by Terry Towers
“Hell no!” Seeing the exit, I began to walk towards it, just to have him grab my hand and stop me, sending me off balance and nearly knocking me off my feet. Instead, he ushered me across the lobby.
“Where are we going?” It was then that I noticed him pulling something out of his back pants pocket. Squinting to get a better look, I saw the words VIP written across the center of the card.
“It’s a surprise.”
“I think you’ve given me more than enough tonight. But no, I’m not complaining. I’m flattered; beyond flattered. I’m trying to process the amount of effort you must have went through.”
“Well good, that’s what I was aiming for.” Keeping my hand firmly in his, he led me through a door that read employees only without any hesitation.
I was about to gush another round of thank you’s when I stopped myself, fearing I’d look like a blabbering idiot. It was just that no one went out of their way for me like this. It was a lot to process. I didn’t even want to think about how much this night had cost him, certainly VIP backstage passes weren’t cheap. Even though he’d grabbed the bill at the fondue restaurant, I had caught a glance at the total. It made me gag and sent a rush of guilt through me seeing how much it cost. It had been delicious, no doubt on that, but for the price of two weeks worth of groceries, it seemed excessive. He was just a high school teacher, surely money wasn’t pouring in for him. I debated offering to reimburse him, though opted not to. Cole seemed to be a proud man, offering to pay my share would have insulted him, I was sure of it.
“What’s wrong?”
Giving my head a shake, I looked up at him and smiled hoping that my smile would make his concerned frown disappear. “Nothing. Why do you ask?”
“It’s nothing.” The sexy smile that made me weak in the knees returned and he gave my hand a squeeze.
“Mr. Grant. It’s such an honor to have you in attendance tonight.” A slender man of average height came rushing down the corridor to greet us, his hand extending to Cole as he came close. “I’m Tyler, I’ll be giving you the tour and taking you both to meet the group.”
“Thanks.” Cole released my hand to give Tyler’s a shake. “It was a great show.” He nodded towards me. “London and I loved it.”
“We try to put our best foot forward every night. You never know who could be in the crowd.” He gave me a quick glance and brief handshake before his attention went straight back to Cole.
I gave Tyler an odd look and forced a smile to my lips. He looked at Cole as though he were some sort of god. Maybe he was into men? Cole was a good-looking man and certainly had a swoon-worthy physique. Though, still odd.
“The guys are quite excited to have you come back to say hello,” he said, turning and motioning for us to follow behind me.
Glancing up at Cole I mouthed, that’s weird. He shrugged in response. Maybe I was the one being weird and just looking for something wrong with the amazing man beside me. Looking for a problem that didn’t exist, just so I didn’t get hurt again.
As we walked, I held onto Cole’s arm to help steady myself. I couldn’t wait to get out of my blasted heels. If I could have, I would have removed the damned things and walked in my stockings.
We turned a corner and were led to the back stage. Immediately I spotted a group of blue-faced men, chatting and laughing amongst themselves.
“Hey guys, we have a couple of guests,” Tyler announced.
The chatter immediately stopped, and all faces turned to look directly at us. No, correction, they were focused on my date. Was I invisible or something? I may as well have been. Though compared to Cole’s towering stature, I would seem quite tiny. Maybe that’s why I seemed to be an afterthought.
There was a chorus of laughing, with a few appreciative vulgarities thrown in for good measure as the men eagerly made their way to us.
“Before I forget, could I get a picture with you for my kid?” the first of the five to reach us asked.
Picture? Huh? Weren’t we the ones that were supposed to be asking that question?
I could see the uneasiness in Cole’s stance as he shifted from one foot to the other. “Yeah. We’d love to get some pictures for our kids.”
The one that asked the question froze a moment and there seemed to be a look that passed between them him and Cole. “Yeah, that’s what I meant.” He chuckled. “It’s been a long day. Two shows back-to-back five days a week can really wear on a person.”
“I imagine. It was an amazing show,” I cut in, dismissing my previous concern and telling myself that I wasn’t going to continue to let my imagination get the better of me.
“Thank you. We appreciate that,” one of the guys chimed in taking the side of his co-worker, followed by the others.
Looking from the Blue Man Group and to Cole, there was a sense of awe that came over me. Who’d have thought I’d be spending the evening on one of the most incredible dates of my life, with such an amazing man? Good things like this never happen to me. A part of me nagged that this was just way good to be true.
~*~ TT ~*~
Cole
Damn, that was a close one. The close ones were going to get closer and closer which meant time was running out. I had to tell her. Fuck, I acted as though I had some deep dark secret. It wasn’t a negative. If anything, my former career was a positive. Until she dug into my past, my college years where I was a total womanizing pig. I’d own up to it. But by God, I’d been a devoted husband. Maybe my ex-wife cheating on me was payback for all the women I’d hurt prior to her, who knew. If you were one to believe in karma, it would certainly appear that was.
There was of course one other possibility. She’d already done an extensive Google search for me and already knew everything she would need to know, all learned by news articles that would all have a definite bias slant to them.
Glancing over at London, I doubted she knew. She’d have said something.
