by Jesse Jordan
Joey glances at me, and I think. “If the weather stays nice, how about outside? It's only the middle of October. And I'd like to see the rest of your house if there's a chance.”
“Outside it is then,” Joey says, giving me a heartwarming smile before disappearing. I watch him go, then turn to Teresa, who's giving me a measured, but still warm smile.
“It's nice that you don't mind Joey still lives with his mother and sister,” Teresa says as she turns back to her counter. “Would you pass me the mayo?”
“Okay,” I answer, finding it in the refrigerator. “Actually, it impresses me because of why he's doing it. For such a young man, he's more mature than a lot of my co-workers who are ten or twenty years older.”
Teresa smiles, nodding. “He gets that from his father, he was strong too. There aren't a lot of men like Tomás Rivera in the world any longer, but Joey, he's one of them. You know, when we got word that Tomás was killed overseas, Joey didn't cry once in public? He cried, of course, but never in front of his sister, or in front of me. I'd hear him crying in his room on base, the Corps let us stay in base housing for a few weeks after the funeral while I tried to make arrangements. But Joey never, ever cried in public.”
“Why?” I ask, curious. “This doesn't have to go in my story if you prefer it doesn’t.”
Teresa shakes her head, smiling softly. “No, I'd like the whole world to know about Joey, about how strong and amazing my son is. He never cried in public because he knew that Maria and I needed a strong presence in our lives. So, outside of his room, he would be kind and patient with Maria, more than a brother should ever be with a little sister. And when I needed help either with Maria or with anything, he'd just give me that little smile of his and help out, never complaining. There was never, ever a moment he wasn't giving himself to his family. I never asked him to take his paper route, or the after school and weekend jobs. And I never let him see me cry when I'd find him sleeping on the old couch we had, a half-finished piece of homework in front of him because he didn't get started until eleven thirty. I took pride in every C he got on his report card because I knew he was working harder than any of those kids getting A's and B's.”
“And the music?” I ask, taking out some plates when Teresa points for me. “You didn't have a problem with that? A lot of parents do.”
Teresa shakes her head, smiling again. “Watching the joy on his face, and seeing him have a chance to become rewarded for all that hard work, there's no way I could be upset with it. Besides, Tomás started him on the guitar. Sometimes, it feels like I am watching my son and my husband talking together when he plays. Yes, the stage makeup, that's a little strange to me. Sometimes I wonder if that's my Joey up on stage. But then he comes home, and he gives us his smile, plays with Angel, and I know that there's nothing bad in the rock world that could change who Joey is at the heart. Of course, he's lucky to have the other band members, and that other girl, Cora. Have you met her?”
“Not yet, although I've heard a lot about her,” I admit with a little chuckle. “I think Joey's seeing if I pass the family test first.”
“You're doing fine so far,” Teresa says with a reassuring nod. The door to the kitchen open, and a girl with long, nearly mid back length dramatically intense black hair comes in, and I can see immediately that she's Joey's sister. “Andrea, this is my daughter, Maria.”
“It's a pleasure. Joey speaks very highly of you.”
Maria blushes just like her brother, and in the way she moves, I can see the similarities between them. “Only believe half of what you hear. Joey makes me seem like some sort of superwoman.”
“He's a brother. I don't have one, but I can imagine he just loves you very much. I know he loves Angel.”
Maria smiles, waving me forward with her hand while shushing me with her other. “You want to see them? Come with me quietly, you can see from the back door.”
Maria leads me out of the kitchen and into the living room, where through the sliding glass door I can see Angel and Joey, Joey helping Angel as they lay chicken on the grill. “Someday,” Maria says softly, “he's going to make a great father. He already is, really. When I got pregnant, he never blamed me, he never said one hard word. He's loved Angel better than a lot of fathers, honestly.”
“He loves you both very much,” I reply. “Our first interview he talked a lot about you getting your GED, and the hard work you're doing for getting your business started. He's very proud of you.”
“Thank you. You handled that section of the story so well. I read it over and over. Thank you for your kind description of me. Joey's always unsure how to handle my being a mother with other people. He... I'll tell you what he won't. Getting pregnant, it wasn't my choice. It was an assault.”
