Put on some real clothes. You don’t want to give that boy a heart attack when you open the door.”

  “Fine,” she huffed.

  “And no having sex with him while we’re gone. He’s there to protect you, not to be your plaything.”

  “You sound like my mom,” she said, but I could hear the smile in her voice. “I’ll put on clothes if it makes you feel better.”

  “Thank you. See you later Karma. Be careful.”

  “I will. Bye.” We both hung up.

  “That sounded like an interesting conversation from this end,” Major said.

  “Karma can be a handful sometimes, but I love her to death.”

  “I’m glad you have someone like her looking out for you,” he told me.

  “So do I,” I said with a smile. “Where are we going anyway?”

  “I told you, it’s a favorite place of mine.”

  “I got that but I don’t know where we are. We left the area around campus a while ago.”

  “We’re going to a place that’s near where I live. My family has been going there for ages. Don’t worry, it’s just a diner.”

  I nodded and decided to take in my surroundings. I watched as buildings went by. Some were small businesses and a few were big box stores. Eventually, we pulled into the parking lot of a shiny silver diner that said DOTS in flashing red neon above it. I’d never been to an actual old-style diner, and this looked like a good one.

  Major opened my door and led me to the diner’s entrance. We walked in and it was packed. We found two stools at the counter and sat down. Major handed me a menu.

  “Coffee?” a lady behind the counter asked us.

  “Yes please,” I said, while Major nodded.

  “Why are you smiling?” Major asked me.

  “I’ve never been anywhere like this. It’s like something from a movie. It’s cool.”

  He grinned back at me. “Mom and dad have been taking me here for as long as I can remember. The food is always great.”

  “It’s sure busy,” I noticed looking around.

  “This is nothing,” he said. “Give it an hour and there’ll be a line out the door and down the sidewalk.”

  “Really?”

  “Yep. You have to get here early to get a seat without waiting.”

  The waitress was back with our coffee. “Are you ready to order?”

  I wasn’t, but Major ordered before I even had a chance to look at the menu.

  “We’ll have two of the Big Breakfasts please.”

  “Eggs?” she asked him.

  “Sunnyside up.”

  “Waffle or pancakes?”

  “Waffle.”

  “And for you honey?” she asked, looking at me.

  I had no idea what the Big Breakfast was, but I ordered my eggs scrambled and pancakes.

  “What the hell did you just order for me?” I asked, when she left to put our order in.

  “The Big Breakfast,” he said, like that explained it all.

  Since he wasn’t telling me what I needed to know, I grabbed the menu and had a look. It was three eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, and your choice of
a waffle or two pancakes.

  “I’ll never eat all that Major,” I told him, putting down the menu.

  “You might be surprised,” he said. “It’s really good.”

  “Even if it was the best breakfast in the world, I still couldn’t eat everything that it comes with. I have to stay fit for swimming. My diet is really important during the competition season.”

  “So just eat what you can or want, no big deal.” He shrugged. “And, I don’t think two pancakes are going to ruin your training regiment.”

  “Fine. But if I can’t eat it all, you have to.”

  “Deal,” he said grinning.

  “So, how close is your house to here?”

  “A couple of miles. Would you like to see it?”

  “Sure. I love seeing other people’s places. How come you don’t live there? I mean, it’s not really that far from campus.”

  “It was part of the conditions of me going to school. I guess my parents thought it would be good to experience the whole idea of college, and not just the classes part. Or, maybe, they just wanted to get rid of me?”

  He laughed at the look on my face. “I’m kidding, Kayleigh. My parents aren’t like that.”

  “What was it like growing up with so much money?” I asked.

  “It was all I knew so for me it was normal. Everyone I was friends with lived the same way I did. Logically, I knew not everyone had the kind of money we did, but until I met you, I really never gave it much thought.”

  “Did you spend lots of time with your parents? You seem close with them.”

  “Not as much time as I would have liked to. They were always busy with the company and traveled a lot. But when they were home, they always made sure to spend time with me. Don’t get me wrong, I love them, but I was raised more by Miss Martha than my parents.”

  “Miss Martha?” I raised my eyebrows at him.

  “She’s the main housekeeper, but was really my nanny when I was younger. She’s like a second mom to me.”

  “Huh. I can’t imagine having a housekeeper. I bet that was nice.”

  “She kept the main part of the house clean and organized, but I still had to keep my rooms clean.”

  “Rooms? You had more than one room?”

  “Uh, yeah. My main bedroom, a bathroom, my toy room when I was a kid that became my game room later and my closet.”

  “Wow,” I whispered. I think I was in a little bit of shock. I couldn’t imagine how he grew up. Thankfully, our food came so that gave me a little time to process what he said.

  I took a small bite of each thing on the plate and decided that I would do my best to eat as much as I could. It really was very good. We hadn’t said anything since the food arrived, and I noticed Major smirking at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  “Are you enjoying your breakfast?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “You’ve eaten over half of it ‘Miss I have to watch what I eat’.”

  “Fine, you were right. Is that what you want to hear?”

  “Always.” He grinned at me and I had to smile back.

  We finished eating and Major paid the waitress and left her a nice tip. We left the diner and headed toward a residential area. The farther we drove, the bigger the houses were getting. Eventually, we turned into a driveway with a huge gate. Major pressed some numbers on a keypad and the gate opened. We went down a long curved driveway that led to the biggest house I’d ever seen in person.

  “This is where you grew up?” I asked.

  “Yep, this is home.”

  He stopped his truck and an elderly lady came out the front door. She had a big smile on her face. I looked over at Major and his smile was the same as hers. The smile was contagious, and I loved that he obviously cared for her. He got out of the truck and came around and let me out.

