by Kim Pritekel
Eleanor smiled, her fingernails tracing over a rounded cheek before playfully slapping it. Lysette gave her a wicked smile in response. “I love you so very much.” She leaned forward and left a soft kiss on Lysette’s lips. “What do we do now?”
Lysette let out a heavy sigh, wondering the same thing. “Well, Jim and I need to talk. I know there’s someone else where he’s concerned. I mean, I’ve known, suspected, figured for a long, long time. But seeing him with her Sunday night, just a gut feeling, it’s not just a fling.” She brought her hand up and tucked some dark strands behind Eleanor’s ear. “But even if there wasn’t someone else, and I have no idea what his plans are with her, the writing’s on the wall. It has been for a while, but now…”
“It makes me feel terrible, you know,” Eleanor said, so much uncertainty and sadness in her eyes. “I don’t want to be at the center of the breakup of a family.”
Lysette smiled, the spoken words going straight to her heart. “My sweet, sweet, Ellie,” she said. “You may be helping to speed things up a bit, but it would have happened at some point. You can only go on pretending, keeping yourself as busy as possible to not deal, deny yourself for so long. Jim deserves more than that, the kids deserve more than that in their parents and the example we’re setting for them and,” she shrugged the shoulder that wasn’t pressed to the mattress, “I deserve more than that, too.” She looked deeply into the violet depths of Eleanor’s eyes. “I can’t lose you again. I barely survived it the first time when it was out of our control. Now it is in my control. Well,” she added sheepishly. “I guess I’m seriously assuming here. What do you want?”
Eleanor’s gaze traveled all over Lysette’s face for so long Lysette was beginning to get nervous. “You,” she finally said. “All I’ve ever wanted was you.”
****
Eleanor let Lysette shower before leaving, although that had turned into yet another round of making love. Lysette smiled thinking about it. She could still hear the wonderful noises Eleanor made far above her as the water rained down on her back as she’d fallen to her knees to explore every bit of what made Eleanor a woman. She could still taste her on her lips and tongue.
As beautiful as those memories were, what made her smile even more was the feeling of holding each other in Eleanor’s bed. The softness of a breast beneath her head as they talked was wonderful. Being held after making love, hell, being held at all, wasn’t something she usually allowed or wanted. Her views on sex with the few women she’d been with had been extremely focused on the act itself, the release, the temporary feeling of normalcy. She loved Jim, cared deeply about him, and in so many respects, he was the closest person to her.
She drove Jim’s car through town, looking at the buildings and houses, businesses she’d frequented and the school she sent her children to. Everything looked the same, same storefronts, same wares sold within, and same lessons taught, but today, it was all different.
In the few hours she’d spent with Eleanor, finally shedding the last of the armor she’d so carefully erected to protect the damaged person inside, she saw the world in all its brilliance. She saw the possibilities that lay before her and the fact that she could have her Ellie back.
Her happy mood dissipated as she pulled into the driveway of the home she shared with her husband and their children. Cutting the engine, she sat there for a moment staring through the windshield at the house.
“How are we going to do this?”
Tapping her fingers on the steering wheel, she gathered her courage and pulled the keys from the ignition before climbing out of the low-slung sports car, his precious 1955 red Corvette, which only he drove traditionally, as opposed to the larger “family” car he mainly drove, but she used from time to time for daily life. It was a beautiful car, no doubt, but not an ounce of practicality in it for a married father.
Letting out a steadying breath, she walked up the path that led to the front door and let herself into the house. She wasn’t sure what she’d find, if Jim would still be asleep or if he’d even be there. The sounds from the kitchen answered that question.
Leaving her purse on the couch, she headed through the house until she saw Jim moving around the room going from the icebox to the counter and back again.
“You know,” she said, leaning against the archway into the kitchen. “Planning helps. Fewer trips.”
He glanced at her before turning his attention back to the sandwich makings he was gathering. He had obviously showered recently; his hair was slicked back from his face, and he was dressed in casual clothing.
