Three of Hearts

by W. Ferraro

  Aidan answered with a thumbs up. Conner got up and went to retrieve his bag.

  Concerned that something was going on, Seth looked at Mae and whispered, “What is that about?”

  Mae nonchalantly raised her shoulders and brought her cup and plate to the sink. She quickly rinsed them and placed them in the dishwasher.

  Megan then asked Mae if she could have a ride to school

  “I’ll bring you to school, Spitfire! I have to talk to Miss Crystal, about your behavior with a certain boy who shall remain nameless, anyways.” Seth says giving his daughter his stern father look.

  Mae raised her eyebrow in inquiry, to which Seth mouthed “I’ll tell you later.”

  Conner had returned and he, Mae and Aidan head out. As they walk down the deck steps, Seth shouted, “I’ll call you later.” Mae answered in Aidan’s fashion, with a thumbs up and a smile.

  Aidan got into the back of the Camaro and buckled up. Mae and Conner slide into the front, buckled and Mae backed out of the drive. Michael was sitting on the porch steps, walked down and climbed into the back on Conner’s side. As Mae waited for Michael to get in, she noticed the same attractive girl sunbathing on a lounge chair in the front yard. Her scantily clad body was tan and gorgeous. Her mirrored aviator glasses obscured her eyes, but Mae had a feeling she was missing nothing. Once Michael was in and buckled, Mae headed off to the school complex. Needing a bit of information, Mae said “Michael, is that your sister that was sunbathing?”

  “Yeah, that’s Shannon, my oldest sister. She’s a waitress at the steakhouse the next town over, but mostly she just lays around in the sun, and avoids my mom.” Michael finished.

  “Why does she avoid your mom?” Mae asked with increased curiosity.

  “Shan and my mom don’t see eye to eye. Shannon is a trouble maker, according to my mom, she sins a lot.”

  ‘She sins a lot’, go figure with a body like that, Mae was sure she knew how she sinned.

  Mae dropped the boys off at school and headed to the hospital. She entered the Cancer Center to find Dr. Crest looking through paperwork she needed for the monthly Tumor Board Meeting at the hospital.

  “Mae, I want to present Mrs. Hardinson’s case at the meeting, but I can’t find my last dictated note. It isn’t in Transcription, it isn’t in the chart and the meeting starts in 20 minutes.”

  Mae jumped into action. “Doctor, I’m sure it’s in the computer, let me just take a look.” Sure enough, Mae found it easily on the hospital electronic medical records.

  “Mae, you’re a life saver, thanks” Dr. Crest said as she left the center off to her meeting.

  Shaking her head, Mae headed to her locker to drop off her things. She grabbed her stethoscope and headed back out to the nurses’ station to find out which patients she was assigned to. She was just checking the board when Rosie, one of the secretaries said “Mae you have a delivery.”

  Mae walked out to where the secretaries sat and found herself staring at a huge arrangement of long stem red roses.

  Signing for the flowers, she then grabbed for the card. Hoping she knew who they were from, she was pleased to read.

  I hope this morning’s bathroom banter was the first of many.—S

  Mae smiled at his humor and found herself the target of many eyes. Tina was the first to ask “so who they from, girl?” Rosie chimed in next “yeah, Mae, don’t hold out on us, some of us live vicariously through others.”

  Mae laughed out loud. She personally knew Rosie had been married to the same man for thirty-six years and they shared twelve grandchildren.

  Knowing that these ladies were relentless she simply said “there from a wonderful man I’ve been seeing, and no I’m not telling any of you any more than that.”

  She turned to walk away carrying her arrangement and heard “party pooper” which just made her smile that much more.

  Every time Mae made her way to the Nurse’s Station, she got a view of her roses. Just looking at them made her smile, and think of Seth.

  Mae was just coming out from a treatment room, when Rosie said there was someone in the waiting room wanting to see her.

  Seth? What is he doing here? With a smile on her face, Mae walked out to the waiting room, and was momentarily filled with disappointment; it wasn’t Seth, but rather a man in a dark suit, which Mae was sure she had seen before.