I stop, taking a deep breath before nodding, not know what to say. Maria studies me for a moment, then takes my hand. “I told you that to let you know what sort of man Joey is. You know a lot of men, a lot of people really, would say they don't blame you, but then act differently. They'd say things like I somehow deserved it, that I brought it on myself for going out late as a fourteen-year-old. But Joey never did any of that. Do you want to know what a real man is? Take a look outside, there's the finest man you'll ever find. In some ways, I'm a little jealous of you.”
“How?” I ask, and Maria chuckles.
“Because someday, a woman, maybe you, will capture Joey's heart. And she's going to maybe take him away from me, but for sure I'll have to share him with her. Meanwhile, I don't think there's a man on this planet that is as good as Joey. And I'm greedy in that regard, I want the best.”
Joey looks up from the grill to see Maria and me, and he waves. We wave back, and Maria lets go of my hand. “Come on, let's help Mama. And enjoy the barbecue.”
The food itself is delicious, sitting around the back yard in chairs and eating on plastic plates is messy and sometimes hilarious, but as the afternoon goes on, the best part for me is the acceptance by Teresa and Maria. Angel takes a little longer, but after we eat he skips his normal afternoon nap to play soccer with me. Joey joins in. He's a good natural athlete even as he holds back enough to let Angel run and have some fun. “This yard is one of the reasons I chose this place. It's big enough that we can let Angel play and there's plenty of space for the kids once we get the daycare started. We'll be able to stay here for a long time afterward too.”
“Do you want to grow bigger than that?” I ask, and Joey stops, thinking.
“Maybe. I'm going to leave that to Mama and Maria, though. I know that I can't help them out enough to push that. But if they want to grow to that size, to have their own business-only place, I'll be there to help them.”
After we play, I try to help Teresa wash up before she and Maria chase me out of the kitchen. “You and Joey go have a good evening together,” Teresa says with a soft smile. She kisses me on the cheek before patting it. “You are a wonderful girl, and you have my one hundred percent seal of approval.”
“Thank you, Teresa,” I reply, touched. Joey and I leave after exchanging hugs all around, getting in his car and pulling out. “So where to?”
“I really enjoyed the beach, and I was thinking that it'd be a great way to end the afternoon, watching the sun set on the ocean again,” Joey says. “What did you think of Mama and Maria?”
I smile, thinking for a moment before answering. “Joey, your life, your family, it's like a hundred and eighty degrees different from mine. About the only similarity we have is that we both have only one parent in our life, although for different reasons.”
“Have things with your Dad always been this... I don't know, strained?” Joey asks curiously. “I mean, today was good, but I've had tough times with Mama too. Maria filled me in, she overheard a bit of what you and Mama talked about, and she's stretching the truth a bit on her always approving of my music. She never said anything, but you know how you can tell when a parent isn't happy.”
I nod, chuckling. “No, things weren't always like
this between Dad and me. Right after the divorce, he was a good father, or at least it felt that way. He'd drop me off at school, and while he had his assistants pick me up, I got to hang out with him in his office while I did my homework, and he'd do his best to go home with me, to be a real father. Weekends were great, I've been to Disneyland and Magic Mountain so many times I can't even begin to count them.”
“What happened?” Joey asks as we get on the freeway heading back to Santa Monica. “Did he kick you out?”
I shake my head, leaning back as my belly gurgles happily from the wonderful barbecue. “No. It was my choice. I'd say things started going bad when I was in junior high school. His secretary took me to get my first training bra if you can believe it. It was like, Dad didn't know how to deal with me going from a skinny little girl into a woman. So, while he stopped being so close, at the same time he tried to make up for it with spending money on me. He never quite understood that I didn't want the clothes, or the Benz for my sixteenth birthday, or stuff like that. I wanted to spend time with my Dad, to eat churros and ride Splash Mountain. But then that stopped too, and while I tolerated his money, I wanted my space more than anything.”
