by Ali Parker
I moaned, biting my lips and tossing my hair back over my shoulders as my clit rubbed against his skin. I opened my eyes and released my breasts, slowly rising up his shaft and back down, swirling my hips as I reached the bottom. He pulled his hands up to my waist and pulled me back up before pushing me fast and hard to the bottom. I moaned, giggling beneath it from the pure pleasure I was feeling on the inside. My hands fell to my thighs as I bounced up and down his huge stick, feeling the need bubbling up inside of me once again. He growled, watching my tits bounce up and down, my face writhing in ecstasy. I leaned back and grabbed his thighs, grinding with intent against him. He slid his thumb down over my clit and ran circles over it, pushing me closer and closer to climax.
I screamed out, twisting my body round and round, feeling the fire burning deep inside of me. He rubbed faster as my moans got louder and louder, biting his lip and watching as I exploded. I gasped, feeling my body jolt from the orgasm, my pussy tightening against his shaft as my juices exploded. He growled, scooting us both back and sitting up against the headboard. He pulled my mouth to his, kissing me passionately as the waves of pleasure ran through me. His hips moved up and down, pushing his cock in and out of me until my body finally relaxed. I breathed deeply, shaking my head and bouncing up and down, a laugh escaping my throat.
The moonlight shining through the window made the sweat on his skin glisten. I ran my hands over his shoulders and clamped down, continuing to bounce faster and faster, staring deeply into his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed me again, groaning into my open mouth. I pulled my knees underneath me and rose high up on his shaft before slamming back down, pulling him as deep into me as I possibly could muster. I did it again and again and again until his hands flew up and darkness blew through his eyes.
He pulled me off of him and threw me down on the bed, quickly moving forward in front of me. He pulled my legs up over his shoulder and stroked his cock, watching as I waited for him to enter me. Our passion had turned animalistic, and he was more than ready for a release. I lay back and lifted my ass up, bringing my pink, wet pussy to the head of his cock. I pulled my hand up and hooked my finger in my mouth looking deep into his eyes.
“Is this what you want?”
“Mmhm,” I moaned, nodding my head.
He rubbed his mushroom tip over my clit and slid it down until he was pushing deep inside of me. I screamed out, feeling him grabbing my waist and pulsing his hips forward and back as fast as he could. The sound of our sweaty bodies slapping together echoed through the room, mixing with the groans and moans coming from our chests. I reached to the sides and held tightly to the bed, feeling more heat rising faster than I could manage. My screams stayed in tune with his thrusts but heightened in pitch. He clenched his jaw, my chest lurched into the air, and my body gave in to the need. I could feel my pussy clamping down on his cock again as he thrust. I closed my eyes, feeling him pull out and rub my clit. I opened them again watching him jack his cock while my body convulsed in orgasm. He growled loudly and threw back his head, his hot seed cascading over my skin. I rubbed my hand across it, moaning loudly until he had pushed the last bit out.
He sat there on his knees for a moment, collecting himself before putting my legs down and hopping from the bed to grab a towel. He cleaned me off, leaning over and kissing my lips before tossing the towel and lying down next to me in the bed. I turned over and laid my head on Elon’s chest, his heart beating loudly in my ear. It was the closest I had ever felt to a man in my entire life. It was almost as if he was everything I would ever need in my life, and there was nothing that could top this feeling. I opened my eyes, my head rising and falling with his breathing as he stroked my back with his fingers. I was starting to fall in love with this man, a man who hadn’t said two words to me in my entire career until a month before. A man who I couldn’t stand when I’d first met him, trying to think of every way to get away from him.
This man had gone from the enemy to everything in a matter of moments, and I was both terrified and ecstatic. I didn’t know where things would go from there, but I knew one thing. I could have laid there all night with my head on his chest. In fact, I could have laid there the rest of my life with my head on his chest and would never need anything else.
Chapter 40
Elon
I lay there in bed, feeling the warm light of the early morning sun hitting my skin. The smell of Amanda’s perfume lingered in my nose, and I could feel her warm body curled up next to me. I thought back to the night before and the conversations we had over dinner. Not only had we sexually connected that night, but we had emotionally connected as well. I had the overwhelming feeling that I would do anything in the world for this woman, and I wanted nothing more than to make sure she was taken care of and happy. I knew I had to do something about her mother, anything to make things easier on her. At least if it were financially, she would be able to think about things without being stressed out over the finances of it all. She shouldn’t have to deal with both the loss and the money at the same time. It wasn’t fair to her.
Slowly, I opened my eyes at the sound of her phone alarm going off next to the bed. I was facing away, toward the windows, and lay quietly, feeling her reach over and shut it off. She turned and pulled herself from the bed, kissing my shoulder gently, still thinking I was asleep. I rolled over and pulled my arms above my head, watching as she walked around collecting her clothes. She smiled when she realized I was watching her, an adorable blush covering her cheeks.
“Where are you going so early? We don’t have to be in the office for a few hours,” I said with a smile.