  “Mae?” the mystery man asked.

  “Yes, I’m Mae, may I help you sir?” Mae asked shaking his extended hand.

  “I’m Aaron Graham; you helped my father a few days ago,” he said with a kind smile.

  Eureka, yes, he was the man that embraced the confused Mr. Graham, when Mae brought him out of the exam room.

  “Oh, yes, Mr. Graham, sorry it took me a moment. How is your father doing?” Mae asked sincerely thinking of the poor man.

  “Dad is well, thank you. He has his good days and his bad, the other day was one of the bad.” His eyes twinkled as he spoke of his father; Mae could tell the older man was deeply loved. “Anyways, I just wanted to stop in and thank you for your kindness to him. He’s been speaking of you ever since. Even though this wasn’t his first time being confused, he hasn’t ever spoken so highly of someone. So, on behalf of my sister and me, thank you.”

  “I was happy I could help,” Mae said knowing this was one of the many reasons she liked being a nurse.

  “I know this is forward and all, but may I take you to lunch or to grab a cup of coffee?” he asked with hope.

  Aaron Graham would be the type of man that could make Mae’s hormones skyrocket, or so she would have thought. With his dark hair with light graying around his ears and his sparkling blue eyes, not to mention the way he filled out that expensive suit. But as she stood here, speaking with him, she could only think of how he compared to Seth. And in all aspects, Aaron came up lacking.

  “Oh, that’s touching Mr. Graham, but really it isn’t necessary, any one here would have done the same.” Mae said hoping she was reading his intentions wrong.

  “Please don’t misunderstand my meaning; all the nurses here are wonderful, and have been in the past couple of incidents as well as when my mother was going through treatments. However Dad just spoke so highly of you and your kindness toward him, that I thought I could repay you in one of the only ways I know.” He said hoping his quick denial and clever compliment would get her to reconsider. “Would you please reconsider?”

  “I really must decline, as thoughtful and as unnecessary as it is, but thank you again. Please tell your dad, that I said hello. I really must get back to my patients.” Mae said hoping he would understand and leave.

  “Well then, thank you and have a good day,” Aaron said and exited.

  Mae walked back to the nurse’s station to find Tina and Rosie in quiet conversation. When Tina saw Mae coming she turned and said with her signature smile, “flowers from one man, and asked on a lunch date by another, you girl, are having a great day.”

  “You, Nurse Tina, have been caught eavesdropping.” Mae said teasingly to her favorite fellow nurse.

  Laughing at Mae’s sassiness, Tina responded “It isn’t eavesdropping if someone just happens to be standing three feet away, it’s called voices carry.”

  Laughing out loud, Mae just shook her head and decided to just head into the next patients treatment room.

  At the end of her shift, Mae decided to leave her flowers there on the Nurse’s Station rather than bringing them home. She headed out to the parking garage and realized how cold the weather had gotten. Wishing she had a sweater or something, Mae rushed to her car. Once inside she turned on the heat lightly and headed out of the garage. She drove by Cal’s on her way home, and noticed the parking lot was only partially full. Mae mused they must not have live music every night.

  She pulled into the drive and noticed all the lights were out in Seth’s house but her kitchen light was on. Knowing full well that she didn’t leave it on, she smiled, hoping she would find a visitor.

 
Mae opened the door to see Seth sprawled on her sofa asleep, the Red Sox game playing on the flatscreen. His forgotten beer was on the table in front of him and he had helped himself to her bag of cheddar popcorn.

  Leaning over the back of the couch, Mae placed a smacking kiss on his neck. Seth woke with a start.

  “Hey, you’re home. What time is it?” He asked sleepily.

  “A little before midnight” she whispered, realizing how much she liked seeing him when he’d just woken up.

  “You must be exhausted?” he asked as he stood from the sofa, bringing the beer and bag of popcorn over to her breakfast bar.

  Seth stretched, causing his t shirt to ride up exposing his toned abs. His sweat pants hung low on his hips, and Mae couldn’t help but stare at the exquisite sight he made.

