"Hey, sexy. You here to sling some brownies?"
"I'd be honored," he answered with a smile.
"Karen!"
She looked up from the cash box after breaking a fifty for the woman who had bought a dozen cupcakes. It wasn't that hard when we were charging four bucks apiece. She took her two dollars and plate of diabetes to the waiting gaggle of crotch goblins in a semi-circle behind her. "What?"
"Triple hours." I grinned at her, and she rolled her eyes.
"Dream on, Kara. His kids go here. His hours go to him."
Daniel blushed and smiled at me apologetically.
"Damnit." I moved a little closer to him. "So, how did you know I was with Brady?"
He flushed and pointed at one of the craft booths across the gym. His ex-wife was hawking her wares. The slut.
"Lemme guess, she immediately texted you to tell her I was cheating on you."
"Close. She texted me a picture of you kissing him on the cheek and told me you were cheating on me."
I chuckled. "And what did you tell her?"
"That you had initiated us both into a sex cult. We meet on Thursdays, and our robes would be ready by the end of the week."
I laughed. "Part of me wishes you weren't kidding. I would have had a lot of fun playing along with that. We could have made a fake initiation video and sent it to her."
Daniel nearly spit his coffee.
"So, what did you really tell her?"
"The truth."
"And that is?"
"That we are both dating you."
"And what did she say?"
"Absolutely nothing. But judging from the look she's giving you right now, I'd say she is having a fit of jealousy."
Instead of turning around to look at her, I kissed Daniel on the mouth. Forcefully. "Thanks for the coffee." Then I meandered down to the end of the table where Brady was being accosted by three blondes wanting cookies and nookies. Of course, I grabbed his ass in front of them. "Need any help?"
He smiled at me gratefully, having successfully marked my territory in front of the other soccer moms. "Tell Karen we're gonna run out of baked goods soon."
I surveyed the damage to the tables. He was right. "Holy shit. Is it like this every year?"
He looked rather uncomfortable.
"What is it?"
"If there were guys buying all the brownies…I would think it was you."
"The sharks are circling the fresh meat," I answered, finally understanding.
He shrugged. I loved that about him. He was hotter than a balor's balls, but he didn't get it. To him, he was just average.
"Does that make you mad?"
"Not as long as you don't put your dick in any of them." I grinned.
"Why would I?" He leaned over and kissed me.
"You're going to wreck business," I chided, and kissed him back.
"Mrs. Dell and Coach Drake, please set a better example for the children," Principal Marshall said disgustedly as he walked by.
"You want us to teach sex ed?"
He either didn't hear me or ignored me.
"Well, I'm gonna go flirt with Daniel, make his ex jealous, and let Karen know we're going to have to close early."
"Dinner after?"
"Love to."
Daniel's line was just as long, if not longer, than Brady's. I stood beside him for a moment until I caught Samantha watching us, and then I caressed his ass, licked his ear, and then walked over to Karen.
"Bad news, boss. We're almost out of drugs. The junkies are gonna start shanking us dealers if we don't close up shop and get out of town."
She surveyed the remaining stock. "They even bought your cookies," she said in disbelief.
"I'm telling you. Macadamia nuts, Karen. Mac-a-dam-i-a nuts."
"Damn it."
"What's the matter? I thought you would be happy!"
"People bought too much."
"Uhhhh…"
"Well, they get a discount when they buy more. We're gonna be short of our goal."
"How much?"
She looked down at the cash box. "About three hundred bucks."
I laughed and grabbed my purse from under the table, opened it and fished out three hundred dollars. "Here."
"Kara! This isn't a donation-based drive. I can't take your money. There are rules. Brentworth Academy guarantees that it will never reach out to parents for monetary donations. Goods and services, but never money." She looked at me like I had offered to pay her for sex.
"What's the difference between buying three hundred dollars' worth of cookies and just giving you three hundred bucks?"
"Nothing. You're not supposed to buy the baked goods, remember?"
