“Just don’t let on that you know, okay? I don’t think she’d be too happy with me telling anyone about this.”
“No problem, man,” Trey said. “So, a chauffeur, huh?”
“As I’m taking her to the party on Saturday, what better way to arrive than as her chauffeur? Problem solved.”
Trey chuckled. “I guess I could show up as her muscle then. Fits the former Marine profile.”
“Two very innovative thinkers, you and me,” Cal said, and they laughed again as they walked over to begin the day’s workout.
He willed his body to remain calm when Viv walked in for the massage, not looking at her directly, thinking about anything but the way her breath warmed his skin when she leaned over him to press into his aching muscles, or the way her soft body brushed against his as she worked him, or the way her scent filled his lungs with sweetness. Just before she made him turn over, he thought back to the attack the night before, and he was thankfully erection-free when she worked his front. But by the end of it, his body was stirring again, because now her scent was directly in his nostrils, her warmth enveloping him, the curve of her cheek, the swell of her lips, all sending him spiraling again. He breathed a sigh of relief when she stepped away from him and turned her back to him to clean up and leave.
“See you later,” he said as she exited the room. After he changed, he went to find Trey, who provided him with her last name. Then he left, and called his good buddy the former Marine-turned-PI and gave him the name and what he knew about him.
“I need to know where he lives, what he does for a living, if he does anything, who his friends are, what he spends his spare time doing. Anything and everything you can find out about this guy. ASAP!”
“Who’s the lady?” His friend was too smart for his liking.
“A friend,” he said cryptically.
He couldn’t afford to admit to more with Viv. It was way too early. He took himself home and kept himself occupied until it was time to meet her at the bus stop. His friend the PI came through with information about Viv’s attacker.
“Ray Porter,” he said when Cal answered his phone, “forty-two years old, is a Sergeant First Class in the Army. Six months to retirement. Married eight years, currently separated. No children. Wife suing for divorce on the grounds of infidelity. Rumored to be abusive to women, but nothing proven. Has a temper. Present at bar fights, suspended once, exonerated in a court-martial for sexual misconduct. Out on leave until the fifteenth. A tough customer, all told.”
“How did he get so high up in the ranks with that kind of record?” Cal wondered.
“Last three years he’s become unstable. Saw some action in Afghanistan. Maybe whatever happened over there triggered his current behavior. Fits the profile for an abuser of women. What’s your plan?”
“Nothing at the moment. Just a bit of recon.” Cal didn’t want to get his friends involved in anything personal, and Viv was very personal with him.
“Well, if you need help, let me know. I’m always available to you, buddy!”
Cal rang off, made himself a sandwich and ate it in his studio. Estimating the time of her arrival, he gave himself ten extra minutes, and when she got off the bus, he was already there, waiting to see if anyone followed her. There had been no strange vehicles on the road, and he was relieved when no one seemed to follow her. He approached her as she walked into the light from the street lamp, so she could see it was him.
“What are you doing here, Cal?” she asked, surprise and something else in her gaze.
“I was just out, and saw you,” he said. “I hope you don’t mind.” He had deliberately not told her his plan, and he supposed she was too tired now to question him. Her face was drawn, but he knew she was relieved he was there, even if she preferred to pretend she wasn’t. He fell into step beside her, taking her backpack with no protest from her.
“Hard day?” he asked, looping her arm through his. He needed her to feel safe, and something told him she needed a solid body supporting her. Knowing this was all he could offer made it even more important to him to give her what she needed.
“You could say that,” she answered, relaxing against him as they walked.
“Hungry?” he wanted to know next.
“Not really. I had a late lunch, and the food is still sitting right where it landed.” She laughed, and he squeezed her arm against his side. He walked her up to her door and waited until she had turned the lights on before handing her her backpack.
“Get some sleep,” he advised her, before leaning in to kiss her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Would you like to share a bowl of soup with me?” she asked, and Cal caught the look in her eyes before she lowered her gaze from his. Suddenly, the mounting tension of their reunion wasn’t as important as making her feel safe.
