by Taylor Love
“You look fine to me, but then again, you always do. You at home, you’re dressed exactly how you should be. What do you say? Let’s have a relaxing Halloween.”
Andrea looked into his mirth-filled eyes and let her apprehension go. He was right. Since he showed up unannounced, he got what he got. Besides, as usual, she seemed to be the only one who cared about something so trivial.
“Fine, but only because you brought me pizza.”
“I got half-and-half.” He knew she was a cheese, green peppers, and chicken type of girl, while he preferred a manly meat lover’s.
“Good!” She gave him her first smile of the night. “What’s in the bag?”
“Don’t worry about it. You go put on a movie. I’ll bring us some plates.” He gave her a push towards the couch, by way of her backside. Copping a feel and getting her moving, while he went in the kitchen. He tossed his coat over a kitchen chair and a couple minutes later, he walked back in, carrying some paper plates, napkins, and the bottle of wine she’d opened, along with a medium plastic bowl.
“Let me help before you drop something.” Andrea jumped up and grabbed her wine and the bowl, placing both on the table. She looked down and saw it filled with assorted candy. “Camden, we can’t eat all this candy! You’ll have me sick.”
He got settled in and pulled her close. “That’s the whole point of Halloween right? Get sick eating candy. We’ll pig out and watch folks make stupid choices in these horror films.”
Andrea couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Sounds like a prefect Halloween to me.”
It was the best Halloween she’d had since she was a kid. They’d demolished the pizza before the Dawn of the Dead characters even made it to the mall. During 28 Days Later, they’d started in on the candy while she alternated between laughing and jumping at the images onscreen. She liked watching horror movies with him! He spent the movie pointing out the things the characters did wrong or how they deserved to die. Nothing seemed to bother him. Though he had seemed freaked out by how fast the Zombies had been at the end of the first movie, shouting out “Oh hell no! That shit ain’t fair, they running around like Usain Bolt!”
By the time they put in the last movie, they were both stretched out on her couch snuggled together. She loved the solid feel of him. Being able to totally relax with him was something she treasured. She was able to let her hair down, or in this case, keep it wrapped up around him.
He joked around with her a lot, and when she returned the favor, he never took offense. She tended to be on the serious side, which was why she and Mika made such good friends. They balanced each other out. Camden brought out her lighter side as well, and overall she just felt good around him. As the last movie of the night was nearing the end, she was more concerned with how good he felt, than if the bad ass kids were going to make it to the helicopter or not.
He probably wouldn’t believe her, but she found it very hard not to give in to her urges. She thought about their night together several times a week. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t forget how his lips had felt kissing up her thighs, his tongue licking up her middle. Invariably, those thoughts reminded her of the way he felt inside her. Just the thought of his powerful strokes had her squirming next to him.
She slid her hands low until she was toying with the top of his pants. He didn’t have on a belt and she teased her finger underneath his waistband. She felt him tense, then relax. They’d fooled around plenty. He’d gone down on her several more times, to her dismay and delight. She’d played with him as well, but he’d never let her bring him to completion with a hand job. Giving head had never been her favorite thing to do, but she’d given it willingly to her long term boyfriends for special occasions. Andrea had contemplated going down on Cam a couple of times, and thought maybe she’d try it tonight to pay him back for the delightful evening.
When Cam felt her hand slide fully down his pants and grab his penis, he sucked in a breath. “You looking for something down my pants?”
“Yeah…and I think I found it.” She gave him a squeeze and he grunted before kissing the life out of her.
That’s all they needed for an intense round of groping and kissing to ensue. After a while, she pushed up the thin sweater he was wearing and flicked her fingers over his nipples, making him shudder.
“Thought I was the only one treating tonight,” he asked her.
“I don’t know…there might be some type of tricking, too.” She gave him a naughty smile, kissing his chin before sliding down his body to run her tongue over his now sensitive chest. She kissed her way down his stomach, then got the button of his pants undone and the zipper pulled down before he suddenly sat up.
Cam knew this was “Devil’s Night”, but he wasn’t going to place himself in hell by letting her give him a blowjob. There was no way he’d be able to back off after that. It was better not to take the chance of ruining the night. He hauled her up for a deep kiss, trying to distract her before he said, “The movie is over.”
“Oh.” She hadn’t noticed, but glancing at the TV saw the credits rolling.
“It’s almost one in the morning. I should be going.” Cam moved her aside. “You have work tomorrow.” He stood up fixing his pants, before collecting their trash and heading to the kitchen.
Andrea watched him go with a confused frown on her face. She knew he hadn’t mistaken where her mouth was headed. Strangely, she felt disappointed about not being able to go down on him. She stood up and met him coming out of the kitchen with his coat already on. Opening her mouth to protest, he cut her off with a quick kiss before walking quickly to the door.
“I’ll text you when I get home. Have a good day tomorrow.”
“Yeah, you too,” she mumbled, following him to the door and locking up. As she heard his car start, she shook her head in annoyance. “Great, Zombies don’t scare him, but the thought of me giving him head runs him off.”