“Want one?” he offered, indicating the meat, cheese, and veggies he had spread over the counter in their respective bags and containers.
She pushed away from the archway. “Sure.” She grabbed the bag of Wonder bread from the breadbox, placing it on the counter and opening it.
“Uh-oh,” he said, giving her a side glance. “Guess we’re about to chat. Menial work is afoot.” They shared a small smile as they worked together to create their lunch. He cleared his throat and glanced over at her. “Were you at Eleanor’s place?” he asked conversationally, though his eyes were guarded.
She studied him for a long moment, trying to read him. Ultimately, she knew she had to be honest. The days of lies, half-truths, and omissions had to be over. “Yes, I was,” she said simply. “I brought your car back.”
He nodded. “Great.”
He took the head of lettuce in one hand and was about to grab a knife when she stopped him with a hand on his arm. “No,” she said gently, though with a smile. “You just need to tear some off.”
He looked down at the lettuce, then the knife block and finally at her. He grinned. “Good. The less I have to deal with the sharp stuff, the better.”
She pulled out four slices of bread and glanced at him. “Do you want to talk?” she asked, knowing Jim would know what she meant. “The kids are in school, and Aunt Josie is with her book club.”
He nodded. “Yeah. I was thinking that, too.” He rested his hands against the counter for a moment before turning to her, arms crossed over his white undershirt-clad chest. “Where do we start?”
“That is a great question,” she said with a sigh. “I guess, what do you want?” she asked. “Deep down, what do you really want, Jim?”
He smirked, though with affection. “Eleanor asked me the same thing. I want what I honestly don’t think is in you to give to a man.”
“I don’t think I have anything in me to give to anyone.”
“Except Eleanor?”
She considered his words for a long moment, then nodded. “Yes. I think you’re right, and it honestly wasn’t until lately that I’ve begun to understand that.” She leaned against the counter, mirroring Jim’s position. “I thought that part of me was gone, to be truthful with you. The sad thing is,” she said with a sigh, glancing out the kitchen window, watching as two squirrels chased each other up the huge cottonwood tree, “I didn’t know I missed it.”
He nodded, looking down at his hand as he picked at a nail. He let out a heavy sigh before finally meeting her gaze again. “I have to be honest with you, too. There’s someone else.”
The words obviously weren’t surprising to her, nor were they particularly hurtful, but they did make her sad. She thought back to when they decided to begin their lives together, already both on different planes and ideas of what they wanted the marriage to be, but they were both filled with hope for some happiness. They had fun together overall and were friends. Somewhere down the line, that split into each of them having their own side life filled with sex and perhaps in Jim’s case, love.
“Yes,” she said. “The woman from the other night?”
He nodded. “Fran.”
“Do you love her?” He looked away and cleared his throat. “Jim,” she said gently, reaching across the scant distance between them to place her hand on his arm. “If we can’t be honest right now, then we’re doomed to move on from this.”
“I just have this horrible guilt inside me, Lysette. I made you a promise when I asked you to marry me. I made your father a promise when I asked for his permission—”
“And you fulfilled every single one of those promises,” she said adamantly, shaking his arm slightly to emphasize her point. “You’re a wonderful father, you’ve been a good husband, a fantastic provider…” She brought her hand up and lightly cupped his freshly shaven face. “If anything, I’m the one to blame.”
He stepped forward and gathered her in his arms, an embrace that was returned. “We both made our mistakes.” He left a kiss to the top of her head. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”
“Okay.” She released him as he stepped back, resting back against the stove. Once again, he crossed his arms over his chest. “What is it?”
“God, there’s no easy way to say this.” He ran his hand through his drying hair. “Fran is pregnant,” he finally said. “And the baby is mine.”
“Oh, Jim,” she groaned, bringing a hand up to cover her eyes. “How could you let that happen?”
“I know,” he said, hanging his head. “Trust me, I know. Just complicated things substantially.”
“How far along is she?”
