The Christmas Promise

by Sean D. Young

  She was grateful to her parents for watching the children for them while they had an evening alone. She had planned for her parents to meet Simeon while she was present, but he assured her everything would be okay if he dropped the kids off at her parents’. That way she wouldn’t have to come home, then take them and come back to get ready. She loved the fact that he was so considerate of her time.

  Standing in front of the mirror, she decided to let her shoulder-length dark brown hair flow around her face. She spiral curled then added a little spritz to hold them in place. Carefully applying light makeup to her face, she searched inside her makeup bag for her shimmering lip gloss and swiped her lips with the wand. Jennifer rubbed her lips together as she hung the dangling round one-carat diamond earrings in her ears.

  She twisted her wrist and noticed that it was almost five o’clock. Simeon had called her earlier and said that they would get an early start to their evening. She needed to be ready by five o’clock and it was right on the dot.

  Hearing the buzzer, she knew that she was just in time. She rushed to let him in and went back to the full-length mirror to check out her outfit. Even though she knew she would probably freeze her butt off, she wore a little sapphire-blue cocktail dress that she found at the store during lunchtime. She wanted to wear something special for their dinner tonight. She was happy to have found the short-layered chiffon dress with sheer sleeves and diamond-shaped back.

  Jennifer went to open the door for Simeon. “Hi, there,” she said, greeting a smiling Simeon.

  He walked through the door. “You look stunning, love,” he said, placing a kiss on her cheek. “Now, get your coat, we want to get back to the house for our special evening.”

  Jennifer smiled widely as she opened the closet to retrieve her coat. Simeon assisted her, as she picked up her small handbag, made sure that her house keys were inside and they left the apartment.

  As they drove through the gates in Simeon’s neighborhood, Jennifer couldn’t believe the beautiful structures that had been built. The residences just inside were charming three-story townhomes, and as they continued through the main street, there were exquisite single-family residences, all charmingly decorated for the holidays. Holiday decorations were suspended from the metal poles along the avenue with polyester flags with snowmen and Santa Claus adorning them. It looked like something out of a movie and she looked over at Simeon.

  “The homes in this area are lovely, Simeon.”

  “I knew you’d like them. They are all custom built except for the townhomes up by the front gate.”

  “How far do you live from here?”

  Simeon turned left on the next street. “Our house is at the end of this block.”

  “Our,” Jennifer repeated.

  Simeon cleared his throat. “It will be one day,” he said, as he pulled into the driveway.

  Jennifer loved the way the trees outside the house on the corner had been decorated. The blowup snowman that sat in the yard was so cute. “Simeon, when are you going to decorate the house?”

  He pulled into the garage. “I thought you could handle that for me.”

  From the looks of the outside, Jennifer was anxious to see what had been done on the inside. She pulled the handle to open the car door and found Simeon standing there, waiting for her to get out.

  “Come on, love, let’s go inside,” he said, taking her by the hand.

  Once inside Jennifer could immediately smell the succulent aromas of the food that was being prepared for them. The kitchen was nice and spacious with mahogany wood cabinets, crown molding and stainless steel appliances, but that was about it. There was a kitchen table, no dish racks, towels or anything that would make the space look like someone lived there. She turned to Simeon.

  “You haven’t done anything to the kitchen.”

  “I was going to leave all that up to you.”

  Jennifer smiled, but she also felt a slight nervous flutter in her stomach. She didn’t respond to his statement, only continued to follow him.

  When they reached the family room, she was shocked that the only furniture in the room was a huge, long sofa and a flat-screen television.

  “Simeon, what have you done?” Jennifer didn’t know why she asked him that question because by the looks of things, he hadn’t really done anything to the home. It was almost as if it were abandoned.

  “Nothing yet, but I promise you we are going to have the best Christmas ever,” he said standing behind her, so that he could help her with her coat.

  Jennifer was speechless as she scanned yet another empty room.

  Simeon caught her hand and pulled her along with him. “Let’s go into the dining room, so that we can get started on our meal.”

  Jennifer wondered if they would even have a place to sit in the dining room and was pleasantly surprised to see a beautiful table made of wrought iron and glass that had been set. There were candles nestled in crystal holders, gold-trimmed dishes, crystal champagne flutes and a bottle of champagne in a silver ice bucket on the table.

  Simeon pulled out her chair and she sat down. Looking up at him she said, “Simeon, this is lovely. You really went all out.”

  Simeon dropped a kiss on her lips. “You’re worth all of this and much, much more. Hopefully after tonight you’ll know just how much you mean to me.”

  Jennifer could already feel that this was going to be an emotionally charged evening. She felt so good about the steps they were taking in their relationship. Simeon was doing his best to make her feel loved.

  So far so good was Simeon’s sentiment as he walked into the kitchen to bring out the salad. He could have had someone come in and serve the meal, but he wanted to do everything himself. He pulled out the decorative glass bowl filled with a mixed green salad, stuck the serving utensils down in it and took it to the dining area.

