Tempt The Playboy

by Natasha Madison

  I get out of the Uber and try to sneak into the house, but I hear voices. I tiptoe into the kitchen, clothes in my hand, purse hanging from my wrist.

  “Look what the slut dragged in,” Lauren says, leaning against the counter next to Austin.

  His arms go around her. She glances up at him with a ‘your penis is so good’ kind of look.

  “Funny, funny, ha-ha. I take it the cobwebs have been cleared out?” I fire back.

  “Oh, there are definitely no cobwebs in there,” Austin murmurs with a little smirk. “Isn’t that Noah’s shirt?” he asks.

  “I hope you told him you were leaving, Kaleigh.” She looks at Austin. “She isn’t exactly known for sticking around the morning after. She, um, likes to leave before it can get awkward.”

  I glare at her while she tells Austin this.

  “He’s going to lose his shit,” Austin states.

  “Did you use my almond milk?” I ask while he continues to drink his coffee and shakes his head. “Oh. So, you used the breast milk, then?”

  Austin spits his coffee out of his mouth all over the counter. I smile wide, crossing my arms over my chest on the island.

  “What?” he questions, looking into his cup and then looking at Lauren.

  “She’s just messing with you.” Lauren laughs. “You are going to clean up that mess.” She points to the counter that now has his coffee splattered all over it.

  “I’m not messing with him. I ordered frozen breast milk this week and switched it out,” I inform her, while she looks inside her coffee cup. “You put butter in my potatoes, remember?” I raise my hand up in fists, hitting them together.

  “You let me drink someone’s breast milk?” She throws the coffee down the drain along with the rest of the milk. “That’s sick, Kay.”

  “Where the fuck do you even order breast milk from?” Austin is looking under the sink for cleaning products. “Do we need to get, like, a hepatitis shot or something?” he asks, coming up with some Windex in his hand.

  “I ordered it online.” I shrug my shoulder. “I switched it yesterday morning after the kids left,” I say as I study my nails, while Austin and Lauren start to freak out. I giggle to myself.

  “What if the woman has a disease? Jesus! Could we catch it?” Austin turns to Lauren. “I feel a little funny.” He puts his hand to his stomach, making us both roll our eyes.

  “Relax, it was from a reputable website for mothers who can’t produce enough milk.” I try to reassure them right before someone starts banging on the front door.

  “Kaleigh! Are you in there?” Noah yells from outside.

  I open my eyes wide, my mouth opening and nothing is coming out. It’s like I am caught eating candy before dinner.

  Austin smirks at me and walks to the door to open it. “Hey, man.”

  I hear from the front door. I’m about to get up and rush out the back door. I eye the house, looking for an exit plan.

  “Come in. Can I get you some coffee? With or without breast milk?” Austin asks as Noah follows him, looking at him like he’s crazy.

  “What are you doing here?” Noah walks into the kitchen and eyes Lauren dressed in Austin’s now buttoned-up shirt before shifting his gaze to me.

  “You took my shirt? And then you just fucking left?” He puts his hands to his waist. He looks like he just rushed out of the house, which he probably did. His T-shirt fits him so snug I want to rake my hands up his shirt and fall to my knees.

  “She’s not good with the whole morning-after thing,” Lauren adds, trying to be helpful, while I shoot her a glare and then up it with the middle finger.

  Noah walks toward me. No, that isn’t a good word for it. He pounces on me like I am his prey. He turns me around on the stool as he cages me in between his arms with his hands braced against the counter. “I thought we said we were doing yoga this morning?” He leans into me.

  Austin laughs from beside Lauren. “You couldn’t do yoga if you tried.” He continues laughing while Noah glares at him.

  “Plus, you said we could do the downward dog thing,” he whispers to me. Coming close to my ear, he adds, “I want to make friends with you.” He kisses my ear then licks it, giving my body goose bumps. I shiver under his touch.

  “What’s the downward dog?” Austin asks in a whisper that is not at all quiet. Lauren just shushes him.

  “Don’t you two have to be somewhere?” I look back at them.