Chapter Eleven
Almost a month had passed since her failed attempt to give Camden fellatio, and she was starting to think Camden was losing interest, at least in having sex with her. While she may not have as much relationship experience as most women her age, she wasn’t stupid. If he was no longer interested in getting it from her, then that meant he was probably getting it from someone else.
Since that night, he backed away from getting as physical with her. Oh, they still kissed, and there was light touching, but that was it. Clothes stayed on, and nobody’s mouth was on anyone’s naughty parts. They still talked and saw each other the same amount, everything was the same expect the physical part. That was starting to be a problem for her.
She gave a deep sigh before noticing she was chewing her pen top again. In frustration, she tossed it across her office until it hit the door with an audible ping. When her phone rang an instant later, it made her jump. She snatched up the phone without even looking.
“Hello,” she said shortly.
“Whoa, bad day?”
“Sorry Cam, I didn’t know it was you.” She was so caught off guard, that she forgot to tease him by using his full name.
“They messing with you over at PWC? Who is it? I’ll come over there if I have to.”
And just like that he was surprising a laugh out of her. That was why she loved talking to him. “Oh, really? You can come over here and get me fired?”
“Hey, I’ll catch them out in the parking lot. They’ll never know what hit them…literally.”
“Well luckily for them you won’t be needed. No one did anything to me. It’s just been a long day.”
“Well it’s almost over. Are you able to leave on time tonight?”
Andrea looked at her computer screen and saw that it was three o’clock. “Yeah, I should be able to leave on time, though I’ll be bringing home work this weekend.”
“We’ll sit around working together, as I need to finish up this small project.”
“Sounds like a work date to me. You want me to come to your place aft
er work tonight?” Andrea asked.
“That works. Look, I won’t take up much more of your time. I wanted to ask you something about next week.”
“Shoot.”
“Will you be in town for Thanksgiving?”
“Umm, actually I will. I trade off turkey day and Christmas with visiting my family. This year, they don’t get a visit until December.”
“Sucks for them, but lucky for me.”
“And why is that, Mr. Holden?”
“So you can go with me to a Thanksgiving dinner. It’s a tradition for me to stop in at Robert’s place, for a few hours.”
She didn’t need to ask why he wouldn’t be visiting his own family. She knew he wasn’t particularly close to the family he still had in the area. She’d also come to know that his best friend was more like a brother, so it didn’t surprise her that he would spend a holiday with him. What she was surprised by, was that he was asking her to come. But what did it mean that he wanted her to meet what was essentially his family?
As if he could read her thoughts through the silence on the line, he said, “It’s honestly not a big deal. It’s a causal gathering. Usually never more than twelve to fifteen people. He has a small, immediate family that gets together. I’d really like you to come with me, if you have a few hours free that day.”
Why was she even hesitating? Hadn’t she just been thinking he was losing interest? This invitation had to be a good thing. Not to mention she was curious about meeting his friend. She wanted to know what type of man Camden considered a best friend.
“You know, I’d love to go. I’m not doing anything that day and I had no other plans. Thanks for asking.”
“Good. I’m glad you’ll be able to go. His family is great. We’ll talk details next week.”
“Cool. See you later around 5:30ish?”
“Yeah. I’ll pick up something to eat. Just text me what you want.”
“Okay.” As he started to say goodbye, she rushed to keep him on the line. “Hey, Camden?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for wanting to be my defender earlier.”
“You called me Cam when you answered the phone…you know that will make me do anything for you.”
“Bye Camden.” She hung up the phone with his chuckle still ringing in her ear.
* * *
Andrea had been so busy that it seemed like she blinked, and Thanksgiving was upon them. They would be arriving a little after four, as Camden claimed dinner usually started after the football game.
“Most times, I try not to arrive until the Detroit Lions game is over. Robert is a sports fan. He and his cousins take it a bit too seriously for me. This way we can arrive when the theatrics are over.”
During that conversation, he had also assured her she didn’t need to make anything. When she insisted, he’d told her to bring some Hennessey for the guys and some wine for the ladies. She had taken his advice, making her shopping list easy. Now, they were on their way to Robert’s house in Royal Oak.
When they arrived she wasn’t surprised by the big modern house, it was the norm for this particular city. There were a number of cars already in the semi-circle driveway, so Camden parked on the street. When they got out, he reached into the back seat and pulled out something wrapped in aluminum foil.
“What is that?” she asked suspiciously.
“My Baileys pound cake. I make it every year.”
“You told me not to bring anything!”
“You’re a guest, guest don’t bring anything.” Cam laughed as a cute little pout graced her lips. “Stop pouting before they think you stuck up or something.”
“You know what!” She snapped her mouth shut and put on a smile as the door opened to reveal a tall, dark-skinned brother.
“About time you got here. I don’t know why you don’t come for the game.”
“For what? To see the same old slaughtering of the Lions and hear your mouth? I’ll pass.” They joked, while giving each other the one-armed hugs men were known for, all the while being careful of the cake in Cams hand.