Alexander and I were giving Justin some one-on-one time tomorrow. I promised myself that I’d tell her then.
“I really hoped you enjoyed yourself tonight. And that I didn’t look too pathetic trying to impress you,” I said, slightly embarrassed to admit I feared I’d tried to hard.
Laughing, she reached across the gear shifter and placed her hand on my thigh, giving it a light squeeze. The touch sent a jolt through me, making my dick jerk alive. My dick was fucking with me, making me feel like a teenager.
“It was the best date I’ve ever been on. I don’t think I could thank you enough.” Her gaze locked onto mine, her blue eyes were so deep in the lighting that it was like staring into a sapphire. If I wasn’t driving, I would have allowed my gaze to linger on hers for at least a moment longer, but I forced my gaze away from hers.
“You’re welcome. We’re still on for tomorrow?”
I chanced another glance at her, watching her smile grow wide. “Two dates in a row. I must have really made an impression.”
“We’d planned on the boys getting together and going over some moves with Justin, remember. Get him prepared for try-outs.”
A rosy glow colored her cheeks. “Yes.” She cleared her throat running a hand through her dark hair. “That’s what I meant.”
“Afterwards we could drop the boys off with some pizza or something and then go get some supper, if you’d be up for that.”
The rosy glow began to fade, but her smile remained. “That would be wonderful.”
Her house came into view and my heart sank just a little bit. The night wrapped up way too quickly for my liking. Slowing down, I pulled into the driveway and parked the Escalade. It had been wonderful seeing her outside of the training camp.
We stared at each other, while she slowly undid her safety belt. I didn’t miss her hesitation.
Undoing my belt, I opened the car door. The least I could do was walk her to the door. I was a gentleman. Hustling to the passenger side of the vehicle, I assisted her out and she kept hold of my arm as we slowly walked to the front
door.
At the front step, she released my arm and smiled up at me. “Thank you. It’s so nice to be out and enjoying the night with you. I don’t know how I could ever thank or repay you. It’s been way too long since… well, since I’ve been on a date. I hope that doesn’t make me sound too pathetic.” She lowered her eyes as she looked down at the concrete between out feet.
“You could never sound pathetic. There’s nothing pathetic or bad about honesty and telling the person you’re with how you feel. If you can’t feel comfortable to confide your feelings, then why bother?” Fuck, as I said the words I cringed inwardly. I was a lying piece of shit. I should just tell her now.
She pulled her keys out of her handbag and began to fiddle with them. That was one of the oldest tricks in the book. She wanted me to kiss her. My gaze dipped to her lush lips that were slightly parted, and all thoughts of coming clean evaporated from my mind. No better time than tomorrow.
Taking a step towards her, closing the distance between us, I lowered my lips to hers. The anticipation made my dick begin to rise as the sweet, the floral scent of her perfume caressed my senses. As our lips made contact, I slipped a hand into her hair, grasping the back of her head in my hand.
She moaned softly against my lips, inviting my tongue in to explore while pressing her soft body against mine. Ah fuck! I prayed she wouldn’t feel my rapidly-thickening erection. I wasn’t a damned schoolboy and sure as hell didn’t want her thinking I was. But the cock wants what the cock wants and mine was craving the feel of her warm, velvety core.
Just as I was about to pull her tighter against me and take her up on her tongue’s invitation, there was a click sound, followed by the creak of the door behind her being opened. A beam of light illuminated us as we jumped apart as if we were caught red-handed doing something we shouldn’t be doing.
“Hey Mom, you’re home.”
London flushed as she turned to face her son, planting her hands on her hips. “Of course, I am. You can see Cole’s car from the window. What do you need so badly that it couldn’t wait until I was in the house?”
Her son had nothing for a response. “I just…” He cringed. “It’s not important. Sorry.” He nodded at Cole and ducked back into the house, closing the door behind him.
With a loud sigh, London turned back to me and gave me a small smile. “Sorry. He’s a little overprotective.”
“Don’t be to hard on him. He loves you. And he’s at that age where he’s protective. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.”
She looked over her shoulder at the closed door and nodded. “I suppose not. I just don’t like when he’s rude. I’d like to think I’ve raised him better than that.”
Reaching out, I couldn’t stop myself from tucking a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear. She closed her eyes a moment feeling my hand against the side of her face.
“You’ve raised him extremely well from what I can tell. He’s protective of his mother, nothing abnormal about that. I should get going. I’ll see you tomorrow though.”
She nodded, her eyes opening. “I’ll be seeing you.” She hesitated a moment before reaching behind her and opening the door. “Goodnight, Cole.”
“Goodnight, London.” I stood on the doorstep until she passed across the threshold and closed the door behind her.
Tomorrow. I’d let her know the truth about me tomorrow.
~*~ TT ~*~
London
“Justin Kevin Kennedy! What was that all about?” I cried out after the front door was securely shut behind me and I began walking down the hallway to the living room. As usual, he was reclined on the sofa, flipping through the television channels.
“What do you mean? What was what about?”
I was seething inside. I wasn’t an idiot, I knew he’d intentionally interrupted us. But why? That’s what I was intent on finding out. “You interrupting us. Am I not entitled to a little bit of privacy?”