  “Nope,” they both answer at the same time and then look at each other and smile.

  “Come back home with me,” Noah asks me, leaning in and tracing my jaw with the tip of his nose. “Please.”

  I’m melting. My insides are totally caving for this man who I said I would never sleep with again, this man who I left twice now. This man who knows how to play my body like a violin. His blue eyes say words that we are both not ready to say out loud.

  “Okay,” I reply, and Lauren gasps from her side of the kitchen. She knows I never let my guard down with men, ever. “Besides, I think Austin is going to kill me for making him drink breast milk.”

  Noah looks at Austin as he stands back, making room for me to get up and gather my stuff. “You drank breast milk, dude? Can you die from that?” He slips his hands in his shorts pockets.

  Austin stills, while Lauren says, “No, you can’t. Now, go away before he goes nuts,” before turning to Austin. “You can’t die from drinking breast milk. Well, unless the mother had like HIV or something.”

  Noah bursts out laughing, grabbing my hand and dragging me back out the door.

  He doesn’t say a word before bringing me to the car, opening the door, and pushing me inside. Once he gets behind the wheel, he locks the door. “Just in case you want to jump out.”

  I take my hand and toss my hair behind me. “Oh, please, you were sleeping. I didn’t want to wake you,” I say, grabbing the seat belt.

  “Your nose is growing there, Pinocchio,” he says, starting the car. “Going to wake me my ass. You hightailed it so fast I think I still smell the rubber from the tires.”

  I open my mouth to say something, anything, but nothing comes out except, “I want coffee, please.”

  He pulls away from the curb, making his way back to his house but stopping at Starbucks first. Once we get to his house, he rounds the car to grab my hand as I’m getting out. “You know, just in case you bolt.”

  “Okay, I get it, you don’t like it,” I huff out. “It’s just.” I start saying and drift off.

  “Oh, we will get to all that the minute we get inside,” he says, almost dragging me into the house. “So where do you want to do this?” he asks.

  “We’ve done it almost everywhere.” I smile at him, sipping my Americano with soy milk. “I mean, I think we missed the coffee table, so maybe we can start there.” I point to the middle of his living room.

  “Let’s go outside. We can sit by the pool,” he says, still holding my hand, dragging me there. He makes his way over to the outdoor lounger bed that we sat on before. He flips over the lid so we are blocked from the sun. I crawl inside and sit up with my back to the throw pillows. He follows me and does the same, holding his ice coffee in his hand. “So. We are going to get some things straight right now.”

  I don’t say anything because his voice is curt and I have trouble swallowing, so I just nod while he continues.

  “Number one. We do not ever, ever leave when the other person is sleeping or not aware.” He side eyes me.

  I roll my eyes at him, taking a sip of my coffee again. “Okay, I get it. No leaving without telling you. Jeez.”

  “You did it twice, Kaleigh, not once, twice. It might get my feelings hurt.” He looks at me now. “Why?” he asks the question that gets my heart going. It’s beating so fast I’m sure he can tell. He grabs my hand and kisses the inside of my wrist where he can feel my heartbeat. “This is me and you, Kay. You can tell me anything and I promise to never ever use it against you.”

  “It’s nothing really.
I just…” I shake my head, moving my eyes away from him and staring at the pool, watching the water move. “I fell in love with a man who never ever spent the night, ever. We actually only dated a couple of months, but it was my first real ‘love’ if you know what I mean.”

  He nods his head.