The man hugging Camden then turned to her, cocking his head to the side and giving her a small, skeptical smile. “You must be Andrea of the ‘pretty eyes’.” He stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“Thanks for allowing me to celebrate with your family. It’s nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Same here.”
Robert turned back to Cam and snatched the cake out his hand. “Give me that cake before you drop it. Come on in out of the cold. We should be eating soon.”
As they followed him through the house, Andrea didn’t pay attention to her surroundings. She felt Camden’s best friend’s greeting had been a little cool…or was it her imagination? It was always a little unnerving meeting important people in someone else’s life. The noise of a TV and children laughing did reach her however, as well as the aroma of the meal. Those things reminded her this was a holiday gathering, and she should relax and try to enjoy it.
They reached the large, modern kitchen that had an open layout so you could see into the living room. She saw a number of kids of all ages and a couple of men sitting around the couch. Camden took the bag of liquor out her hand and handed it to Robert, as Robert handed the cake to a black woman of average height, who leaned past him to kiss Camden on the cheek. The woman turned her eyes to Andrea and gave her a warm smile. She was about to say something, when she was cut off.
“Baby, what you got in that other bag?”
Andrea turned towards one of the other two women in the kitchen. “Some wine ma’am, I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course it’s okay, we drink in this family.” The woman all but snatched the bag out her hand. “Moderately, of course. I can’t stand a drunk. I’m Dolores by the way. Roberts’s mother’s older sister.”
“You’re my only sister. I don’t know why you always got to add the ‘older’ part.” She grabbed Andrea’s hand and gave it a squeeze while rolling her eyes in her sister’s direction. “I’m Johanna. Very nice to meet a friend of Cam’s.”
“Nice to meet you as well. I’m Andrea. Camden told me not to bring anything, but I feel bad. I’m decent in the kitchen, do you need help with anything?”
“Oh, you can cook?” Dolores raised an eyebrow at the statement.
“Yes ma’am I can cook pretty well.
“Ha! Brihanna you hear that!” Dolores shouted over her shoulder to the younger woman in the kitchen, who was stirring a pot at the stove. “This is a woman not much older than you probably, who can at least do a little something in the kitchen. What’s your excuse?”
“I don’t need to cook when I know how to call a carry-out number.”
“I’ve told you to leave my girl alone.” Johanna said, before turning and waving her hand at the two men watching the conversation with amusement. “You two get out this kitchen. Make sure the table is set, we should be ready to eat in about ten minutes or so.”
Chapter Twelve
After the two men left, Andrea was left facing three women who all looked at her curiously. She knew she was in for a grilling, the kind that women did so well. She figured it was fair, since Camden had put up with Mika’s twenty-one questions. At least Johanna was looking at her in a warm and friendly manner. Dolores was looking at her shrewdly, and Brihanna gave her a look of pity and shook her head.
“So, how long have you known Cam?”
“Technically, since the end of August, Ms. Johanna.”
“Honey, we are not formal, though I thank you for having manners. You can just call us by our first names. Cam is such a good boy. We’re always pleased to have him.”
“I don’t know why you keep calling those men boys. They both thirty,” Dolores muttered.
“Well Robert is my baby boy, and Cam might as well be my son. So I can call them what I want to call them.”
“Humph.” Dolores ignored her sister and addressed Andrea. “You two serious?”
“I, uhh...” How to answer that? She and Camden talked about many things, except defining their relationship, which she didn’t mind for now. “We’re dating. Spending a lot of time together.” They all just looked at her until she gave a shy smile and shook her head. “We’re friends.”
Johanna’s smile widened. “Well, that’s a wonderful place to start!”
“Could have fooled me. You two look closer than just friends.”
“Aunt Dolores!”
“What?” She threw up her hands in Brihanna’s direction. “You young people have such dirty minds. I meant the way he was acting with her. He wasn’t acting that way with anyone else he’s brought.”
“Oh…and how many has he brought exactly?” The bite in Andrea’s voice had the three women’s heads whipping toward her.
“What my Aunt was trying to say, before she put her foot in it, was that he seems to be closer to you than the other two women we’ve met.”
“How so?”
“The way he looks at you for one,” Johanna said softly.
“I saw how he had his hand on your back the entire time too. Standing extra close to you,” Dolores piped in.
When Andrea looked at Brihanna, the younger woman just shrugged. “I’ll reserve my final judgement for now.”
“Well, I’m not sure what you ladies saw that quickly, but we’re taking it slow.”
The two sisters gave each other a look before Johanna said, “That’s never a bad thing…I guess. Anyway, we’re glad to have you. Now, let’s go feed these men and kids before they riot.”
The rest of the evening went by fast. She met Robert’s four cousins. Devon and Darrell, Edward, his wife and kids and Thomas and his two kids. Dinner was delicious and lively, and Andrea had no problem relaxing. She was seeing a different side of Camden as he joked easily with all of the men as they talked sports, work, and other topics. They sat next to each other, and whenever he wasn’t eating he had his hand on her back, shoulder, or neck. Once or twice, she saw the sisters looking at each other and smirking.
