by Nikki Chase
“Yeah, he does like his granddad. But don’t worry; I have a feeling Dad’s going to give in right away. He’s not as tough as he used to be, now that he’s older, especially when it concerns Marcus.”
“You really think so?”
“Yeah. It’ll be a couple of weeks, max. Just watch,” Hannah says with confidence. “I’ll just tell Marcus that Granddad’s being mean to Aunt Bee, and we want Granddad to apologize to Aunt Bee. He’ll understand that.”
“You know what? That actually sounds like it might work,” I say.
“Right? I’m a genius.”
I laugh. “Yeah, you are. But Hannah, don’t worry too much about it. Even if Dad doesn’t cooperate, Aiden and I will be okay.” I shoot Aiden a smile. I feel so much stronger now with him by my side.
“Okay. I’ll read up on how to stage an intervention, and I’ll let you know how we’ll do this.”
“Thank you so much for sticking up for me.”
“Hey, you’re my sister. We stick together,” Hannah says. “I’ll call you tomorrow with the details.”
“In moments like this, I love how organized you are. Thanks, Hannah. Say ‘hi’ to Marcus for me.”
“I will. Bye,” Hannah says before the call ends.
“Wow. This is unprecedented,” I say as I reluctantly hand the phone back to Aiden. Using his things gives me a mild thrill. It feels like he’s letting me get just a little bit closer, letting me know him just a little bit better.
“What is?” Aiden says, his fingers brushing against mine as he takes the phone and puts it aside on a small wooden table nearby.
“Hannah’s going to help us.” I tell Aiden all about Hannah’s plan. I have to admit, I’m proud of my sister for having come up with this diabolical plan. Our whole lives, she’s always been the sensible one. Her support vindicates me.
“That sounds like a good plan,” Aiden says.
“Right?”
“Yeah. But princess, no matter what your dad says in the end, I think I’d rather not work at Oak Crest anymore. I don’t want us to ever have to worry about him pulling something like this again.”
“But that wouldn’t be fair to you. You shouldn’t have to change jobs just because my dad’s a jerk.”
“Life’s not fair,” Aiden shrugs casually.
“I feel like you’re not taking this seriously enough.”
“I am. I just . . . Well, maybe I don’t feel as strongly about becoming a doctor as you do. To me, as long as I can get a well-paying job with my degree, I’m happy. And if that job insulates me from problems related to your dad, then that’s a bonus.”
“You mean that? You’re not just saying that to keep me from being too worried?”
“Not at all. There are benefits to the corporate life. The hours are more predictable,” Aiden says. “I’m just being practical.”
“If you say so.”
“Princess, everything in my life can change. As long as I have you, I know I can be happy.”
A smile spreads across my cheeks.
Aiden watches me with gentle eyes, but there’s something else in there too. He pulls me back into his arms and kisses me. He whispers, “Now, I believe we were in the middle of something . . .”
Aubrey
Our clothes, wet and heavy from rain, lie on the white tiled floor of the en-suite bathroom, forgotten.
The water in the tub is pleasantly warm, even though only my knees and hands are submerged. I let out another moan as the pressure from the tap teases my pussy lips. I arch my back so the pressure hits me at just the right angle. Sometimes, it presses down directly on my clit, and it feels like too much. But when it rushes over my lips and glides over the hood of my clit, it feels heavenly.
“Do you like that?” Aiden asks, wickedness glinting in his eyes. His cock is already rock hard. I can see it throbbing as he runs his hungry gaze over my curves.
I bite down on my bottom lip. This is kind of embarrassing. I’m on all fours with my ass in the air, and Aiden can see all of me clearly—including my asshole. To say that I feel exposed is an understatement. But I can’t deny that . . . “Yeah, I like it.”
“I know you do. You’re all serious and independent on the outside, but deep inside, you’re a dirty girl who wants nothing more than to submit,” he says slowly in a low, seductive voice. “Aren't you?”
My core clenches at his words, and I shudder with pleasure, sending ripples through the surface of the water. “Yes.”