“Sure, Mom. It was an accident.” He looked so innocent staring up at me from across the room. I refused to let that innocent look fool me, I’d seen that very look countless times in the past.
“I’m not buying that for a minute.” Planting my fists on my hips and cocking my head to the side I looked intensely at him. “Why?”
He sighed. “I don’t want you getting to attached too quick. I’m looking out for you.”
I should have been touched, but I wasn’t. If anything, this excuse only made me angrier. “You’ll stay out of it. The only two people who need to be involved in my relationship with Cole, is myself and Cole. Are we clear? This will be the last time we’ll have a conversation like this. Understood?”
“Yeah. Whatever.” He shifted his focus back to the television.
A part of me wanted to rant for a few minutes. But the other part told me to back down. It may not have been the best choice, but his heart was in the right place. He’d seen numerous men come and go from my life, it was no wonder he was trying to look out for me. He just needed to understand I was an adult and was willing to live with my decisions, whether they be good or bad.
With a sigh, I turned and made my way upstairs. My date with Cole had been way to good for me to let his little intrusion ruin it.
Chapter 8
Cole
“I’m missing a date with Jasmine for this, Dad.”
“Is Jasmine this weeks’ girl?” I asked, opening the back of the SUV and grabbing the four-pack of water, not really giving a shit that he was missing a date. If he wasn’t playing ball, he was out to a party or hanging with friends or whatever girl he was dating at the time. Truthfully, I’d stopped trying to get to know them since they came and went so frequently. He hardly had a problem when it came to his social life.
He raised a brow at me, saying matter-of-factly, “I’ve been dating her for almost a month.”
I looked over at my son and laughed. How cute, he thought a month was a long time. Though if I were to be honest, I can’t say I held down a relationship that long when I was his age. There were just too many girls and to little time back then.
“Grab the football and close the door. We’ll toss the ball around a bit before London gets here.
“Fine.” Snatching up the ball, he closed the back door with a little more force than necessary. I chose to ignore his little bout of defiance. Walking onto the field, I could hear Alexander coming up behind me.
Finding a suitable spot close to the centerline, I dropped the water onto the ground and took some steps back while my son began to sprint across the field from me stopping at the ten-yard line.
“Send it over,” I called out to him, awaiting the first throw. The ball came with speed and force heading just slightly to the left. It was an intentional off throw. Beginning to sprint, I caught the ball with moderate effort. So that’s the game the little bugger wanted to play with me…
I eyed him as I readied myself to throw.
“Sorry, Dad. I must be off today,” he yelled, but I could see the smirk on his face confirming my suspicions.
Little shit. I couldn’t help but grin, just a little bit.
If that’s how he wanted to play it then, game on.
~*~ TT ~*~
London
Pulling into a parking space next to Cole’s vehicle, I spotted him and his son immediately running back and forth across the field throwing—no scratch that—whipping the ball at each other.
What in the hell? I looked over at my son in the passenger seat of the car and we shared a look, no doubt that we were thinking the same thing. If this is how they were going to be tossing the ball to Justin, then he was way over his head.
“You ready for this?”
His reply was a nervous laugh.
“It’ll be fine.” Reaching over I grasped his should and gave it a light squeeze. “Cole knows what he’s doing.”
“Evidently.”
“Come on.” Grabbing the door handle, I opened the door, hearing Justin’s open right after.
; We walked onto the field together. As we approached, I noticed the amount of sweat running down their faces and saturating the shirts of father and son. They must have been going hard at it for some time. Looking down at my watch, I verified that it was indeed 11am. We were right on time.
“Cole!” I called as we entered the field. He leapt and caught the ball with expert ease, before pulling his arm back and whipping it back at his son. I’d seen some amazing throws while watching the kids at the football camp, but that throw had more power, speed and distance then anything I’d seen from the teenagers. Cupping my hands around my lips, I yelled. “Nice throw!”
His head turned and he looked over at me, giving me a quick wave and knee-knocking smile before focusing back on his son, and the ball that was now sailing towards him. He had to run for this one, his arms moving like pistons, propelling his body forward. As the ball reached him, he leapt and plucked it from the air.
Amazing.
Watching him walk—no strut—towards me sent a little shiver down my spine, igniting a heat between my legs. He really was a perfect specimen for a man, broad chest, powerful legs and piercing blue eyes that were fixated on mine. Damn, he was sex on two legs.
I shifted uneasily from one foot to the other, nibbling lightly on my lower lip forcing myself not to give a little flirty wave. Think. Think. I had to think and not act like a schoolgirl with a crush. Just because we had one date—one amazing date—that didn’t mean I had to change how I acted around him. Though it was hard to take my own advice when there was such an intense need flowing through me.
“We were just doing a little warm-up,” he stated as he neared me.
“I see. Looks like you’ve already tired yourselves out.”
Laughing, he grabbed the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it up and over his head. Balling the t-shirt into his fist he tossed it next to a four-pack of water bottles. I couldn’t help but allow my eyes to wander up and down his sweat-glistening chest. So gorgeous. I had to fight the urge to reach out and run my fingers along the lines of hard muscle.