  I swallow while he squeezes my hand. “We would date and go out and always come back to my place because, well, he ‘lived’ with roommates. I guess that should have been the first red flag. I would wake up every single day hoping he’d be there, but would always find the sheets cold. I tried to not get my hopes up, tried to not make a case out of it. I mean, he was there when we went to bed, he had clothes in my closet, yet he would never stay.” I sip my coffee, gearing up the confidence. “Then one day I went home and all his things were gone, with a note that said ‘later’.” I take a deep breath. “It’s almost as bad as Carrie getting dumped by a Post-it. Anyway, his phone was shut off or cancelled, who knows, and then one night I slept over at Stephanie’s apartment. We fell asleep after watching The Goonies.” I shake my head. “So the next day we got up and decided to hit up this new coffee place that had just opened and there in the middle of the store looking like he just woke up was Alex with his arms around the neck of a woman who was clearly wearing his wedding ring, something else he didn’t wear around me. He saw me, his eyes opened with shock, and instead of going up to him and telling him what an asshole he was I turned and walked away. My heart was broken for what might have been, but it was broken more because I trusted him and in the end, he played me for a fool. So, I’ve made it my motto to never ever get involved from then on. I was more like an in and out kind of person. But I would never lie. I would never promise things.” I watch his eyes go soft. “Happy now you know my deepest and darkest secret?” I smile, trying to get the topic back to fun. “Well, at least one of them.”

  He takes the cup from my hand, putting them both on the floor, then grabs me, pulling me onto his lap. My legs straddle his waist. His hands push the hair away from my face while he grabs my cheeks. “I don’t know where this thing is going. Hell, I’m not even sure I know what the fuck the right thing to do is, but”—he smiles at me and his blue eyes light up—“what I can do is promise to never lead you on or lie to you. I will probably fuck up, but the good news is that I can learn.” He brings my face to his. “So what do you say, want to do this not leave me in the middle of the night thing?” He kisses me gently. “Either that or I’m buying you a shock collar and it’ll just zap you when you try to leave. I mean, that’s my last straw.” He smiles and I kiss him with a smile of my own.

  We spend the rest of the afternoon really going into downward dog position. And that night when I go to bed it’s with him with no plans of sneaking out.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Noah

  I swear there is a swing in my step, or it’s the fact that my balls are always empty now. I mean, this whole having a girlfriend is the best thing I think I’ve done. She hasn’t even tried to sneak out and it’s been a whole three days. Score one for me.

  “Noah,” Hannah says from the door way. She walks in, swaying her hips. The normal Noah would try to see if she has panty lines in the white skirt she is wearing. This Noah is hoping she hurries up.

  “Hannah.” I lean back. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  “Just giving you a heads-up. Leonard will be arriving on Monday, so Norma is going to have to go back and work with him. He is meeting with the new lawyer. So as of Monday, you are either on your own or I have to send you a temp.”

  I throw my head back, moaning. “Fine. I will see what I can do from my end.”

  “That’s it?” Hannah asks, eyeing me. “No make sure she looks good bending over? No make sure to get her Facebook picture? No she must be under twenty-five?”

  I laugh and throw my hands up, and then place them on my chest. “I would never.”

  “Yeah, right,” she says, walking out, and I still forget to check and see if she is wearing a thong or not.

  I pick up my phone, calling Kaleigh, who responds right away, her voice scratchy.

  “Hello.”

  “Jesus, what is wrong?” I ask her, sitting up straight, worried.

  “I have no idea. I have a fever and my body hurts.” She sniffles. “And I’m freezing. I’m going to see the doctor in thirty minutes. I can’t even swallow.”

  “Where are you?” I ask, already on my way out of the office, getting in my car.

  “I’m at home. I’m waiting for Lauren to come home so the kids aren’t alone.”

  “I’ll be there in ten and then I’ll bring you to the doctor.”

  “No!” she shouts then coughs. “It’s contagious.”

  “We made out this morning, thoroughly. Plus, I’m immune. I never get sick,” I reassure her and continue talking to her till I pull up and ring the bell.

  “You’re so annoying,” she says, hanging up and answering the door. She’s wearing baggy sweats that swallow her and a pink fuzzy robe while she coughs into her hand. “You shouldn’t be here.”

  I have to be honest. I don’t know how to touch her, so I go in then back up when she starts hacking. Rachel and Gabe are waiting for her on the stairs with masks on. “Hey, guys.” I raise my hand in greeting.

  They both wave back but don’t have any time to say anything because Lauren’s bus comes barreling into the driveway.