“Good,” he says as he tangles his fingers in my hair. He tilts my head up so he can stare straight into my eyes. Meeting his gaze, I bite my lip. When a moan escapes anyway, Aiden leans in and captures my mouth in a bruising kiss. “Come for me,” he says breathlessly as he pulls away from the kiss.
I moan louder and louder as my arousal builds up from the constant flow of water over my lady bits. Heat and pressure grow in my center. My clit starts throbbing . . . and suddenly, a jolt of pleasure rips through my body. I lose control as my limbs shake of their own accord. Aiden watches my face intensely, his hand in my hair making sure he gets a good look at every little micro-expression on my face.
As I come down from the peak, I feel something hot and spongy pressing against my lips. I open my eyes to see Aiden’s cock.
“Open,” he says, his eyes dark and hungry.
I part my lips for him, letting the head slide inside my mouth. I swirl my tongue over the entire head and tease the opening. Wetness leaks out of me as Aiden groans from pleasure. That’s the sexiest sound I’ve ever heard.
I slide my lips up and down Aiden’s thick, hard shaft. There’s a vein popping and throbbing along the side of his cock, and I run my tongue along that vein. I feel his every pulse.
“Fuck,” Aiden curses. “Get up and let me see you,” he orders.
I stand up in the bathtub, water dripping down my knees and forearms. With his gaze, Aiden sears his desire into my flesh. My whole body feels warm, and my cheeks fill with heat.
Aiden gestures for me to get out of the tub as he turns off the tap. He pulls me up and makes me stand in front of the vanity. The bathroom is quiet now that the tap is turned off. I can only hear the vent purring softly in the background and Aiden’s breathing.
This is the second time I’m staring at myself in the mirror today and not recognizing myself.
Earlier in Hannah’s home, it was because I looked so miserable.
Now that I’m naked and in Aiden’s arms, I can’t believe how sensual I look. My hair is partially wet from the rain and from the bathtub. My eyes are heavy-lidded and filled with want.
Is this what Aiden sees? Damn, no wonder he was so confident I was going to come back with him.
“You look so sexy, princess,” Aiden says from over my shoulder. His eager eyes are fixated on my reflection. He wraps one hand around my neck as his other hand slides down to my pussy. “Stick your ass out,” he says.
I do as he says, and feel his rock-hard cock pressing into my ass cheek.
“Do you feel how hard you make me?” he rasps.
I try to nod again, forgetting about his fingers around my neck. “Yeah,” I moan.
“I’ve got to have you now.” Aiden finds my opening with his fingers, making me gasp at the contact. He pushes forward, sliding into me. I’m so slick he spears all the way inside me in one smooth thrust.
I moan as Aiden stretches my pussy walls and fills me up.
He slides his hand down my belly. It looks dark and dangerous over my creamy skin. He cups my mound as his fingers seek out my pussy lips. He stops thrusting but I’m impaled on his cock, unable to move with his hand around my neck. Aiden finds my clit and presses just over the hood, making me gasp.
“That felt good, princess,” Aiden whispers in my ear. “You tighten up real nice when I play with your clit.”
Aiden’s fingers continue to tease me as he starts sliding in and out of me again. He kisses my shoulder and stares at me through the mirror. “Look at your
self,” he orders.
In the mirror, I see a woman in the throes of passion—helpless, vulnerable, and loving it.
“Fuck me, A,” I beg. I want him to unleash his primal urges on me. “Fuck me hard.”
“As you wish.”
As Aiden tightens his grip on me, my breathing gets more ragged. I relax my muscles, going limp and trusting that Aiden will keep me safe from harm. I let go. I throw my head back and squeeze my eyes shut, giving myself completely to Aiden.
He pounds into me, making me gasp with every thrust. With one last hard slam, he pulls me back against him and we explode together, me quivering as every muscle in Aiden’s body tenses. He grunts as he empties himself inside me.
“You’re mine,” he growls as his arms wrap possessively around me. “Say it.”
“I’m all yours, A. Always,” I whisper.
