by Rye Hart
I just stared at her, completely at a loss for words. Did she really think she could order me around? I was eighteen years old, for Christ’s sake, an adult! In just a couple months, I would be heading off to college. My life would be entirely my own and there was nothing she, or anyone else, could say about it.
“Mom,” I began, trying to sound confident. “It isn’t up to you to decide who I can and cannot date. I like Dean. He’s amazing and I’m going to keep seeing him.”
“No, you will not,” she said. “If anyone were to see you two together, God, think of what people would say! Caroline, this is an embarrassment to our family. I will not allow you to shame us this way. Do you understand?”
“Shame us?” I asked, my face flushing with rage. “Mom, do you hear yourself? He works at the club, who cares? That doesn’t mean he’s beneath us or that he’s—”
“If you don’t stop seeing him, we’ll cut you off.”
Her words were sharp and struck me exactly the way she hoped they would. I stared at her in shock. Was she serious? Would she really go so far as to financially severe ties with me? All because of a guy?
“You can’t be serious.” I scoffed. “Even for you, that’s too far.”
“Do you want to go to college?” she asked with anger flashing in her eyes. “Would you like to maintain your lifestyle? Because if so, you will do as I say.”
“I won’t stop seeing him,” I said firmly. “I won’t. There’s nothing you can say or do that will—”
“Enough!” she snapped. “This is not a joke, Caroline Grace. If you think for one second that I won’t follow through on my threat, you are sorely mistaken. Now, get out of my sight. I can’t stand to look at you for another second.”
I stared at her in shock, unable to move or speak. She simply turned her head toward the window, refusing to meet my gaze. Finally, I got up from of my chair and hurtled through the house. I didn’t slow down until I reached the driveway. I jumped in my car and drove straight to the club, where I knew Dean would be.
My mother’s threat was still echoing in my head as I ran to the stables. I couldn’t believe she would be so spiteful as to threaten my education. Her anger seemed so deep that I wondered if there was something she wasn’t saying. Penelope Michaelson cared about her image more than anything else but still, this seemed harsh even for her.
When I first met Dean, I knew my mother would never approve. I fully expected some backlash from both her and my father, but this? This was just too much.
“Trevor,” I said as I ran into the barn. “Where’s Dean?”
“He took the day off,” Trevor said. “Something about his mom.”
“Thank you!” I called, already running back toward the parking lot.
I was desperate to see Dean, even after what my mother had said. It wasn’t logical, but I couldn’t stop myself. Dean had pointed out his house as we’d driven to grab dinner one night and I tried to remember the way. I drove through town until I reached Dean’s house. I pulled up front and threw my car in park. As I hurried toward the house, I heard something break inside. I froze. All my anger faded and in its place, was a mind-numbing fear.
As I moved slowly toward the front door, I could hear yelling inside. I thought about leaving but I knew I couldn’t. Dean was inside and something was obviously wrong.
I knocked hard on the front door, standing back until someone opened it. When the door opened, Dean was standing in the doorway. His face was red and his hair was in his eyes. His eyes fell on my face and they widened in surprise.
“Caroline,” he said. “What are you—”
“I told you!” someone screamed. “I won’t live this way!”
There was a crash and something shattered inside. I jumped and Dean flinched, glancing behind him with a sigh.
“This isn’t really a good time.”
“Who is that?”
Dean was shoved to the side and a drunk face appeared before me. A woman who I assumed was his mother, was swaying in the doorway, her eyes desperately trying to focus on my face.
“Who are you?” she asked, slurring her words.
“I’m Caroline,” I said. “Caroline Michaelson. You must be Dean’s mom.”
“Michaelson!” She screamed and ran inside the house.
“Jesus,” Dean said, scrubbing a hand over his face.
He glanced at me as I stepped into the house. With a sigh, he chased after his mom who had thrown herself down on the living room floor. She was rocking back and forth, ranting incoherently.
“I won’t,” she said. “He knew…And then I… Slapped me! That man… Henry… Michaelson.”
“What?” I asked, jerking my head around to face her.
“She’s drunk,” Dean said with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t expecting company.”
“Michaelson!” his mom screamed again.
“Mom! Stop screaming and calm down,” Dean said, his voice heavy with frustration. His mother glared at him but fell silent. When her drunken eyes found my face, she stared at me for a long time, a haunted look on her face.
“Is she going to be okay?” I asked weakly.
“She’ll be fine,” Dean said.
“Hey, let’s get out of here,” I said softly. I reached out to take his hand.
He looked at me with a pained expression. In that moment, I suddenly realized everything Dean had to put up with. His mother was clearly insane when she drank and from the look of his house, they didn’t have much money. I wanted to take him away from all of this, to help him feel better.
“We can get lunch,” I said, squeezing his hand. “Come on, you need a break.”
“Yeah,” he finally said. “Yeah, okay.”
“Will she be okay?” I asked, glancing behind me.