  Knowing that she was distracted by his question, Seth reached out to her and pulled her in to his chest. He inhaled her tropical scent and immediate thoughts of rolling around with her in a soft bed flooded his mind.

  “What time do you have to be at the hospital tomorrow?” he whispered as he removed her ponytail

  “Nine” she exhaled out as she became hypnotized by the feeling of his large fingers massaging her head.

  “Then, to bed for you, Honey, I’ll just have to take a rain check on my sinister thoughts.” Seth said lowly, as he continued the kneading to her scalp.

  Lifting her head so she could kiss his soft lips, she stood on tip toes and did just that.

  Seth took the kiss deeper, mating with her tongue and holding on to her bottom as if she was a life ring and he was a drowning man.

  Knowing that he needed to stop or he would take her right there in the kitchen, he gave one last chaste kiss and rubbed her bottom lip with his thumb.

  “Thank you for the flowers, they were beautiful and the talk of the Center, today.” Mae said as she stepped away from him, needing to put some distance between her raging arousal and his hard body.

  “Glad you liked them.”

  Meaning to leave her for the night, he found himself asking her if he could stay. Mae answered him by grabbing his hand and pulling him in her wake up the stairs.

  They undressed each other slowly and sensually. The fell to the bed together and Mae straddled Seth’s lap. With the moonlight streaming through the balcony doors, he looked as primal as any man should be able to look. Mae slowly and methodically ran her hands all over his chest and arms. His large hands anchored her hips and he was at her mercy. Mae leaned down and took possession of his mouth. She set the pace of the deep assault, when he tried to take over, she would withdraw her mouth and move to his neck. She went back and forth between these two places multiple times. She decided to end the torture and she slowly sat up and guided his length into her wet center. She slowly slid down him, until he was buried to the hilt. Intense pleasure radiated through her. She remained still, letting her body accept him and increasing the glorious feeling. She looked at him, sprawled on her bed and began to ride him. She wanted to make it slow, but her body wouldn’t obey. She went faster and faster, needing the friction to increase. She raised her own hands to her breasts and began pulling and tugging at her nipples. The feeling of her hands caused her climax to build into a blazing inferno. Mentally she knew that with fire you need to seek water to extinguish it, but she just couldn’t, she wanted to burn, no she needed to burn.

  The sight of Mae, riding him and touching herself, was too erotic for words. She was lost in sensation, lost in the feeling of her body climbing to the sexual breaking point. Knowing his own breaking point was coming, he needed to prolong it until Mae touched back down.

  “That’s it Honey, feel me touch you deep inside. Let go, come for me. Come for me, honey. Let me feel your hot liquid coat my cock” The last was said on a husky whisper as Mae exploded and rode out the waves of her orgasm.

  Gasping and panting, Mae collapsed onto his chest. She had never felt so spent. She was sure she was nothing but a puddle of jelly. She could hear Seth soothing her, but she couldn’t make out his words. It was as if her ear drums had completely melted out of her ears. The vibration of his chuckle against her cheek was the only awareness she had.

  Slowly as Mae’s body started responding to the world around her, she felt Seth roll her over and position her face down on the mattress. She still could do nothing but let him position her as he wanted. He placed a curled pillow under her center lifting her ass into the air. Mae moved her head to look over her shoulder just in time to see Seth kneel with one foot flat on the mattress while his other knee was placed on the mattress between her spread knees. As he did before, he used his hands to anchor to her hips and entered her fast and hard. The penetration was so deep this way, he was sure he could reach her throat. He started at a reckless speed, thundering in and out of her.

  Mae’s body reacted to the sudden assault, and levered herself up on her arms, to counter his deep thrusts. His loud breathing was complimented by her unconscious moans, the slapping of bodies became the music of their tryst.

  Hammering into her, as if she and he, where the only thing in the world, the only thing that mattered. And in that moment, he knew, she mattered to him very much. His climax overcame him as he spilled his hot juice into her. As she did earlier, he collapsed against her, and waited for the storm to subside.