"Oh, yeah." I frowned for a moment and then came up with a brilliant plan. "What if it was donated?"
"Pardon?"
"Let's say a bakery donated more baked goods. Would that be good enough?"
"Yes?"
"Hang on." I walked outside and hid behind a tree with my smart phone. When I went back in, Karen was staring at me suspiciously. "What?"
"I'm almost afraid to ask what you did."
"Got a local bakery to donate five hundred dollars' worth of baked goods."
"Uh. How?"
"By donating five hundred dollars to Uber Eats. They deliver, you know."
She opened her mouthed, closed it, and opened it again, but nothing came out. She repeated the process until I stuck my finger in her mouth. "Kara, while not exactly breaking the rules, that’s most certainly bending the hell out of them."
"That's what I do." I grinned.
"Thank you," she mouthed the words. If she had said it out loud, she most certainly would have recognized my almost illicit contribution.
Twenty minutes later, we were restocked and ready to rock out with our cocks out. Figuratively. Karen and I were cockless, and if the guys did it, they would definitely have gotten arrested, and I would have had to beat some serious mom ass.
"Hi, Kara." Brady's sister smiled as she walked up to the table.
"Coach Drake." I leaned forward over the table, putting my hands between the cookies and cupcakes for support.
"That's my brother."
"Other Coach Drake."
"Ouch."
"Sexy Coach Drake?"
"Better, but how about if you just call me Alana."
"When would you like me to call you?" I grinned and offered her a cookie. On the house. With macadamia nuts. It was one of three left.
"Whenever you want." She bit into the cookie and gave me a sexy smile. "Ohh. Macadamia nuts!" She stared at the cookie and grinned at it in satisfaction.
"Told you," I mumbled to Karen over my shoulder.
"Fuck your nuts." Alana and I turned and stared at a blushing Karen. "Oops. That didn't come out right."
"Well, I need to get going. Thanks, Kara." Alana stifled a little chuckle.
"My pleasure," I said sultrily, watching her ass as she walked away and waved at her brother.
"Kara?"
I turned my attention to a solemn looking Karen, dismally staring at the change box. "What?"
She lifted her head slowly and looked over at me. "Why?"
"Was I flirting with her?"
She shook her head. "Why does everybody flirt with you?"
"Cuz I'm sexy."
"I'm not?"
I saw where our conversation was heading. In the completely opposite direction I'd been thinking. I'd been expecting her to be disgusted that I'd been flirting with another woman, but it was because of all the attention I'd been getting. It wasn't her fault she was mortal and I was a literal sex demon.
"Karen?"
She blinked at me with doe-like eyes and a chicken butt haircut. "Yes?" She was on the verge of tears.
"You need to ask yourself a serious question."
"What?"
"Are you happy?"
"Happy?"
"Yes. Do you like who you are and the way your life has turned out? Or do you wan
t more?"
"More?"
I squatted down beside her and put my hand on her knee. "Karen, you're hot, but you're a frump. You have made being a mother into your entire reason for existence."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Abso-fucking-lutely nothing. If you're happy with that."
"I thought I was. Until I met you." She blushed and looked away.
"And now?"
"I want more."
"And that is the first step on the road to recovery. If it's for the right reason."
"Huh?"
"Do you want more because you're jealous of me?"
She shook her head as her eyes widened. "Don't get me wrong!" She held up her hands. "I am jealous of you; anybody in their right mind would be. But it's not that. I thought I had to devote everything I was, am, and will be into being a mother. Then I saw you, and you're like the opposite of everything I am. No offense."
"None taken."
"But what it all boils down to, is that you're amazing in everything you do, and you still focus on yourself."
"I'm just a horrible mother."
"See? That's just it, Kara. You're not. What defines a mother is not who she is, but who her kids are. Kara, your kids are fucking amazing."
"That was their father."
