by Young, Luke
She took more of him in her mouth, sucking carefully on him then rising up to swipe her tongue all around the head. He gasped and moved his hands to the mattress gathering the sheets between his fists and squeezing hard.
Using one hand to massage his balls, she used the other to stroke him as she continued pleasing him with her mouth. He shuttered and she sucked harder until she felt him throb between her lips. A second later he gasped loudly, exploding in her mouth. She remained over him only a moment longer, before pulling away and stroking him slowly, deliberately with one hand.
His shoulders curled up and his elbows pressed into his sides as he squirmed on the bed with her unrelenting attention. Groaning, he placed his hand over hers to stop her then turned over on one side, gasping and fighting to breathe. She lay down behind him and spooned up close. Reaching back, he brushed his fingers up and down her thigh. He turned to her and kissed her full on the mouth, running his hands all over her body. He pulled back from her. “I love you.”
“I…” She smiled. “You.” She pressed her lips to his.
34
Brian arrived at the tennis club just before 5:00 p.m. Jim took the early shift that day and Brian was to work until closing. When he reached the front desk, he discovered his brother and Todd in the middle of a conversation.
“Unbelievable.” Todd shook his head.
Jim scoffed. “Yeah, women… I’ll just never understand what’s going on with them.”
Brian grinned. “What are you guys talking about?”
“Victoria and I were getting ready to go to dinner the other night and I simply asked her about this belt she was wearing with this new dress.” Jim raised his hands up and frowned. “I was just trying to make conversation since I somehow remembered that some other belt came with it when she bought it and I simply asked why she wasn’t wearing the belt that came with it.”
“You didn’t.” Brian’s mouth dropped open.
“What?”
“Dude, you’ve been living with her for almost a year now and you still don’t know how to behave. What’s wrong with you?”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’ll bet she accused you of not liking the belt she was wearing.”
“How did you know?”
“Um…” Brian widened his eyes. “… I’m married.”
Jim nodded. “And then she—”
“She probably wouldn’t let it go,” his older brother interrupted.
“Exactly. She accused me of thinking the belt she was wearing was ugly.”
“You don’t have to tell me, I’ve been there.” Brian frowned. “Was it some sort of shoe matching emergency?”
“Uh-huh. This is freaky. It’s like you were there.”
“I didn’t have to be there.” Brian shook his head from side to side with his eyes bugging out. “I’ve been there… more than once.”
“Wow.” Todd and Jim shared a look.
“Women are sorta crazy, but they really have a lot on their plates, so you almost can’t blame them…” Jim and Todd listened with keen interest as Brian held court. “… not only do they have to struggle to work on their hair and make-up and get it just right, they have to deal with the unrelenting sexual advances of the man in their lives and all the while they somehow need to match their shoes to their belt and purse while ensuring that said shoe is not only appropriate for the season but also for the event.”
“You know…” Jim scoffed. “There was some sort of summer season thing mentioned. Really how the hell do you know this shit?”
Holding up his ring finger, Brian gave him a look. “Never once have I gone in my closet trying to decide what shoe to wear and pondered whether or not it was season appropriate.”
The three shared a knowing look.
Todd ran his fingers through his hair. “I’m so glad I’m single.”
“You’ll be in over your head at some point.” Brian gave him a pointed look then leaned against the counter. “Jim, you’ve really got to be more careful with what comes out of your mouth. When they ask you if you like something, you simply say yes.”
“What if they give you a choice of two things and they want you to pick which one you like the best?” Jim narrowed his eyes.
“It depends.”
“On what?”
“Are you at a store or working from her closet?”
“Closet.”
“Okay, if you’re working from her wardrobe, you’ve got to walk on eggshells. Let’s face it you really don’t have an opinion, but you’ve got to give the appearance that you’re really giving it some serious thought.” Pausing, Brian put a finger to his lips. “Don’t rush a decision. Have her switch back to the alternate outfit at least twice. This accomplishes two things— one, you get to see her in her skimpy underwear or possibly naked again and it makes it seem like you’re actually invested in the choice.”
“Wow, but how do you choose?”
“You’ve got to come up with some safe reason for why you’re choosing one outfit over the other.”
“Like what?” Todd asked.
“For example you could go to a window and open it— sorta pretending to check the weather. Like is it going to be too cold or hot or humid? You could pull out your phone and look at the weather for later in the day.”
“Okay… okay.” Jim smiled. “I see where you’re going.”
Todd gave them a confused look. “What does the weather have to do with any of this?”
“Listen, please try to follow along.” Brian sighed. “She’s tried on both outfits at least twice for you. You’re absolutely riveted. You’re not looking away or moving toward the door. You’re engaged. You got it…”
“Yeah.” The two students replied in unison.
“Now you check the window or you’ve checked the weather. You put your hand to your chin and shake your head then say something like ‘you know, they’re both really, really nice, but I’m just worried that you might be cold later. Which one do you think is warmer?’ Now, she’ll come back with a response or an option to wear a sweater with one or the other and you just go with it. You sorta follow her lead.”