  “Nice to see you, Major,” she said, hugging him. “Who do we have here?”

  “This is my friend, Kayleigh.”

  Martha raised her eyebrows a little but pulled me into a hug too. “Nice to meet you,” she said. “Come in. What brings you by?”

  “I took Kayleigh to Dots for breakfast and decided to show her the house.”

  “I see,” she said smiling. “Make yourselves at home. I’ll be around if you need me.”

  “So, are you ready for the tour?” Major asked.

  “You bet,” I said. I already knew I was going to be amazed.

  Chapter 48

  Major

  I could tell by the look on Kayleigh’s face that she was excited to see the rest of the house. To me, it was just my home, so I was trying to see it from her perspective. She had a way of making me look at things differently. It was one of the reasons I was drawn to her.

  I took her upstairs first to show her the rooms I’d mentioned at the diner. I watched her face the entire time trying to gauge her reaction. She was too quiet as I was showing her around, so I finally had to say something.

  “You’re killing me, Kayleigh. Talk to me.”

  “This is very … wow, Major, I can’t believe this is your room. I can’t imagine having all this space. I think two of my houses would fit in just this part of the upstairs.”

  “It’s funny how everyone’s normal is different, but I love seeing this place through your eyes.”

  I showed her the rest of the upper floor then we went downstairs. I took her on the full tour. We eventually made it outside and I grinned when she saw we had a pool.

  “Oh my God, you guys have a pool, and it’s huge. When I was a little girl, I dreamed about having my very own pool to practice in. You’re a lucky bastard, Major Davenport.”

  I chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Well, if you’re ever in the neighborhood feel free to stop by and use it.”

  “Don’t think I won’t,” she said, pointing her finger at me.

  We finished the tour in the kitchen where Miss Martha was baking something.

  “It smells great in here,” Kayleigh said when we walked in.

  “Thank you. I’m making Major’s favorite, snickerdoodles.”

  “At least you have good taste in cookies,” Kayleigh said to me.

  “I have good taste in a lot of things. Are there any ready to eat Miss Martha?”

  “Let these cool for a few minutes and you can have some. And if you wait long enough, there’ll be enough for you to take with you.”

  “Oh, I’m waiting then. Have a seat Kayleigh, looks like we’re staying for a while longer.”

  She smiled at me and sat on one of the stools at the counter. I tried to sneak a warm cookie but Miss Martha saw me and smacked my hand with a spoon.

  “If that didn’t work as a kid do you think you’re going to get away with it now?”

  “Sorry, Miss Martha.”

  Kayleigh giggled.

  “You think that was funny?” I asked, trying for serious. She laughed harder which means I failed.

  “Yes, it’s nice to see someone put you in your place.”

  Miss Martha smiled at her and I couldn’t help but smile, too. We spent the next hour in the kitchen watching cookies being baked and laughing a lot. It was the most relaxed I’d been in that house in a long time, and I had Kayleigh to thank for it.

  At the front door, Miss Martha gave me a hug and whispered in my ear, “This one’s a keeper.” I just nodded because I agreed with her. I helped Kayleigh into the truck and we headed back to campus.

  “That was fun. Thank you, Major.”

  “Anytime. I wonder if anything has happened with Wes yet?”

  “I haven’t heard from Karma, but that doesn’t mean anything. For all I know, she could have let Bodie in and went right back to sleep.”

  “I noticed that when you talk to Karma and sex comes up, you don’t get fidgety and blush.”

  “I know,” she replied. “It’s always been that way. She can talk about all kinds of things and it doesn’t bother me, but as soon as anyone else is involved, I kind of panic.”

 
“We haven’t had a lesson in a while and I’d like to try something. Tell me to stop if it makes you uncomfortable. Okay?”

  “Okay.”

  I reached over and put my hand on her thigh. I left it there for a bit and then slowly started moving it up until my hand was right over her pussy. I could feel her heat through her jeans. She started squirming a bit, but didn’t move my hand or tell me to stop. I pressed my fingers into her and started rubbing them in little circles. She opened her legs just a little. I could hear her breathing increase, and it was making me hard. I forced myself to put my hand back on the steering wheel. I took a quick look at her face and liked what I saw.

  “I had to stop, Kayleigh. Not because I wanted to, but because it was really distracting and I didn’t want to cause us to wreck.”

  “Oh, okay,” she said quietly.

  “You liked that didn’t you?”

  “Mmm hmm.”

  “Would you like me to do it again?”

  “Yes.”

  “Maybe with a little less clothing in the way?”

  That made her blush and I grinned from ear to ear.

  “I like that I can affect you like that Kayleigh.”

  “I’m sure you say that to all the girls.”

  “Nope. Sure I usually get them off but it’s just because it’s expected of me. I don’t usually care since I’ll never have sex with them again.”

  “So you’ve never had sex with the same girl twice?”

  “Not since freshman year. The only exception was the first girl I slept with and that was mostly so I could learn what I needed to.”

  She was quiet for a while. I wondered if it was what I’d said. Sometimes I never knew how she was going to take my honesty.

  “Yes,” she said, out of the blue.

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, I’d like to try that again with a little fewer clothes in the way.”

  She was beet red, but I felt like I’d just won a mini lottery.

  “You tell me the time and place and I’ll be there,” I told her. I don’t think she had any idea how much I wanted to touch her. The small taste I had a couple of weeks ago wasn’t enough. The need to get her naked was growing stronger every day. But she needed slow and I was more than willing to do that for her.