Aubrey
There’s something unsettling about the way cum leaks out bit by bit throughout the day, as if my own body is reminding me of what—or rather, who—I did this morning.
This feeling gets magnified one-thousand-fold now that I’m sitting at the dining table at my parents’ house, where I grew up.
I feel like I’ve done something wrong and I should hide it—which is ridiculous because I’m an adult who’s had consensual sex with a willing partner.
On top of that, I feel like everyone can tell that I’ve had sex this morning. Hell, I had sex last night, too. And as soon as Aiden and I get some time to ourselves, I’m sure we’ll be tearing each other’s clothes off again.
But now’s not the time to be thinking about that.
Hannah has just told Dad that we're staging an intervention. He’s now staring at us with a deep frown on his reddening face.
“What do I need an intervention for?” he demands.
“This is not for you, Dad. This is for Aubrey,” Hannah says.
My heart races. We may call this an intervention, but at this point, this is just a disagreement, and Dad’s not even outnumbered. Hannah said it has to be just the two of us because that’s the best way to minimize Dad’s negative feelings towards Earl and Aiden.
As Hannah and I sit opposite our parents, gloom descends upon our old family dining table.
“What does she need an intervention for?” Dad asks, glaring at me.
“Really, Dad?” I ask incredulously, ignoring the ball of nerves in my stomach. “You’ve been trying to control my life for as long as I’ve lived. But I’m a grown-up now, and you need to stop that. Let me live my life.”
“Honey,” Mom says, “we were just concerned that you were going down a path that wouldn’t end well for you.”
“Why? Because Aiden’s family isn’t rich or well-connected like Trey’s?” I ask.
“No, I don’t care about that. Earl’s family wasn’t rich or well-connected. And it doesn’t have to be Trey,” Dad says. “But find yourself a respectable young man who can take good care of you.”
“I don’t need anyone to take care of me. This is not the 1950s. Besides, should I need someone to take care of me, I’m sure Aiden is perfectly capable of that, too.”
“You just wait until he starts wasting all your hard-earned money on gambling. I know guys like his dad. Their kids struggle to keep their lives together because they’re always at the casinos.”
“Aiden’s not like that,” I say. “Listen, Dad, this is the problem. I know you don’t like Aiden—I don’t understand why, because he’s perfectly likeable—but it shouldn’t matter. Your opinion should have zero impact on my love life. You don’t get to tell me who to date.”
“So, I’m just supposed to watch while you make the biggest mistake of your life?” Dad asks, his voice growing louder.
“Yes!” I yell out. “If—and this is a huge if—if it turns out to be a mistake, then I’ll live with the consequences. That’s what being an adult is about.”
“Look at you. You’re obviously still in your rebellious phase. You’re only with this boy because you know I don’t approve. The only reason you started seeing him in the first place was because your sister was away at college, and you were lonely.”
“Wow. Thanks for the psychoanalysis, Dad,” I say sarcastically. “We didn’t think you were going to just agree, and we came prepared.” I turn to look at Hannah.
“Dad, I understand you think you’re doing this for Aubrey’s own good,” Hannah says. “But Aubrey needs freedom to live her life on her own terms. I wish I didn’t have to do this . . .” Hannah pauses as the atmosphere grows tense. “Dad, until you apologize to Aubrey and Aiden, I can’t allow you to see Marcus.”
Both our parents stare at us, dumbfounded. Their mouths are open and their eyes are bewildered. “You can’t do that,” Mom says.
“I’m sorry, Mom. But I believe I’m doing the right thing, and nothing you can say will change my mind,” Hannah says. She gets up from her chair and turns to me. “Let’s go, Bee.”
When we’re back inside Hannah’s toy-ridden SUV, I say, “Thank you for sticking up for me.”
Hannah gives me a smile as she turns on the ignition. “It wasn’t right, what Dad was doing to you. I couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.” Hannah pauses pensively. “Does that sound like something Dad's said?”
I giggle. “Aiden noticed I said something Dad-like too, yesterday.” I tell Hannah all about it on our way home.