“Jesus, how long does all this take?”
“Oh, it takes a long, long time. Getting dressed is a whole thing for women. They’ve got to be exhausted from it.”
“Is that why they’re so tired at night?” Jim asked.
“You know, I don’t think any official studies have been done, but I’ll bet you’re on to something there.” Brian nodded in agreement.
“Okay so that’s at home, but what if you’re in a store?” Jim asked.
“Well, this is much less fun because you don’t get the entertainment benefits of the Victoria Secret lingerie show.”
“Obviously.” Jim agreed.
Brian stopped a moment to think, then asked, “Are you holding the purse or does she have it?”
“Holding it.” Jim grumbled.
“Yeah, of course.” Brian frowned. “Have you secretly seen the price tags or are you price clueless?”
“Clueless.”
“Okay, so here it’s just a crap shoot. You can have a real opinion, but you’ve still got to be careful because if you don’t like the one she’s leaning toward and she buys it, you’re in some serious shit.”
“I’ll never be able to get this,” Jim whined.
“No, you will. You will…” Brian nodded. “Here you need to follow her to a mirror. Stand behind her and watch her facial expression as she’s checking herself out. Now, you can try to glance at the price tag while she’s doing this, but for the love of God, be careful. If she catches you checking the tag, you’re fucked. You’ll be cut off from all sex for at least a week and you might even get some extra house cleaning chores assigned to you— some crappy ones like scrubbing your pee stains from around where the toilet seat connects to the toilet.”
“Oh, shit.”
“Yeah…” Brian scoffed. “So unless you’re really skille
d I wouldn’t check the tag. Watch her expression for both outfits and with a little practice you’ll be able to tell which one she’s trying to lead you towards. And hell, when in doubt just tell her to get both. That’s safest.”
“Okay. Okay…” Jim looked to his phone. “Crap, I’ve got to go.”
Todd widened his eyes. “Man, you should totally teach a class.”
“There’s so much more to learn.” Brian exhaled. “Next week we should go over how to handle questions like, ‘does my rear end look big in this… fill in the blank,’ and how to respond to statements like, ‘I feel ugly today.’”
“Yeah, right, yeah, I usually screw those up.” Jim shook his head.
“Oh…” Brian’s eyes brightened. “… and how to not let a hair color change or new haircut slip past you. God, you miss one of those and you’re in trouble. They take an eighth inch off the length or go from light ash blonde to fucking medium ash blonde— a change so slight that only the guy from Project Runway could pick up on—and you don’t want to know the shitstorm you might encounter depending on her mood.”
“Fuck me…” Jim put his hand to the back of neck and stretched it from side to side. “How can we ever—”
“Why do you guys put yourselves through all this?” Todd interrupted.
“Well, being single is like the worst freaking thing in the world and…” Brian suddenly cringed. “Oh, sorry, dude.”
“No, don’t worry about it.” Todd shrugged.
“I mean, as much crap as you need to put up with and being on your toes every second and struggling to be politically correct about the most mundane thing is nothing compared to the way having someone look at you like you are their world makes you feel.”
“Yeah, it is sorta cool.” Jim agreed.
“Not to mention that the sex when you really know someone and are in tune with them completely is absolutely mind-blowing.”
“Shit, now I am depressed.” Todd frowned.
“Oh no,” Jim grumbled.
“What?”
“Victoria asked me to pick something up the grocery store on the way home and I can’t remember what it was.”
“Dude, you’ve got to write crap like that down. Record it on your phone.” Brian rolled his eyes, sighing.
Jim put a finger to his chin. “Was it milk or…”
“Bro, don’t go home empty handed.”
“I know, I know. I might have to call her and ask.”
“If you do that, don’t let her know you forgot. Call and tell her you’re in the store and just say you wanted to make sure she didn’t need anything else and hopefully she’s say something like, ‘No just the eggs or whatever…’”
“You’re a fucking genius.” Jim smiled, impressed. “You sure you’ve only been married two years?”
“Not even.”
“That’s right.” Jim shook his head.
Brian held his head high. “Yep, six hundred twenty seven of the happiest days of my life.”
35
Paul entered the hotel suite to find a bottle of champagne chilling in a bucket, a candlelit dinner waiting under fancy stainless steel plate covers and Natalie wearing some short, white, flowy, sexy, nighty thing— it was freaking awesome.
“Wow, I wish it was my birthday every day.”
Rushing to the door, she gave him a kiss. “Happy proper birthday.”
“Thanks.”
“Are you hungry?”
“Starved.”
She placed her finger on his chest and opened up his top button. “I ordered us that salad thing you had the other day.” She flashed him a sexy grin. “I ordered a light meal… I figured that was best for what I have planned for later.”
“Oh, really.”
“Yeah, you’ll be spending a little time upside down, and in various contorted positions.”
“Sounds like fun.” He flashed her a smile. “Just let me jump in the shower and I’ll meet you in five minutes at the table.”