“Sure,” he said, and stepped into her front hall.
“Here, let me take your coat,” she said, dropping the bag and reaching for his coat. He shrugged it off his shoulders, but took both hers and his and hung them up, while she went through to the kitchen.
Chapter 6 -- Sparks Fly
“I hope you don’t mind leftovers,” she said, opening the fridge and leaning in so he couldn’t see her face.
He wondered why she was hiding from him, and it hit him as she emerged holding a large plastic container, that she realized her words could have a double meaning. He walked over to her, bypassing the table where he had been about to sit, and turned her to face him.
“You were mine first,” he said, and lowered his head again.
This time there was nothing tentative or sweet about the kiss he laid on her. He wanted her to know she wasn’t left over, a has-been, on the shelf, any of the other derogatory things she might be thinking. He wanted her to know she was as desirable to him now as she had always been, and that only the little matter of the absent wedding ring was keeping him on the good side of behavior with her. He felt his body hardening as she kissed him back, her hands still wrapped around the plastic bowl of leftover soup. This first real taste of her sweetness in twenty years rocked him where he stood.
“Don’t belittle yourself to me, ever!” he ordered her, releasing her mouth and stepping back from the temptation of her body. “Just don’t. I’m the reason things are the way they are now between us. And if I hadn’t done wrong by you, none of this other stuff would be happening, either.”
Forcing himself to move away, he went to sit at the table while she nuked soup in the microwave, and then served them each a helping in big red bowls with white flowers painted on the side. The soup was delicious, and he told her so.
“If you keep feeding me this good food, I’ll be going back to the front a real porker,” he joked, and she laughed.
“They wouldn’t let you past the door if you couldn’t pass your physical,” she answered, and then shut her mouth, as though she had given something away that she hadn’t meant to. He looked quizzically at her, but when she remained quiet, he went on to the subject he thought would ease the tension even more between them.
“So, what are you going as on Saturday? I’m The Chauffeur.”
“I assume because you’ll be driving me there,” she said, laughing. “Since when have you been so lame, Cal?”
“Lame? I’ll have you know it’s inspired!”
His chuckles echoed hers, and suddenly he was back in his mother’s kitchen helping her with cookies for his kid sisters’ birthday party, and trying to make skulls and crossbones with the frosting. That had been the first time he had kissed her in a less-than-brotherly fashion, and though he had felt guilty after, it had not been the last time. He wondered what it would be like to make love to her. Was she a vocal lover? Was she shy? Would she drive him wild? How would she feel writhing under him as he took her?
Her hand on his brought him crashing back into the moment, and he became instantly aware of how hard his body was, how ready to fuck. He turned away from her, hoping she hadn’t noticed the b
ulge in his jeans. But she had been talking to him, and apparently she had asked him a question.
“Cal? Are you all right?” Her voice was soft, her tone curious.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied, not looking at her. “Just had a twinge and got a bit distracted.”
Immediately, she turned him back around and ran her hands up his arms. “Then you’re not all right. What were you doing out, anyway? Did you go for a run or something? You know you shouldn’t over-exert yourself.”
Cal was torn between laughing at how easily she got sidetracked by thinking he was in pain, and kissing her for instantly worrying about it. It didn’t help the state of his cock, but he couldn’t very well turn away when she was being solicitous. He held his body stiffly and faked his best smile, deciding to tell her the truth, in hopes her irritation would gain him some time to get his body back under control.
“It’s all good. I was waiting for you. After last night…”
As he expected, she interrupted him. “Waiting for me?” Her eyes grew warm, and Cal braced himself for a tongue-lashing, wishing he wasn’t so turned on by the thought. Then, instead of telling him where he could stick his nose, instead of in her business, she reached up and cupped his cheek, and then raised her face to kiss him. He groaned...he couldn’t help it, and pulled her into him, unable to hold himself away from the allure of her sweet body. He knew she had to feel the hard-on he couldn’t seem to get rid of around her, but right then he didn’t care. He would apologize for his inappropriate thoughts after he kissed her...her mouth on his slammed him back into his body, into her mouth, into their second real kiss since she was seventeen. It blew him away.