“I have to make sure Mikey gets off to school okay,” she said. “I’m sure Dalton is fine, but I don’t want there to be any mix-up with the babysitter. Besides, I want to give him a kiss before he leaves and not have to explain why I wasn’t there when he woke up in the morning.”
“Plus, you probably don’t want to go to work in that dress, not that I would mind.” I smiled.
She walked over and kissed my lips. “Will you be in soon?”
“Actually, I have something to take care of this morning, but I’ll be at work when I’m done with it,” I said, smiling.
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll see you soon.”
“Take the car home. Don’t worry about a cab,” I yelled after her.
“Okay,” she yelled back before walking out the door.
I lazed around for a little while, daydreaming about the night before, thinking about the emotions I had running through me. I’d wanted to see her happy since right after I met her, but then it had become stronger and stronger until I was willing to do anything to make her happy. It was almost as if she was all I needed in the world, and I couldn’t let anything take this all away, especially money issues. I got out of bed and pulled on a pair of boxers, walking to the kitchen and starting some coffee. I pulled the hospital up on my laptop and called them.
“Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me when visiting hours for the ICU are?”
“They have already started and go until eight in the evening,” the nurse said.
“Thank you,” I replied.
I hung up the phone and sat double-guessing myself but remembering Amanda’s face when she’d talked about her mother. I finished my coffee and got dressed, grabbing my keys and heading out the door. I drove myself that day, not wanting anyone to know where I was going, wanting the time to do this on my own. I parked and went inside, taking the elevator to the third floor and looking around the family waiting area. The faces there were so sad, so tired, and it only motivated me more to find Amanda’s mom. I walked up to the counter and smiled.
“How can I help you?”
“I’m here to see Mrs. Taylor,” I said, hoping I was in the right place.
“Sure, Room 311,” she said, buzzing the door.
I smiled and walked through, my steps quieter and lighter than normal. When I got to her room, I took a deep breath and walked inside, stopping for a
moment at the sight. She was a lovely older woman with hair just like Amanda’s. The ventilator moved up and down, filling the gaps between the sound of her heartbeat on the monitor. I walked over to her bedside and looked down, taking her hand.
“Hello, Mrs. Taylor,” I said. “You don’t know me, but I work with your daughter. My name is Elon. I just wanted to pay you a visit.”
I wasn’t sure what else to say. I didn’t know this woman, but she was Amanda’s mom, the most important woman in her life. I felt it was necessary to pay my respects to her. As I stood there, the door opened, and a doctor walked in, reading a chart. He looked up at me and stopped.
“Oh,” he said. “I apologize. I assumed when they said Mrs. Taylor had a guest, it would be her daughter, Amanda.”
“I’m a good friend of Amanda’s.” I approached him and shook his hand. “My name is Elon Truitt.”
“Truitt,” the doctor said. “Do you own the company Amanda works for?”
“I do.” I smiled.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Mr. Truitt, and it’s good to see someone else visiting,” he replied, turning to leave.
“Before you go,” I stopped him, “I was wondering if I could ask you a couple of questions.”
“Well, there is a certain amount of confidentiality involved here,” he said.
“Just hypothetical questions then.”
“All right.” He smiled. “Shoot.”
“If I knew someone in the same condition as Mrs. Taylor, would there be options for me to put her in a nursing facility, or would this stay be temporary?”
“For someone in Mrs. Taylor’s condition, a nursing facility would be difficult because they aren’t equipped to deal with life support patients, just coma patients and those still functioning on their own accord,” he explained. “It would be much more expensive to care for someone in that condition outside of the hospital.”
“I see,” I said. “And how long should I expect that person to be on life support?”
“In a case like this, Mr. Truitt,” he said, sighing. “The patient has stopped progressing toward recovery, and the life support is just prolonging the inevitable, her death.”
Chills ran up my spine as I stood there staring at the doctor, not realizing that Amanda’s mother was that far gone. She had struggled, and now I knew it was her struggle with letting go, not her fear of her mother getting better. My heart broke for her all over again.
“Thank you, doctor,” I said, shaking his hand. “I’ll only be a few more minutes.”
“Of course,” he replied. “Take your time.”
The doctor left the room, and I walked back over to her mother, sitting down in the chair and lowering my head. I sighed deeply, not realizing things had been so dire for her. I glanced over at the table by the bed where a copy of Hemingway’s “Old Man and the Sea” sat, looking as if it had been read a hundred times. I picked it up and opened the cover, reading the inscription on the inside.
“To my daughter, Amanda. May you find all the strength you need in the tumultuous tides of life. Love you forever, Your Mother.”
I flipped to the bookmarked page and sat back in the chair, realizing that was what Amanda did when she came to visit her mother. She read to her. I found the first passage on the page and began to read aloud, feeling like it was a right of passage with Mrs. Taylor. I had never read the book before, but it was good, really good. I sat reading for over an hour, pausing every so often and watching her face. I couldn’t imagine what it was like sitting there day after day, week after week, watching my mother, hoping for a sign and never getting one. I finished the chapter I was on and closed the book, standing up and rubbing her hand.