Joey gives me a raised eyebrow, but he doesn't push. If anyone knows about discretion and not saying anything, it's Joey, but I trust him. “A couple of times, especially back with I was between thirteen and fifteen, he would say things that just sort of... creeped me out. Dad's always loved his vodka, and one time, he got a little drunk. Not falling down mind you, but even to thirteen-year-old me, I knew he was toasted. He'd broken up with a girlfriend, and he'd stayed in that night. It was July, and I was wearing just some of those cheerleader shorts that were so popular a few years back. I go walking by Dad's chair, and he reaches out, pinching my ass. 'You know baby, you're becoming one sexy woman,' he says, his voice pretty slurred. After that, I just started wanting my space. Supposedly Dad doesn't remember it, but... I started noticing that Dad's girlfriends started getting younger and younger. His current girlfriend is twenty-four, but looks about eighteen in a lot of her modeling shots.”
Joey hums, staying silent for a moment before replying. “I don't think I'll enjoy meeting your father. If that time comes.”
“I honestly don't know if it ever will,” I reply. “I don't care if I have his approval of you or not, Joey. Since that time, I've tried to gain my independence, to stand on my own. College was my first chance, to see how so many things my Dad does, I just don't approve of. His feelings towards a lot of different subjects are different from mine. So, I started pushing out on my own. Dad's tried to hamstring me though. First, he made sure I could only get hired by him, and then he's tried to push me towards just being a nepotistic type. Did you know that twice he's already tried to get me to give up the entertainment beat to go up to something 'more important,' his words?”
“Well, I'm happy that you turned him down,” Joey says, smiling. “I don't meet too many political or editorial staff members.”
“I just want to be free of him and his influence, that's all.”
The conversation drifts until we get to Santa Monica, getting off the freeway and Joey pulls up in front of my place. “I figured we'd start from here. It's not a long walk to the beach, you know?”
We park in a visitors’ spot, and Joey gets out, opening my door again like a total gentleman. When he closes my door, he takes my hand and pulls me in close, looking me in the eyes. “I know you worry about your father. I'll be honest, with what you told me, I'd worry about him too. But, you aren't your father. You're a beautiful, intelligent woman. Someday very soon, you'll be able to stand on your own two feet, and the world will see you as Andrea Coates, not Darren Coates' daughter. I already do.”
I wrap my arms around Joey's neck and kiss him gently, enjoying the feeling. It feels right, and I smile, laying my head on his chest. “I'll admit I'm a little afraid, though. I've never been tough like you are, Joey. I've always been a trust fund baby, more or less. Listening to your story, I know that what you went through would have broken me.”
“First off, you don't know for sure,” Joey replies, holding me tighter. “You have your own strength, just standing up on your own as you have. Before you protest about taking his Lexus or this apartment, I don't blame you at all. But secondly, everyone needs support. I wouldn't be able to do what I'm doing without Rocky and Ian, or Maria and Mama. So, you need support... I'll be your support, Andrea. Whatever you need, whenever you need it, I'll be there. I care about you very much already.”
I hug Joey tighter and go with the feelings inside me. “You know Joey, my apartment is high enough up that you can see the ocean from my balcony. Would you like to watch the sunset with me up there instead of going out?”
Joey nods as he reads the meaning in my words, and I take his hand, leading him inside the lobby of my building and to the elevator. His eyes are smoldering as the doors close, but he minds his manners, there's no need to rush. A feeling of inevitability falls over me as the doors to the elevator open and we walk to my front door and I fish my keys out, letting go of his hand only long enough to twist the key in the lock and get the door knob.
“Welcome to my apartment,” I reply, closing the door behind us. “What do you think?”
Joey turns to me, swallowing deeply. “I think you're beautiful.”
Taking my hand, Joey pulls me close and we kiss, the kiss deepening more and more. His hand comes down, resting at my waist for a little bit before sliding lower, over my hips to cup my ass and making me moan. The single sound seems to trigger a release within both of us, and we are suddenly starving, pulling at each other's clothes as we stagger across the room to my sofa, the bedroom's too far away. By the time we fall into the cushions, we're both totally topless, and my jeans are unbuttoned while Joey's shorts are halfway down his hips.
“Joey...” I gasp in between kisses, my skin on fire from the feel of his hands on me. “Joey. Do you have protection?”