She bounced on her heels. “I’ll pour the champagne.”
Four minutes and seventeen seconds later, he sat down at the table wearing a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She handed him a glass of champagne. They clinked glasses and each took a sip.
Smiling, she pulled a small professionally-wrapped gift box from her lap and handed it to him.
“I told you I didn’t want you to—”
“There is no way I wasn’t going to get you a gift. Now open it.”
Shaking his head, he sighed and unwrapped the box to discover a black iPad. “Wow, this is… thank you.”
“It’s the 128 GB model with two years of cellular service,” she announced, proudly.
“You really shouldn’t have.”
“No, I should have, I sorta caused you to drop your old one in the tub, remember?” She wagged her finger at him, motioning toward his midsection. “I think I was touching your, you know, and it was all my fault.”
“I do sorta remember that.” He narrowed his eyes in mock confusion.
“Oh, you only sorta remember that, huh?” She made a face.
“Maybe later you could help refresh my memory.”
“I think there’s a good chance that might happen.”
“This day just keeps getting better and better.” He shook his head from side to side smiling. “I love it. Thank you.”
“Be sure to keep that one away from the bathtub. If I’m around you, I have a hard time keeping my hands off of you.”
“Obviously.” He shot her a grin.
They shared a laugh before each pulling the cover off their plates revealing a beautifully colorful large salad. She skewered a cucumber and said, “Now that’s just your small gift.”
“Well, I know that. Aren’t we heading over there later?” He flashed her another smile, and nodded toward the king-sized bed.
“We are, but that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“I’m scared to ask.”
“It’s a surprise, but don’t worry, it won’t be arriving for a couple of days so you’ll have time to brace yourself for it.”
“I really hate getting gifts. I didn’t get you anything.”
“Um, it’s not my birthday, silly. Plus you’ve given me so much more than—”
“Well, I am pretty good over there, I know that!” He put on an arrogant expression.
“I’m not talking about that.” She giggled. “Although you are pretty good.”
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
She shook her head, fighting back a giggle. “Anyway, just expect a surprise sometime in the next four or five days. I think you’re going to love it.”
“I know I will.” Sliding his arm across the table, he motioned for her hand. She placed her fingers over his and he cradled them in his own and began, “I think I’m, uh…”
“What?”
“Falling in love with you.”
Taken a bit by surprise, her jaw fell open. “I think I, uh… I’m falling for you too.”
Their fingers intertwined, and the way they looked at one another the attraction and the heat rising up between them was undeniable.
He said, “Do you maybe want to eat later.”
She nodded with a grin. Rising up to his feet, he put his hand out for her to join him. When she did, he scooped her up off the ground and carried her toward the bed.
A few minutes after six in the morning, Natalie woke with the guilt weighing on her heavily. She watched Paul sleep, frowning and working out exactly what she should tell him and how to say it. Twenty minutes later, she summoned the courage and whispered, “Paul.”
He moaned softly and turned away from her.
“Paul,” she repeated and rose up from the mattress to hover over him.
“What?” he replied groggily as his eyes struggled to open.
“I need to tell you something.”
“Huh?”
“When we met at the health club, I—”
“What time is it?”
<
br /> “Almost six thirty.”
“Oh, what about the club?”
“I, um—”
His eyes shot open. “Six thirty!”
“Yeah.”
He sat on the edge of the bed running his hands over his face. “I totally forgot to set the alarm. We’ve got an early day. Shit.” Rising to his feet, he headed toward the bathroom, stopping in the doorway and turning back to her. “What were you saying about the club?”
“Oh, it can wait.”
“Okay.” He flipped on the bathroom light and turned on the water in the shower.
She curled up with her pillow and sighed.
36
Jillian pulled into the driveway of the upscale house location secured for filming and marveled at the transformation since she had seen it only three weeks earlier. The landscaping was now completely different and gorgeous. Freshly painted, the exterior was an attractive shade of yellow. It was a home worthy of her exquisite tastes.
Five other cars lined the driveway and she headed inside to meet with all the principals from the movie. Walking into the foyer, she spotted Paul along with the Art Director and Cinematographer standing in the great room holding their hands up with their thumbs pointed together and looking through their makeshift cameras and doing that thing movie makers do.
She headed into the room and exchanged greetings with the three men. Suddenly another man entered through the patio door. “Paul, we’ve got a problem.”
The director headed out the door with the other men and Jillian in tow. The group headed toward the tennis court. The man who summoned Paul began, “There just isn’t enough room out here to get the shots we need.”
“I thought we were going to take down this fence?”
“We can’t. We’ll be too close to the pool if we do.” He moved to the fence and added, “All the pool equipment is on the other side. We’d have to move it and break up the concrete. It’s just not feasible.”
Paul sighed. “How the hell did we miss this? We chose this house because it met all our needs and now you’re telling me it doesn’t. We’re shooting here starting tomorrow.” His gaze traveled to each of the men in the group. “What can we do about this?”