  “Simeon, let me help you bring the food out,” Jennifer offered.

  “No, love, I want you to stay there. I promise I’ll be right back,” he said, setting the bowl down on the table before returning to the kitchen to get the raspberry vinaigrette dressing.

  He returned and served the salad and they ate while they talked. Once they’d completed their salads, he went to retrieve the main course, which was roasted chicken with Asiago polenta and truffle mushrooms.

  Retaking his seat, he served Jennifer first. “Did you prepare this yourself or did you hire someone like you did when we were in Anguilla?”

  “I actually prepared this myself,” he said, placing a portion onto his plate.

  He watched Jennifer take a bite first before digging in himself. She seemed to be enjoying the meal and he was very satisfied.

  “I took the kids to meet my brother today,” he announced.

  Jennifer gulped her champagne. “How did he react to them?”

  “He said the same thing I did about Mariah—that she looks like our sister Sam.”

  Jennifer smiled. “I hope I get to see some of those pictures you’ve been talking about.”

  “Of course, you will. But the kids had a ball and they got a chance to meet some of their cousins since school is out for winter break.”

  “I’m sure Mariah loved that.”

  “Yes, she did. I didn’t know she was such a chatterbox. She got with those teenagers and was talking her little can off. Playing in their hair and everything.”

  Jennifer laughed. “What about Micah, you know he takes his time getting to know people.”

  “Yes, he hung on to me for a long time until my nephew came and took him away. He whined for a minute, but then once he saw the toys he quieted down. I had to go down the hall to see if he was okay.”

  Simeon was happy that his children were getting to know his side of the family. They’d known the McClendons for so long, it was time.

  “What made you decide to go to your brother’
s house?”

  “When you left the house, I just kept thinking how lucky I was to have lived to get to know my children. For me, Christmas is all about family and I wanted to share two of my biggest gifts with my family.”

  Jennifer put her fork and napkin down, then got up. She went over to Simeon and kissed him on the lips. “Thank you for treating the kids so special.”

  When she stepped back, Simeon got up from the table as well. He took her by the hand. “I want to show you something else.”

  “But we haven’t finished eating yet,” Jennifer said in protest.

  “We can warm it later,” Simeon said, leading her toward the staircase.

  They walked up the winding stairs and down a long hallway to the second door on the right.

  “I wanted to show you the kids’ rooms. I went ahead and put everything I could think of in them.”

  Opening the door, he watched Jennifer’s reaction. She walked inside the sunshine-colored room and her mouth hung open.

  “Did I overdo it again?” He wanted to know because her eyes had widened and she didn’t say anything.

  “I don’t know what to say,” Jennifer said, fingering the big boy bed made of cherry wood. “So this would be Micah’s room?” She picked up one of the many stuffed animals that were on his bed.

  “Yes, I thought they would eventually like to have their own room.”

  She walked over to the opposite side of the room. “You had his name painted on the wall. This is awesome.”

  “Yes, I wanted it to be personal. As he grows older, he will be able to change it if he wants,” Simeon said, walking over to her, catching her hand once again. “Let’s go check out Mariah’s room.”

  “If it’s anything like this one, I’m sure you’ve outdone yourself.”

  Mariah’s room was right next to Micah’s, so they only walked into the hall and right into the next door.

  The room had been decorated with pink and purple. It was such a girlie space with a beautiful white canopy bed set. There was a Disney Princess Tiana lamp on the table by the bed. On the other side of the room there was a purple beanbag chair, desk and a flat-screen television.

  Jennifer looked around in speechless amazement, so Simeon went to stand beside her. “So what do you think?”

  Jennifer turned toward him. “I can’t put it into words.”

  “Well, I don’t want you to worry about the stairs. I’m having the safety gate installed as soon as possible so we don’t have any injuries.”

  Jennifer nodded. “With all the stuff they have in their rooms, the only time they need to come out is to eat and go to the bathroom.” She chuckled.

  “The bathroom is just across the hall here and there are two other guest rooms on the other end of the house,” he said. “Now, there is one other room I want you to see.”

  He took her by the hand and led her down the hall to the end. He opened the double doors, leading her into a room. The rich, dark masculine color of the walls played gracefully with the feminine-looking bed covers on the massive king-sized bed. Jennifer couldn’t help but spread her hand over the silk luxurious fabric of the bedding. It made the room look graceful, charming and elegant.

  “This is simply beautiful, Simeon. Great choice. I love it,” she said.

  There was a sitting area a couple feet away with a one-armed Maddox tufted chaise set, which was a glamorous accent to the area’s small cherry table and lamp.

  “Now, I could sit over here and read a book or take a nap.” Jennifer sat down on the chaise. “I bet we both could fit on this thing.”

  “I’m hoping so because if I have my way we will be using it a lot,” Simeon said, giving Jennifer a wink.

  She got up and playfully punched him in the arm before walking into the closet, which wrapped around the corner. It had a center island and lots of shelves, drawers and hangers.

  Stepping out, Jennifer turned around to him. “Simeon, what a house. I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like this.”