As much as Dad can be a jerk, we’re still family, and obviously both Hannah and I have a little bit of him inside us.
Honestly, I love both my parents, even though one of them is a mean bully, and the other one is a passive onlooker. I just need them to love me a little less.
And even though things seem bad right now, it feels like we’re going in the right direction.
But regardless of what happens next, I have Aiden now. Even if my parents continue to oppose us, I can be happy as long as he’s with me. That makes me feel invincible.
Just as Hannah predicted, I get a phone call from my dad, just a little over one week since the intervention.
I’m back in San Francisco, and so is Aiden, and we’re living in my apartment while we figure out our next move. Aiden’s still working at the hospital with me, but he’s also asking around about vacancies in the corporate world.
In fact, Aiden’s at the hospital right now, and I’ve just gotten home from getting groceries. That’s when my phone rings. I have to set the plastic bags down on the kitchen counter before I pull the phone out of my bag.
As soon as I see “Dad” flash up on the screen of my phone, my heart jumps. This is either very good news (he gives up and agrees not to mess with Aiden’s job or his mom’s debt) or very bad news (he’s already gotten Aiden fired and also unleashed debt collectors on Aiden’s mom).
“Hello,” I say as I pick up the phone, trying to sound as casual as possible, even though it feels like there’s a wildebeest stampede in my chest.
“Aubrey,” my dad begins, “I won’t interfere with your boyfriend’s job. I suppose I won’t need to anyway, seeing as he’ll get fired on his own when his addiction takes over.”
“Nice to hear from you, Dad,” I say sweetly as I grin from ear to ear.
I know my dad’s being a jerk right now, but that’s because he hates to lose. Which means I win. We win—Aiden, Hannah, Marcus, and maybe Earl, too. This is a big day.
“I’m happy to inform you that Aiden has no addiction problems and no signs of future addiction problems. What about the money?” I ask directly.
“I’m willing to consider the sum that I gave Mrs. Black a donation,” Dad says.
I roll my eyes. How noble of him. Fine, let’s pretend he didn’t use that money as payment to further his own agenda.
“Thank you. That’s generous of you,” I say in a saccharine voice.
“Now, would you please call your sister and tell her what I just told you so she’ll let me see my grandson?” Dad asks. I can hear the hint of exasperation in his voice.
&n
bsp; I laugh. “Of course, Dad.”
I was going to call Hannah anyway.
So that’s my dad’s admission of defeat.
Yeah, it’s not much, but this is my dad we’re talking about. That’s probably the best I can ever expect from him.
Later, Hannah tells me he was supposed to apologize, too.
“I’m not surprised he didn’t,” I say. “Have you ever heard him say ‘sorry’?”
“I just thought he could start. It’s never too late, right?” Hannah asks, ever the kind-hearted optimist.
“It’s okay, Hannah. It doesn’t matter. I don’t need Dad’s apology. In fact, this whole week that I spent without any contact with Dad . . . It’s made me realize something: I don’t need him. And neither does Aiden. We would’ve done okay, even if Dad had ended up going with the nuclear option.”
Hannah goes quiet. When she speaks again, I can tell she’s smiling. “Seems like Aiden’s a good influence on you. You haven’t needed Dad for a while now. I think it just took you some time to get used to it. You were always so smart I had no doubt that you were going to make it on your own as soon as you graduated college.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah. The only reason you had to rely on Dad was because you couldn’t work while studying on his dime. I have no doubt that you were going to work your ass off to finally be free from Dad.” Hannah laughs. “I still remember his face—it was all red—when he told me about how you were working part-time at some convenience store behind his back.”
“Yeah.” I giggle. “That’s where I met Aiden.”
“I always knew that something was going to happen not long after you graduated, because it would take time for Dad to get used to the new dynamics.” Hannah pauses. “Just be patient. Dad will come around. And if he doesn’t, that would be his loss. You’ll be fine.”
“Yeah. I know.” I smile. “Thanks, Hannah.”
Epilogue
Aiden—Two Years Later