He shrugged. “No idea. She hasn’t said, but she did ask me to accompany her to the doctor next week.”
“You have to do it. You’ve got to take care of this woman and this child.”
“Speaking of,” he said, hands on hips. “What do we tell our kids?”
“Let’s decide what we’re going to do, make a plan, then let’s sit them down and tell them.”
He nodded, looking thoughtful as he glanced over at the unmade sandwiches. After a moment, he looked at her. “I’ll never regret us, Lysette,” he said softly. “I’ll never regret being your husband.”
She smiled, touched. Walking over to him, she left a lingering kiss to his cheek. “Neither will I.”
Chapter Thirty-two
Eleanor couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she readied her classroom for the first hour. After responding to a million and one questions about her incredibly unusual absence the day before, she felt she’d assured her colleagues, as well as her students, that she wasn’t dying and that it had simply been a bad headache that had kept her in bed.
She smirked as she wrote the day’s assignment on the board. “That and a gorgeous woman.” She glanced down at the open textbook she cradled in her arm for the next part of the assignment when she heard the classroom door open. The smile was instant when she glanced over her shoulder to see Lysette walking toward her, her hips swaying just so as she approached. It drove Eleanor absolutely wild. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Lysette responded, giving her that little smile that took her back to being fifteen with absolutely no weapons to combat such a subtle attack that had a deadly effect.
It was moments like that that Eleanor wondered how every person, male and female, who came into Lysette’s sphere wasn’t leveled by her natural, raw, and unbidden sensuality.
Lysette brought her hand up to reveal a polished red apple. “I brought an apple to perhaps sway your affections.” She walked up to Eleanor, who still stood by the blackboard. “You see, I hear I’m in a bit of competition with my son when it comes to being hot for teacher.”
A loud bark of laughter burst from Eleanor as she accepted the apple. “Well, word has it Jimmy found himself a girlfriend. A cute little sophomore named Tabitha.” She grinned. “So I think you’re in the clear for the win.”
“Well, gosh,” Lysette murmured with exaggerated dramatics. “I didn’t think you’d be so easy.” Again, that little smile. “But then, I guess all I have to do is remember yesterday morning.”
The blush that flew up Eleanor’s neck was embarrassing but worth it. “Yes, yes, I admit it.” To her surprise, she decided to give as good as she got as she leaned forward, peeking into Lysette’s subtle cleavage, and licked her lips. “Not that you make it remotely difficult.”
Lysette lifted an eyebrow, hands going to her shapely hips. “Miss Brannon, are you suggesting I’m dressed inappropriately?”
Eleanor grinned. “No, I’m suggesting you’re entirely too dressed.”
Lysette met her gaze before she broke, an adorable giggle falling from her lips. She glanced behind her shoulder, the two still alone in the classroom, before leaning forward and leaving a lingering kiss on Eleanor’s lips. “Good morning,” she said against them.
“Good morning,” Eleanor responded, accepting the full body hug she got. She knew she needed to be careful, as Lysette was the mother of one of her students. “I missed you,” she whispered into the hug.
Lysette left a kiss to the side of Eleanor’s neck. “I missed you, too.” She pulled back from the hug and caressed Eleanor’s cheek, love and affection in her eyes to replace the vixen mere moments before.
Eleanor felt like she was queen of the world in that moment. “I love you,” she said, surprised she’d spoken the words she felt so deeply in her soul.
“I love you, my Ellie,” Lysette replied, giving her another kiss, a bit quicker than the last as time was running short. “I have a lot to talk to you about. When are you free?”
“How about my lunch period today?” Eleanor suggested. “Starts at eleven fifteen.”
Lysette smiled. “I’ll be here to pick you up by eleven twelve.”
Eleanor laughed. “Okay.”
****
Eleanor was desperately trying to get her breath back as Lysette kissed and caressed her way back up her body, humming in satisfaction as she lay fully atop Eleanor to initiate a deep, lazy kiss. Eleanor buried her fingers in soft auburn hair as she sighed, able to taste herself in the slick warmth on Lysette’s lips and tongue.