  “I had it built once I knew I was on the mend. My business partner and I had accomplished our dream of selling our software program. I had always been good with investing my money, but after that, I found out that I didn’t have worry about money ever again.”

  Jennifer walked over to the floor-to-ceiling window on the other side of the room. The window coverings were made of a rich chocolate and ivory-colored fabric.

  “This house sure does have a lot of windows,” she said, pushing the drapes back, looking out into the backyard. “It has a pool too?” Jennifer asked.

  “Yes, and an outside kitchen,” Simeon replied.

  “Wow,” Jennifer said in response. “You thought of everything, didn’t you?”

  Simeon stood behind her, placing his hand on her shoulder. “Do you think you could live here?”

  Jennifer used her left hand to cover her right shoulder. She squeezed his hand. “Who wouldn’t want to live in a place like this?”

  When she didn’t give him a yes or no answer, Simeon smiled, turning her around to face him. “That’s not an answer, love, but we’ve got time.”

  Jennifer wrapped her arms around him, stepping closer. Simeon had always loved the way Jennifer smelled and how she used her body innocently to send him over the edge with desire. Because he was totally in love with her, it didn’t take much to get his manhood to awaken. He’d want her anytime, day or night, and if she continued to touch him with those soft hands tonight wouldn’t be any different.

  Simeon held her face in his hands and searched her eyes before his head descended in a soul-stirring kiss.

  Jennifer moved away slightly.

  “Love, if you don’t want me to, say the word and I’ll stop right now.” He examined her face for a response.

  Jennifer walked over to the chaise and sat down on the edge. She crossed her legs and removed her boots. Simeon came over, dropping to his knees. He hoped that she wouldn’t reject him because he wanted her so badly, but he would take his cue from her.

  After showing her the house and all the things he’d done to get everything ready for the children for Christmas, all he wanted was to show her how much he desired her. He wanted tonight to be a lasting memory for them both.

  Jennifer thought she was going to lose her mind when Simeon used the back of his hand to tease her nipples. She wanted to feel his hands all over her—she needed to be skin to skin with him just as they were the night before. Being in his arms, she felt safe in knowing that he wasn’t pretending or trying to mislead her.

  She wanted Simeon more than ever and it wasn’t because of the things that he could provide, it was his heart. She could see he was a fair person wanting his children to have what they deserved and more.

  It was so sexy. He was so sexy, always neatly dressed with his starched shirts and supremely pressed pants. The man was so well put together.

  She wanted to help him get better access to her, so she pushed the buttons from the loops in the neck of her dress as he kneeled before her, watching. With her hands behind her back, she unzipped the dress as far as it would go and stood up.

  Simeon pulled at the hem and she watched it fall to the floor in a heap around her feet. Stepping out of it, she stood before her man in her stockings and strapless bra.

  He pulled her body flush with his face, kissing her there through her silk stockings. “Love, I want to feel every inch of me inside you.” He kissed her there again.

  When Simeon reached for the waistband of her stockings and underwear, Jennifer almost lost her footing. He held her steady until he got them over her hips. The anticipation of the action drove her over the edge as he methodically peeled her undergarments off.

  Still on his knees, Jennifer now stood in front of him only wearing a lacy white bra, her nipples showing clearly through the thin fabric.

  “Love, I w
ant you to lie back on this,” he said directing her to the chaise behind her.

  Jennifer could feel her juices flowing just from the thought and anticipation of what was to come. She really enjoyed making love to Simeon. He was a good lover.

  Simeon lifted her feet up, causing her thighs to fall to the side. The position gave him better access to the very essence of her, which pulsated at this point. Jennifer released a moan. “Hmm.” “Oh yes, love. It will be so good for us both,” he said as he removed his shirt, letting it fall to the floor as well.

  With his elbows on the lounger, he gently pulled Jennifer closer to him. His thumb slid down the slick folds, then back up, causing Jennifer to raise her body off the lounger. Her body was preparing itself for him and she was getting anxious, wanting to feel him inside her.

  She closed her eyes, but they snapped open when she felt his tongue replacing his finger. She could feel ecstasy a couple strokes away as she moved her body with the rhythm of his tongue. Jennifer lavished in the feel of the gift he was giving her at that moment.

  Because of his position, she couldn’t touch him and that was all she wanted to do. Love him back, just as he had her.

  In the afterglow of their lovemaking, Jennifer and Simeon lay in each other’s arms. Simeon whispered to her. “I met your parents today.”

  “You know I really wanted to be there for your first meeting.”

  “It went fine. I felt I needed to introduce myself to them. I’m sure they had some misconceived notions about me and my character as a man.”

  Jennifer presumed Simeon had more than one reason for wanting to drop the kids off at her parents’ himself. She turned away from him because she felt a bit guilty, even though she had no idea what actually had happened to him, but they knew he was M.I.A.

  “There’s no need for that. None of it was your fault. You were suffering, so of course they resented me, because they thought that I’d caused you pain.”