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Taylor,” I said. “I promise to watch over Amanda while you’re away. Please, rest easy.”
I put the book back on the nightstand and walked out of the room, standing outside for a moment and taking in the scene around me. There was an echo of monitors reverberating down the hallway, the sound of shuffling feet and quiet whispers in-between. I’d never liked hospitals. They always made me feel so lost, so sad, like there was nothing in the world that could save any of us in the end. Death was so natural, but so hard for everyone around the deceased.
I moved back and leaned against the wall as a family member passed, tears streaming from her eyes. This was a huge part of Amanda’s life, being there in that place, constantly feeling the pain that everyone else was dealing with. I hated the thought of it, but there was nothing I could do about it. It would end when Amanda was ready to let go. I turned and walked to the nurse’s station.
“Excuse me, but where would I go to speak to someone about paying toward a patient’s stay?”
“The admin floor,” she said. “Follow the signs for the cafeteria, and you’ll see billing on the right-hand side.”
“Thank you,” I replied, smiling at her.
I headed down to billing and sat down with one of the staff. They were kind and caring, but I knew it was their job to collect money from the people who were suffering the most. I wanted to do something for Amanda, to help her through this part of her life.
“I would like to pay for a month of care for Mrs. Taylor,” I said after explaining who I was and why I didn’t have all of her information.
“That would be fine,” she said. “But the account is past due a month so that would have to be paid first.”
“Not a problem,” I replied, handing her my credit card. “Pay for both, please.”
“Yes, sir.” She took my card and walked away.
When all of that had been squared away, I left the hospital, taking a deep breath of air as I walked out into the Chicago sunshine. It was a hot day, but it felt so much better than the cold stagnant walls inside the hospital. I hopped in my car and headed to work, needing to talk to Amanda. When I got off the elevator I walked through the pit, looking at all the work they were doing, everything looking perfect as usual. Amanda sat in her office across the way, talking and laughing with Dalton. As I walked up the stairs, she stopped, seeing me, and smiled big, her cheeks blushing wildly. Dalton looked back at me as I stood in the doorway.
“That is my cue,” he said, walking past me.
“Good morning,” I said sweetly.
“Good morning to you, handsome.” She smiled. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” I sighed. “Just a long morning, that’s all. When you have a minute before the meeting starts, will you come to my office? I want to talk to you about something.”
“Sure,” she said. “Just let me finish up these notes, and I’ll be right over.”
“Take your time,” I said. “It’s no rush.”
As I turned to walk to my office, I hoped the news I was going to give her would make her even happier. She needed some relief, and she deserved that relief.
Chapter 41
Amanda
Seeing Elon walk into the office gave me chills, and I hadn’t realized how excited I was to see him until he was standing in my doorway. I was on cloud nine after the night before, but for some reason, when Elon stood smiling at me, I could tell there was a sadness behind his eyes and emotion he was trying to hide from me. I didn’t like it, and I was instantly worried about him. It wasn’t like him to hold back emotions, even before we’d started seeing each other. He was a very transparent man, someone who held that candor and honesty close to his chest. He always felt that telling the truth was the most important thing, the thing that would allow clients and nonclients alike to trust him. He was right. It worked, and I trusted him with my deepest secrets and my utmost desires, and it had only taken me a few weeks to get to that point.
I finished up my notes and emailed a copy to Dalton to look over before the meeting. I always did that. He would pick through them and tell me when I was being redundant so the meetings didn’t carry on for hours. I pulled out a handheld mirror and checked my makeup, something I had done especially well that morning for Elon. I smiled at myself
in the mirror, butterflies floating through my stomach. I put the mirror away and headed to his office, knocking lightly on the door and stepping inside.
“Hey,” he said sweetly, walking quickly past me and shutting the door. “Wow, you look especially beautiful today.”
“Thank you.” I smiled, stepping toward him and putting his cheeks in my hands. “I did it for you.”
He smiled, and I leaned in, pressing my lips against his. He exhaled, pulling me close as his entire body relaxed just having me in his arms. He leaned back against the door as we kissed, not caring what was on the other side. When I pulled back, he smiled shaking his head.
“Phew,” he said. “If this office wasn’t full, you would be in trouble.”
“I can pull the fire alarm.” I laughed.
“Come here,” he said, grabbing my hand and walking me over to his desk.
“Here, this is a gift for you,” he said, pulling out a sheet of paper and handing it to me.
“What is this? It looks like a bill,” I said.
“It’s an invoice,” he replied. “I went to visit your mother today. I just wanted to know the woman who was as important to you as you are to me. I sat with her, read her some of your book that you left there, and talked to her for a little while. The doctor came in looking for you and told me she was doing okay, like normal.”
“That’s very sweet,” I said, looking down at the paper, not really hearing what he had to say. “But this says my mother’s account has a credit. How can that be? I was a month behind.”
“I paid it,” he said. “I paid the back month and then paid for a whole other month so you wouldn’t have to worry about the money for a little while.”
“What?” I said, furrowing my brow. “You paid my debt and then paid for another whole month of life support? Why?”