"I know you think so, but I see so much of you in them, it's scary. They're strong, brilliant, and so self-sufficient that there is no way they learned how to be all that from their father. That is all you, sweetie."
"Tell you what. I'll make you a deal."
"What?"
"I'll teach you to be more like me, if you teach me to be a little more like you. Deal?"
She grinned. "Deal." She held out her hand, and I grabbed it. Instead of shaking it, I brought the back of her hand to my lips and kissed it. She melted in her chair.
"Lesson one. Don't be normal."
"Got it."
Chapter 14
I rubbed my forehead, trying vainly to get rid of the headache that had formed directly above and behind my eyes. Somehow, I had gotten roped into having dinner with everybody but the kids. We had dropped them off at my house with a crisp hundred-dollar bill and orders to stuff themselves with pizza. The rest of us were having "adult fun night," as Karen called it. It involved dinner at TGI Fridays and copious amounts of adult beverages that had more sugar than booze.
When I looked up, everyone was staring at me expectantly.
"I'm sorry, what?"
Alana leaned in and whispered, "When is the studio going to be open?"
"Oh! Our first class should be Wednesday. Just waiting for my friend to get here."
"Friend?" Karen tilted her head.
"Sage. She worked with me at Full Exposure. She's going to teach on the nights that I can't."
"And you're only offering pole dancing classes?" Rick, Karen's husband asked excitedly. Karen slapped him in the arm.
"Yes. You're coming to the first class, Karen." I ordered her. It was her idea that set my whole plan in motion.
"You betcha. So are Cindy and Allison."
I winced. They were nice enough, but their voices managed to travel through their nasal cavity as it left their voice box. I'd dubbed them the Muppet Twins. For various reasons, but that was the primary one.
"Are you going to be teaching that night?" Alana asked, and gave me a shy smile.
"Sage and I both are."
"I might have to drop by and check it out. Listen to your membership spiel."
I chuckled throatily and took another sip of my Purple Something-or-other. "You definitely should. I'll give you the VIP tour."
She gave me a dreamy look and reached for her glass, nearly spilling it. Brady rolled his eyes from the other side of her. He'd been doing that since she'd sat in his chair as soon as he pulled it out from the table. "I'd like that."
"Will there be any guys taking the classes?" Rick, Karen's husband, seemed a little worried or eager. I couldn't tell. He just wasn't his usual quiet self.
"Honestly, I have no idea. It's usually a woman dominated pastime, but I wouldn't say no to teaching a man."
"Why? Are you interested?" Daniel asked him.
Rick shrugged and took a drink. Then the waitress finally brought our food. The conversation was muted while we settled into our plates. I'd ordered spicy chicken over rice, and it smelled amazing. "I don't know. Maybe? I'd have to see."
"Come with me on Wednesday. You can watch or join in," Karen gave him a little nudge with her shoulder.
"I will."
"I might, too." Daniel sounded a little excited.
"Well, if you're going, I'm going." Brady chuckled and popped a rib in his mouth.
The nagging headache turned into a piercing one. While I appreciated the support, I had a feeling it was going to be too much, too fast.
"Why don't you guys wait a bit, and let Kara get it up and running first, before you inundate her with…" Alana trailed off.
"Dicks?" Her brother answered helpfully.
"Yeah. Those."
Rick blushed and mumbled an apology.
"No, Rick. You can come if you're really interested. In fact, it might be better if all of you came," I acquiesced reluctantly. "God knows there probably won't be anybody else there. Might be nice to start off with a full class."
I swear, Brady stuck his tongue out at his sister.
On the edges of my senses, I felt a presence. Quickly, I pulled every iota of lust and power into myself as I masked my presence. Alana shivered and blinked at me in surprise, almost like she had felt it. She rubbed her arm, the one closest to me, shook her head, and started back in on her meal. I'd have to be careful around her in the future, she seemed a little sensitive.