“Jesus, Viv!” he exclaimed, pulling his mouth away for a second to breathe, and to look her in the eye. “I…”
Her fingers on his lips stopped him. “That was a ‘thank you’, by the way,” she said, and smiled. Her beautiful face dazzled him, befuddled as he already was by the heated taste of her on his tongue.
“Viv, you have to know…”
“Yes, I know,” she said, and hugged him.
Cal brought her face back up with a finger beneath her chin, and kissed her again, this time not letting her up for air until he had thoroughly explored every secret part of her mouth, and dueled with her tongue, and sucked on her lips, and teased her into staying longer in his arms. His cock jerked when she moved against him, and they both groaned, before she pulled her hips reluctantly away from his, and hid her face in his chest. He felt a wetness soaking his t-shirt, though, so this time, he let her stay there, keeping his arms wrapped around her, smoothing his big hands over her back, murmuring soothing words to her. He wasn’t sure why she was crying, but he wanted her to know he would be there for her regardless.
Eventually, she moved out of his arms completely, sniffling as she took a napkin off the table to wipe her face and blow her nose.
“Sorry,” she said, her voice husky with emotion. “I didn’t mean to…”
Cal struggled to keep his face expressionless, despite the way her words stung him. She was feeling vulnerable right now, and he hadn’t exactly been restrained in his response to her. And she was still a married woman, who, if he didn’t miss his guess, was feeling guilty about making out with a man who wasn’t her husband.
“It’s okay, Viv,” he said, and turned away again. “I’d better get going, anyway, so you can get some rest.” He shrugged on his coat and added, before he opened the door, “You won’t see me until tomorrow night. I have an appointment so I’ll have to miss my gym session.”
“Okay. Take care. And thanks again, Cal.”
She didn’t stop him this time, and he waved as he walked away. His body raged for her, but his mind berated him for taking advantage of her in her moment of weakness. That wasn’t who he was. His body just couldn’t seem to understand that she was out of bounds. He waited until she had closed her door before going into his own house, locking the door behind him. He had to get a grip before Saturday, or he was in deep shit, and he knew it. Sara was pretty quick on the uptake, and any sign of particular interest from him would have her harassing him to tell Vivica how he felt. He wouldn’t do that until she was free to hear the words. Until he was sure of the words.
The message light was blinking on the answering machine, and he clicked the button to listen.
“Cal, honey, it’s your mother. Your father and I will be there the day after tomorrow. We’re arriving on the afternoon train...I hope you’ll be around to give us a ride. Call me when you get this message, please. Love you.”
It was late, but Cal knew if he didn’t call his mother, no matter the hour, there would be hell to pay. He hit #2 on speed dial and the phone rang five times before someone picked up.
“It’s Cal, Ma. Sorry for calling so late. I just walked in,” he said when she answered.
“Hi, love! I’m so glad you called now. Your dad and I are leaving tomorrow and stopping off for the night in that cute little country town we used to stop in when you children were small. Remember?”
Cal smiled. “Yeah, Ma, I remember. So, what time are you getting here then?”
“Two fifteen. Sara says you know we’re staying with you.”
“Yeah, she told me,” he confirmed. “How long will you be here?”
“A week. I haven’t seen you since they brought you back over here from the hospital in Germany. And if I know you, you’re rearing to go, and not taking enough care of yourself.”
“Ma, you shouldn’t believe everything Sara tells you,” he said, laughing.
“I’m your mother, Cal. I’ve known exactly what kind of man you would become since you were knee high to a grasshopper. I didn’t need Sara to tell me you’d be like all the other military men in my family.” She laughed with him. “Now, get off the phone and go to bed. You’re supposed to be resting and relaxing, as well as rehabbing.”