“In my wallet,” Joey replies, stopping and getting off the couch. He pulls out his wallet and takes out a condom, handing it to me. “Andrea, are you sure?”
I nod, putting my hand on his stomach when he goes to get back on the sofa, shaking my head. “Let me.”
I pull his shorts and underpants the rest of the way down, his hard cock looking delicious in its bed of short dark hair, just like Joey's head. I lick my lips and then kiss the pink tip, Joey groaning deeply as I lick around his cock, kissing it all the way to the tip before I suck him into my mouth. It's been a long time since I did this, at the end I never wanted to do this for Chad since he would start to try and gag me. But Joey he looks at me with warm tender strength when he rests his hand on my head, brushing the hair out of the way so he can watch me as I slide his thick cock in and out of my mouth, my pussy heating up with every lick of my tongue. He starts to ooze precum, the sweet tang making my body even hotter, and I pull off, smiling. I wrap my hand around his shaft and pump him slowly while I use my free hand and teeth to open the condom and slide it down his shaft. When it's done, I sit back and push my pants off, spreading my legs. “Joey, just please go slow at first? I haven't in a while.”
He smiles and lays down on the sofa, pulling me into his arms and kissing me. I'm surprised when he rolls, pulling me on top as he kisses my neck, his right hand kneading my ass and making me groan in anticipation. I can feel his cock pressing against my left leg and I slide over, the two of us twisting until he's sitting up and I'm straddling his waist, his cock poised at the entrance to my pussy. As I start to sink down we both freeze, our eyes locked on each other as I lower myself.
Joey never rushes me, letting me take my time as his cock spreads me open, both of us relishing the intense sensation until I'm all the way settled on him, my pussy filled perfectly. I smile, stroking Joey's hair and leaning down, kissing him as I lift up and start to ride him, his cock stroking in and out of me in just the way that I want.
Joey helps me lean back, his hands po
werful and strong as I let my body be controlled by him. He kisses down my throat to my chest, his tongue tracing around my breasts and nipples until I'm seeing stars. My pussy squeezes around his cock when Joey bites lightly on my right nipple, his teeth tugging just enough to leave me crying out in pleasure, my arms barely holding onto the back of the couch as I roll my hips slowly, unable to go faster right now from our position.
When Joey growls lightly I look down, smiling into his dark eyes. “Joey?”
“You're amazing... but it's hard not to want to go faster.”
I smile and shift, pulling him to the side and letting him climb on top of me. I wrap my legs around his hips and kiss him hotly, our tongues dueling as Joey's hips drive his cock into me faster and harder, powerful thrusts that send jolts of electricity through my body and curl my toes they feel so good. Our breath comes in faster and faster small puffs and gasps as our bodies move in a natural, perfect harmony that I've never felt before.
Never in my life have I been as intensely lit up as I am while Joey's cock moves inside me, his hips grinding against my clit and the hard ridges of his muscles rubbing against my nipples. His lips meet mine, heat, and power in every movement, my body pinned underneath his as we rise higher and higher towards an orgasm that I can already feel building. My fingers dig deeply into Joey's back muscles as he thrusts harder and faster, urging him to give me everything, to show me the power that I can sense buried underneath the kindness. I'm a grown woman, I won't break.
Joey's hips move faster, each of his thrusts slamming into me with titanic force, leaving me gasping with each shattering slap. My eyes roll back in their sockets. I've never felt it like this before, and Joey grabs the arm of the couch for support as he goes faster and faster, driving himself into me and deeper into my soul with each beat of my heart.
“Joey. Oh, Joey, I'm going to come, just one mo...” I cry out as the pleasure's too much and I tip over the line, my body squeezing down on his hard cock while I'm pounded into submission and explode in the smoothest, sweetest orgasm of my life. My toes curl, my fingers curl, it feels like even my eyelids curl as pure white ecstasy grips my body. In the back of my mind, I hear Joey groan deeply, and suddenly my pussy feels warmer, his cock swelling as he comes into the condom, and he reaches his own peak, both of us frozen in time as we cling to the moment and to each other.