As much as I wanted to turn around and look for the source, I didn't. Exercising patience, I was rewarded for once. The owner of The Candy Shoppe walked by our table and was seated with his date at the booth closest to us. I recognized him in an instant, just as I felt his vampiric power wash over me. Karen was openmouthed staring at him. The round table we were seated at made kicking her in the shin, impossible.
"So, which one of you is dating Kara?" Rick asked between scooping up a forkful of food and shoving it in his mouth.
"We both are," Daniel answered right away.
Rick nearly dropped his fork. "What?"
"We both are," Brady reiterated, almost daring him to have an issue with it.
"Wow. That's kind of cool."
All of us stared at him in surprise. He blushed and continued eating. "Didn't I tell you that?" Karen tried to play it off like she had and failed miserably. At least to me.
"No. You left that part out. I knew Daniel and Brady were friends, but I didn't know they were both dating Kara."
"You're okay with that?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" He seemed genuinely confused. If Karen played her cards right, she might end up with a boyfriend or two of her own. I couldn't have been prouder.
"No reason. Just another thing on the things we've never talked about list." She blushed at the rest of the table.
"Might want to move that one to the things we should talk about list." I chuckled and took a sip of my drink, until I felt a pair of eyes studying me.
Looking over Karen's shoulder, I saw the vampire gazing at me thoughtfully. Not wanting to seem suspicious, I gave him a wink. He shook his head and continued conversing with his date.
It was clear that he recognized me, but I wasn't sure if it was from the strip club the other night or the attack outside the school. I leaned a little closer and whispered to Daniel. "Do you know her?"
"Who?"
"The woman with the blond guy?"
I nodded toward the table and caught the vampire staring at us. I'd forgotten I wasn't the only one in the restaurant with supernatural hearing.
Daniel tried to be subtle and took a quick glance, pretending to look out the window behind them. "No? Should I?"
"Just wondering."
"What are you
two whispering about?" Alana asked a little too loudly.
"Daniel asked me what he should wear to his first pole dancing class. I told him the only acceptable thing was a Speedo."
She looked at Daniel and her lip curled, not a sneer, but certainly in distaste. "Please don't listen to her. It is never acceptable for men to wear banana hammocks."
"Don't worry. I could tell she was joking, and I don't even own one." He rolled his eyes.
"I can let you borrow one of mine," Rick answered helpfully.
Alana gagged. I just pushed the rest of my food away. Rick wasn't a bad looking guy… Just not someone one wants to picture in a Speedo at dinner.
"So, what should I wear?"
"Get some stretchy pants. Yoga would be best."
"Wear a banana hammock under it though. No free balling. They can get transparent if stretched," Alana added helpfully.
"I'll keep that in mind." Daniel took another bite of food.
"Excuse me, do I know you from somewhere?" The French accent caressed me right in the pleasure sensors. He was using his vampire charms on me, just like he had moved from his table to behind me without my noticing.
"Yes. We met at your club the other night," I answered.
"Ahhh, yes."
"We did?" Daniel seemed confused.
"Yes. He is the owner of The Candy Shoppe."
"Oh!" He blushed.
"You guys went to a strip club?" Alana asked her brother.
"Yep."
"You didn't invite me?"
"We weren't planning on going. It just happened."
Alana huffed.
The vampire squatted down beside my chair. "I am Michel." I loved the French pronunciation of Michael. It was just like saying Michelle, but it just seemed so much sexier on a man.
"Kara." I offered him my hand, and he drew it to his lips, gently grazing the skin on the back of my hand.
"Did I overhear you correctly? You are opening a dance studio?"
"You have good ears, Michel."
"As I am sure you do, too." He stared at me levelly. The jig was up. He knew I wasn't human, and that was his subtle way of letting me know just that.
"Yes, I am. I used to be an exotic dancer. I'm going to be offering dance classes at the studio I just bought."
"Magnifique! I might send some of the newer dancers for lessons… You would not happen to have a business card?"
Succubus Soccer Mom: A Reverse Harem Tale Page 13