Then, I saw that his mother was already passed out face down on the carpet, snoring loudly.
“Yeah,” Dean said with a hint of disgust. “She’ll be fine.”
I held his hand and led him out the front door. We walked silently to my car, neither of us knowing what to say. I could tell Dean’s head was spinning after that encounter, and mine was doing the same.
Dean’s mom mentioned my dad and I didn’t know why. As I glanced at Dean though, I knew it wasn’t important. She probably worked for him once or something. All that mattered now was taking care of Dean, getting him away from that house and taking his mind off everything that happened. At that moment, I knew my mother would never get her way. After what I just witnessed, I would stay with Dean as long as he wanted me.
CHAPTER SEVEN - DEAN
A few days had passed since Caroline came to my house. I never wanted her to see my mother that way but part of me was glad she did. Now, Caroline knew the truth about my mom’s condition. She didn’t just drink, she was a drunk. More often than not, her days and nights were spent blowing whatever money we had on booze. I’d spent most of my life taking care of her and trying to provide for my little brother. I was used to living this way but someone like Caroline, who never had to want for anything, couldn’t possibly understand.
I expected her to bail that same day. Our relationship was new. We’d only spent a short amount of time together and already, she had to deal with my fucking mother. That entire day, I was just waiting for her to bolt. I fully expected never to see her again but she surprised me. She stood by my side, letting me calm down and get back to being myself. We had lunch and talked, spent the day together and talked more until late that night.
Then, the next day, she called me to check in. I was surprised and comforted. Obviously, my mother didn’t scare her away and now, my feelings for her were stronger than ever. For someone who had lived such a privileged life, I never expected her to possess so much strength. She took my mother’s drunken anger in stride and even handled herself well enough to get me out of there. It was impressive.
A few days later, I was at work, eagerly awaiting another night with Caroline. Her parents weren’t thrilled about us dating, s
o we had to sneak around. I didn’t mind. It made our time together that much more exciting. The day was dragging on endlessly. I found myself checking my watch all morning until finally, a group of kids arrived to take my mind off the wait.
The kids were seven and eight years old. They were adorable and all loved the horses. I always loved when we got a group of young kids because, despite their parents’ wealth, they weren’t yet old enough to be snobs. They were kind and excited. I spent a couple of hours actually enjoying myself while I helped them with their trail ride.
When we got back from the ride, I cooled down all the horses and was starting to put them back in their stalls when I felt a sharp tap on my shoulder. Spinning around, I came face to face with Eric Vanderwalt, the douchebag who wanted Caroline.
“Can I help you?” I asked coldly.
“Yeah,” Eric said. “You can stay the hell away from Caroline.”
“Excuse me?” I laughed softly.
“I’m serious,” Eric said. “You’re a peasant. You have no business being with someone like Caroline.”
“Look,” I said. “She’s not into you, man. Just let it go.”
“Stay the hell away from her or else…”
Eric trailed off, his eyes boring into mine. I could tell he was trying to be intimidating but it only amused me. He was wearing a polo shirt and khaki shorts, his knobby knees poking out beneath them. I’d never seen anyone look so preppy in my life. I could have knocked him on his ass without even trying.
“Or else what?” I asked, taking a step toward him.
“Or else, I’ll have to kick your ass,” Eric said, his voice firm and hard.
I laughed and shook my head, my eyes scanning his body with open amusement. He looked angered by my laughter and that just fueled my desire to keep it up.
“Look man,” I said softly. “The only reason you’re still standing right now is because I don’t want to lose my job. If you threaten me again, I’ll beat you so badly you’ll have to crawl back to your fucking mommy. Are we clear?”
Eric just glared at me. I could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to think of a comeback. He couldn’t and eventually, he just turned around. As he walked away, I shook my head and stared after him. It killed me that I couldn’t hit him, but this job was too important for me to lose. If I swung at Eric, it would be my ass on the line.
Besides, he wasn’t worth the effort. Caroline was amazing and I wasn’t about to let some preppy asshole force me to stay away from her. Not even her parents could keep us apart, so the spoiled likes of Eric Vanderwalt didn’t stand a fucking chance.
The rest of my shift flew by. My mind stayed on Eric for a while as I imagined what it would feel like to break my knuckles on his jaw but even that grew boring. When the day finally came to an end, I locked up all the horses and hurried to my truck where Caroline was waiting for me. She grinned when I climbed into the cab and leaned over to press my lips against hers.
“Hey, you,” she said softly. “God, I missed you.”
“Ugh, you have no idea,” I said. “Today sucked.”
“Yeah?” she asked. “What happened?”
“Let’s just get out of here,” I said. “We can’t risk someone seeing you.”
“I parked my car at Stephanie’s and she drove me here after everyone was gone,” Caroline said with a shrug. “We’re good.”
“Sneaky,” I said, grinning. “That’s sexy as hell.”
“I try.” She laughed and I kissed her again before pulling out of the parking lot.