  When he was sure he had the strength to lift himself off, he laid down next to her. Lifting her to move the blanket down, he quickly lifted himself and pulled her so her back was against his chest, curled into him with the length of her body touching his. He covered them both with the light blanket, and kissed her nape. The both drifted off to sleep and awoke the next morning, in the same position.

  THIRTEEN

  When Seth arrived at his job site the next morning, he found himself to be extremely happy. Even though the job was behind schedule by three weeks, the foreman, whom Seth would of rather fired than give him additional crew, couldn’t even get him down.

  He was in the company office on site trailer, looking over the expenses and blueprints when Dylan walked in.

  Seth looked up to see Dylan had a slight black eye and he looked more pissed than usual. “What happened to you? Or should I say, who happened to you or more importantly who was it over?” Seth said with just the right amount of mockery that longtime loyalty got you.

  “Fuck off, Finn.” Dylan spit out, knowing that he was going to tell Seth the story anyways.

  Seth dropped what he was doing and leaned against the desk he was standing next to and placed his arms over his chest, and waited.

  “Fine, some asshole down at Cal’s thought I was better looking than him, so he thought he’d fix my face. Well, at least, Lisa, his girl, thought I was better looking,” Dylan quipped with his cocky grin.

  “Anyhow, I told him that I’d give him one shot, before I threw his ass out of Cal’s,” indicating with his finger at his eye. “This was his one punch, and the stupid jackass, actually waved his hand in pain after he hit me. He started backpedaling away from me, I decided to have a heart. I just grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and threw him only three feet off the front porch.” Dylan said as if he really thought that was gentlemanly of him.

  “Only three feet, really? Such restraint.” Seth said dryly.

  “After he went off to lick his wounds, his ever loyal girl, told me what a loser he was and how she was so glad she found a real man in me.” Dylan told as he too leaned against the desk, striking the same pose as Seth.

  Seth just shook his head, if anyone other than Dylan Cross were to tell such a story, he would be sure it was a lie. But not Dylan, he didn’t have a dishonest bone in his body. Dylan was a true friend. He was there in the best days of Seth’s life as well as the darkest. Dylan, along with Wes, helped Seth crawl out of the abyss and function as a man and the father his kids needed.

  Using his bad boy smile for all it was worth, Dylan finished with “so of course I had to tell her that, she would have to go find another real man, be
cause I don’t do the ‘make-him-jealous’ act. But boy could I have had fun with her. She had legs that went on for miles and tits the size of melons, not to mention the tightest little ass on God’s green earth.”

  Seth silently chuckled as he put a hand up to end Dylan’s description of Lisa’s features.

  So as Seth went back to looking over paperwork, Dylan dropped into the desk chair and placed his feet on the file cabinet next to the desk.

  “So, Seth, what you doing here man, I thought you were going to let me handle Cranston and Jones?”

  “I am, but I called in to Josie yesterday and she mentioned that you were waiting for Jones’ paperwork and payroll info, so I thought I’d come down and find out for myself, what the delay was.” Seth explained. “He’s is just damn lucky I’m in a great mood.”

  Dylan smiled at Seth. He couldn’t remember his friend being this happy in a long time, and he was absolutely sure it had everything to do with a sexy little nurse.

  “So, speaking of your great mood how is the tantalizing Ms. Turney?” Dylan said purposely picking at his fingers rather than look at Seth.

  Seth made himself busy looking for his discarded hard hat. He didn’t want to discuss his current upheaval of emotions around Mae.

  Seth turned at the sound of a loud whistle to find Dylan balancing Seth’s yellow hard had on his finger as if he was a Harlem Globetrotter. Seth snatched the hard hat and beat it against his thigh. Knowing that Dylan wouldn’t let the topic die, Seth decided to give in.

  “God D, she is like nothing I’ve ever known. I crave her as if I can’t survive without her.” Seth breathed as he focused on water mark on the ceiling.

  “And that’s a bad thing, my friend?” Dylan asked.

  “I just can’t help but think that I’m somehow being untrue to Maggie.” Seth put a voice to his emotional distress.

  Dylan got up from where he lounged in the chair and clapped Seth on the shoulder. “Maggie would want you to be happy.” Simple and truer words have never been spoken.