“I know you said we had to make it quick,” Lysette murmured, “but I didn’t think it would be three seconds quick.”
Eleanor grinned. “You’re just too good at what you do.” She released a contented sigh as her fingernails trailed down Lysette’s back and over shapely cheeks, which flexed in response.
As the kiss began again, Lysette adjusted her hips between Eleanor’s spread thighs, Eleanor sighing into the kiss as she raised her knees. They both moaned as Lysette’s clit found Eleanor’s clit.
Lysette rested her upper body on a forearm, her other arm reaching back to run her fingernails along the side of Eleanor’s thigh as she continued to move against her. Eleanor wormed her hands between them, cupping Lysette’s beautiful breasts, tugging lightly on her nipples as they kissed, though as the pleasure grew, their breathing became more labored. Soon, it became too much to kiss, so they simply stayed in each other’s space as Lysette moved in tandem with Eleanor, the bed squeaking softly beneath them.
Soon, Lysette lifted herself to her hands and used the power of her body to increase her thrusts with Eleanor, who gripped her behind, urging her faster and harder. The small bedroom was filled with the sounds of their heavy breathing and moans, the creaking bed matching the intensity of her thrusts until finally, with a loud cry, Lysette collapsed on top of Eleanor, even as her hips continued to move, milking every ounce of pleasure for herself and bringing Eleanor to a powerful release as her body exploded for a second time in less than ten minutes.
Lysette buried her face in Eleanor’s neck for a long moment, breasts heaving against hers as she warmed Eleanor’s skin with each deep, hot breath. Finally, she lifted her head and left a few small kisses on Eleanor’s lips before moving off her. She flipped to her back on the mattress beside her for a long moment, her forearm resting over her eyes.
Eleanor straightened her legs, sore from being in such a position for so long. She glanced over at Lysette and reached her hand out, taking Lysette’s as it came down from her face.
“I love you.”
Lysette met her gaze, a soft, beautiful smile on her lips. “I love you, too.” She brought their joined hands to her mouth and left a lingering kiss on Eleanor’s palm. “How much time do w
e have?”
Eleanor lifted her head to look past Lysette at the bedside table alarm clock. “About twenty minutes before I need to start cleaning up.” She released Lysette’s hand as she moved to her side, facing the beautiful woman. “So you said you have a lot of things to tell me and wanted to talk.”
Lysette let out a long, tired sigh, then mirrored Eleanor’s position, reaching out to rest her hand on Eleanor’s hip to maintain physical contact between them. “Yes.” She gave her a happy smile. “Jim and I talked. He’s going to do what needs to be done legally this week.”
Eleanor eyed her. She had a feeling of what she was talking about, but she didn’t want to assume. “Meaning?”
Lysette leaned forward, a hair’s breadth away from Eleanor’s lips. “We’re getting a divorce.”
Eleanor gasped. “Really?”
“Yes.”
Eleanor’s eyes fell closed as she pulled Lysette to her, their bodies flush as they held each other for a long moment. Finally, Eleanor fell to her back, taking Lysette with her until an auburn head lay on her shoulder. “I can’t believe it. What about the kids?” she asked, trailing her fingertips over a rounded shoulder.
“We’re holding off talking to them and Aunt Josie until things are more final. We don’t want this to be any more difficult or make them feel any more unstable than we have to.” She placed a kiss to Eleanor’s upper chest as she adjusted her head to a more comfortable spot. “Neither of us is contesting anything. For right now, the kids and I and Aunt Josie will stay in the house, and Jim will get an apartment until he finds something, I suppose.”
“Well, there’s not a place available here,” Eleanor said with a grin.
Lysette lifted her head and matched that grin. “If there was, I’d move in.”
Eleanor met her gaze, the smile fading from her lips. “What do you want, Lysette?” She didn’t want to assume and didn’t want to dream or fantasize about what she didn’t know.