We drove through town until we reached a deserted field behind the old Baptist church. No one had been to the church in decades so we knew this place was safe. Ever since Caroline’s parents forbade her from seeing me, we’d been trying to find places to sneak around together. This field was our favorite.
I parked the car and Caroline reached under the seat. She grabbed two subs and a couple of bags of chips that she tossed on the seat between us.
“Oh God,” I moaned. “These look amazing.”
“I figured you might be hungry,” she said.
“I’m starving,” I said, already taking a huge bite from one of the sandwiches.
We ate in silence for a few minutes, just savoring our food. It felt perfect to just be with Caroline. After my run-in with Eric, I needed this time with her. When we finished eating, I pulled Caroline to me and she tucked her head under my chin. I sighed as I held her close, breathing in the smell of her hair. I could have held her like this all night but with her body pressed against mine, my dick had a mind of its own. Soon, it was standing so tall that not even Caroline could ignore it.
She sat up, looking into my eyes with a sultry expression. Her hand slid up my leg and she cupped my dick through my jeans, massaging it slowly as she leaned forward. My eyes slid down to her chest where her tits were peeking out of her shirt. I groaned and grabbed her face, slamming my lips against hers.
She gasped and kissed me back, hard and fast. With desperation, I pulled her into my lap. She straddled me easily, grinding her hips against mine and rubbing her crotch over my bulge. I longed to set my dick free, to rip her jeans from her body and feel how wet she was for me.
My hands groped frantically for the bottom of her shirt. When I found it, I tore it up over her head and threw it on the seat. She was sitting on my lap, her tits pouring out of her black bra. I wanted her more than ever.
“Come here,” I said, my voice low.
I laid her back on the seat and climbed on top of her, my lips attacking her neck and chest. I kissed and licked every inch of her skin that I could reach. When I shoved her bra to the side, I glanced up at her to make sure she was okay. She just nodded and I dove back down, taking her perky little nipples in my mouth one at a time.
Her moans and sighs were music to my ears as I nibbled and tasted her. She felt so amazing, writhing beneath me that I wasn’t sure I would be able to control myself for another second. When she shoved her hips upward, grinding herself against my bulge, I groaned and pulled away slightly.
Caroline sat up, not done with me. Her hands moved immediately to my pants. She unbuttoned my jeans and worked my cock free from the zipper. Finally, I was free. My dick was rock-hard and desperate for her. When she wrapped her thin fingers around me, I sighed and pulled her lips to mine.
She pumped my cock hard while I kissed her even harder, my teeth finding her bottom lip. It was hot and fast and unlike anything I’d ever felt before. Of all the women I had fucked, none could have held a candle to Caroline’s hand.
When I finished, I shot myself into Caroline’s hand and grunted loudly, shaking and trembling beneath her lips. She kissed me softly, stroking my cock one last time.
Later that night, after Caroline cleaned her hand and I tucked myself back in my jeans, I held her against my chest. We laid in the bed of my truck, staring up at the stars.
“I love you,” I said, the words flowing effortlessly from my lips.
“I love you too.”
CHAPTER EIGHT - CAROLINE
Stephanie and I decided to have brunch together every Monday this summer. We were both about to leave for college and wanted to spend as much time together as possible. Still, Dean had been taking up so much of my time that I hadn’t made much of an effort to see my best friend. I felt guilty about it but I knew Stephanie understood. She, unlike my parents and Eric, was completely supportive of my relationship.
We sat down to brunch, talking and laughing about her latest boy adventures.
“Then,” Stephanie said slowly. “We slipped into the Meyer’s hot tub for the rest of the night.”
“You did what?” I asked in shock.
“I thought they were out of town.” Stephanie shrugged.
“You thought?” I asked.
“Yeah, I was wrong.” She laughed. “They caught us around five a.m. Oh well.”
“You’re insane!” I said, laughing and taking a sip of my drink.
“Only s
ometimes,” she said. “But that was my weekend. What did you do? You saw Dean, right?”
I nodded. “We tried but it’s getting harder to sneak around,” I said. “I think my parents are getting more suspicious.”
“How?” Stephanie asked. “You’ve been so careful.”
“I’ve tried,” I said with a sigh. “But, they’re on my ass all the time now. Thursday night, when you dropped me off here, they were waiting up for me when I got home. It’s crazy, Steph.”
“They actually stayed up?” Stephanie asked with wide eyes. “Wow, my parents have been in the Galapagos for like two months now.”
“Your parents are a different breed.” I laughed.
“Don’t I know it” Stephanie sighed. “But, what did they say when you got home?”
“They just asked where I was,” I said. “I told them I was at your house, which I was for a while.”
“Did they believe you?” Stephanie asked.
“They had no reason not to,” I said with a shrug. “I could tell they wanted to catch me in a lie but they couldn’t. I’m honestly afraid they’re going to start tailing me soon.”
“Like, a private investigator or something?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded. “Is that crazy?”