  She gets out, rushing to the front door, taking in Kaleigh. Her hand goes directly on her mouth. “Hey, Noah,” she says to me then back at Kaleigh. “I called Mom and Dad and they are expecting you tonight. Mom is making up the spare room.”

  Kaleigh nods, grabbing her bag and walking out toward her car.

  “What are you doing?” I ask her when she gets to her car, opening the door. “You can’t drive,” I say, ushering her to my car. “Um, I need your doctor’s address,” I say, opening the door for her. “And, um, is it normal you have no shoes on? Should I go in and get a pair for you?”

  Kaleigh just groans as she opens her bag and gets some flip-flops. “There.” She groans as she fastens her seat belt and puts the seat down, closing her eyes. I close the door and make my way to my side. Opening the door, Kaleigh opens her eyes and hands me her phone with the doctor’s address already loaded in the maps. I put it on my lap as I follow the instructions to her doctor’s office. Once I turn the car off I rub her leg, waking her up. “Let’s go get you some meds.”

  She nods her head, getting out of the car and walking almost hunched over into the doctor’s office. She hands the nurse all her papers, coming to sit down next to me. I pick up a magazine, flipping through the pages, when the nurse comes out and calls Kaleigh’s name. I watch her get up while I continue flipping through the magazine as she stops near the door. “Aren’t you coming?” she asks me, her face so pale.

  I put the magazine down and get up and follow her in.

  She sits on the doctor’s table while I sit in the chair.

  The nurse asks her questions while I look around till she asks something that makes my ears perk up. “Date of your last period?” she asks and Kaleigh’s eyes fly to mine right away.

  “Last week,” she responds, looking at the nurse again.

  “And you’re still on birth control right?”

  I roll my lips in to not laugh while she squirms on the table.

  “Yup,” she says before the nurse gets up and tells us the doctor will soon be in.

  “So, you’re on birth control?” I ask, tapping my index fingers together. “This is great news.” I wink at her.

  “Yes, just what I want to hear when I’m sick as a dog and dying is how good it’s going to feel without a condom,” she says, groaning while she shivers.

  The doctor comes in and smiles as he sees Kaleigh. I hate him already. What is he, twelve? His slicked back hair, perfect clothes, fake veneer teeth. I sit up right when he starts talking.

  “Kaleigh, it’s been a while. How have you been?” he as
ks her, reading her chart.

  “She’s sick, so,” I say, stating the obvious.

  He smiles at me. “I’ll take good care of her.”

  He takes the thermometer out and asks her to open wide and I swear I want to throat punch this fucking tool. “You are running a fever,” he says, tossing the top of the thermometer cover into the garbage. He goes to feel under her neck while she whimpers out. I’m about to get up and take her somewhere else.

  “Oh, that doesn’t feel good.” He grabs a wooden stick, asking her to stick her tongue out. “Ouch, that must hurt. Looks like you have strep throat,” he says, walking to the desk, writing something on his prescription pad. “Here you go. You should be feeling better in about two days. If not, you have to come back.” He smiles and puts his hand on her knee.

  What kind of doctor is this clown?

  I get up, clearing my throat while Kaleigh whispers at him, “Thank you so much, Todd.”

  He leans in and kisses her cheek. “Take care.” And walks out.

  “What the fuck is that all about? He just kissed you. Isn’t there like an oath or something that says thou shall not come on to my patients sexually?” I huff out while Kaleigh jumps down, coming up to me and tapping my chest.

  “Relax there, Tarzan. Let’s just say that between the two of us, you are the one with the right equipment for him.” She winks at me, turning to walk out. We pass his office on the way out and Kaleigh leans in and says, “Please say hi to Troy for me and tell him that I owe him one.”

  “Will do.” He smiles at us as we walk out.

  Fifteen minutes later, we have a whole bag of medicine and we are pulling up to her parents’ house. “Should I come in?” I ask her and all she does is shrug her shoulders and grunt. “Are your parents expecting you?” I ask after I get out of the car and jog over to her as she is unlocking the front door.