“Yes, Mother,” he said, sassing her, and she laughed again.
“You’ll pay for that when I get there, young man!” He could almost see her wagging her finger at him. “I love you, son. See you soon. Your dad loves you too, but he’s snoring.”
Cal laughed as he hung up. His mother was one tough cookie, but she loved her family with all of her being, and she never failed to let them know. It would be good to have his parents with him, even if he would have to hide his growing feelings for Vivica from them. And if push came to shove, he could always swallow his pride and ask for advice. He decided, though, that he would make that his very last resort. He didn’t anticipate anything happening before they left that would be so momentous as to make him ask his parents what to do about a woman.
The next day, after doing a drive-by of Viv’s husband’s house, he found himself unable to concentrate on anything. He knew he needed to keep limber, and as he had missed the gym, he decided a good workout on his own would be the best thing to occupy him. But as he stretched and lifted and pumped, his mind kept circling around the woman he was lusting after, and had been since he had first seen her outside her house two weekends ago.
He couldn’t fathom how quickly he had gone back to being the randy boy who spent all his bathroom and some bedroom time jacking off to thoughts of what he would do to Vivica if she wasn’t a minor and her dad wasn’t a Major in the Army. He rehearsed those fantasies in his head as he worked out now...he wanted to lick every inch of her chocolate skin, from her forehead to her toes, with special attention to that sweet haven between her legs. She always smelled like hot chocolate to him, and he wondered if she tasted as good all over. He knew her lips were sweet -- he still remembered their taste on his tongue from the night before. His body hardened as he thought of the way her body had filled in, making her a goddess on long legs, and how perfectly she had fit against his body as he had consumed her mouth and tongue.
Huffing impatiently, he ended the workout and went to shower, stripping off his sweaty clothes as the water temperature rose. Despite the chill in the air, he was burning up, and
he knew it wasn’t just because he had been bench pressing weights in his gym. He stepped impatiently under the water, which was still too chilled, and prayed it would cool his rising ardor for his sexy neighbor. He rinsed the sweat from his aching limbs, and palmed his erect cock, stroking it and letting his mind wander back to their last kiss, and the way she had moved against his hardness. It had felt so good, and he hadn’t wanted to let her go. He had wanted to push back against her, to rub himself between her wet thighs, to strip her and plunge into her core, and make her scream his name as she came. He stroked himself harder, wishing his hands were gripping her ass as he plunged into her heat, wishing his tongue was owning her mouth. Thinking about the way she groaned when their bodies rolled together as they kissed made him spurt cum all over the shower wall, his own groan dissatisfied. He wanted more than his left hand could give him… a whole lot more.
Later, as he waited for her at the bus stop, he tried to retrace his thoughts, back to when he first met her again after twenty years. But he realized, as he watched her get off the bus, that he had been ready for twenty years to take up where he had left off, and to go as far as she would let him go. He was in deep trouble, but right at the moment, he couldn’t muster the brain cells to worry about it, because she looked wiped out again. All he wanted to do was cuddle with her until she fell asleep in his arms. Instead, he helped her with her backpack again, saw her through her front door, and left before he found a reason to stay that would get them both into more trouble than they were ready for.
His post-workout massage the next day was painful in ways he wouldn’t have expected it to be. His cock was so hard he was sure he could hammer nails with it. Thankfully, Vivica’s professionalism won out, but he knew if he didn’t find a way to handle his arousal around her, he’d have to ask Trey for a new masseuse. He’d give it until the party, he decided. If he kept being as hard as a spike, he’d have Trey change him on Monday. He got home in time to clean up a bit before he heard his parents’ SUV pull in next to his truck. He opened the door and stepped out, watching his mother step from the vehicle almost as soon as it stopped moving. He was wrapped in her tight embrace in another moment, and he hugged her back as tightly, picking her up so her feet swung like a girl’s.
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