Four Letters

by Lisa M. Harley

  It was difficult to do, but I tried to spend as much time with Lilly as possible. She was pregnant and needed me more than Skye did. Skye thought I was traveling a lot for business and Lilly was so happy to have me close.

  “This is it,” we both said at the same time.

  I laughed, “Yes, Mrs. Brown this is definitely it.”

  “Mr. Brown, I think we better put in an offer on this house ASAP, what do ya say?”

  I put my arms around her waist and pulled her toward me. “I think my pregnant wife is right.”

  “I’m sure I heard you wrong. You surely meant to say, ‘My pregnant wife is always right’.”

  I kissed her forehead. “Silly me, I must’ve misspoke.”

  “That’s okay. I’ll forgive you this time, but you better not let it happen again.”

  “Yes, ma’am, Mrs. Brown.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Brown,” she smiled as she reached up on her tippy toes and kissed my lips. Her lips fit so perfectly against mine. I’d never get tired of these kisses.

  “Oh wow,” she said. Her eyes got really big as she looked up at me and grabbed my hand and placed on her ever growing belly. “Feel that?”

  “What, I don’t feel…” About that time I felt a little rumble in her belly. “Holy shit. He kicked me.”

  She slapped my shoulder, “Don’t curse around the baby.”

  “Sorry, sweetie. I won’t let it happen again.”

  “You better not. I don’t want his first word to be a curse word.”

  “Isn’t it my job to teach him all those bad words?” I laughed.

  “No, it is not your job, but when he’s older I assume you will,” she smiled.

  “So, are we gonna buy this house here, or what?”

  “We are so gonna buy this house,” she laughed as she took my hand in hers and led me back into the house for another tour. I couldn’t argue with her this was the perfect house for us to raise our family in.

  Once we were all moved in I started to spend even less time with Skye. I felt like I needed to be with Lilly all the time.

  When I spoke to Skye she sounded okay, maybe a little lonely, but with Skye it was hard to tell. She had Tiff to keep her company and I made sure to go home to her at least once a month. I’d only stay a day or two at the most, but the closer it got to the birth of the baby the more I needed to be with Lilly.

  “Asher honey, are you awake?” Lilly asked as she nudged my shoulder to turn over by her.

  I had been asleep until I felt her shake my shoulder trying to get my attention. “I am now. You okay?”

  “Um, it’s time.”

  Flying up out of bed, I grabbed my jeans off the chair and started doing the ever popular “hop up and down until they cover your ass” move.

  “Asher, it’s time to get your wife some ice cream. Sorry, maybe I should’ve specified what it was time for,” she laughed.

  “Are you kidding me? It’s time for ice cream? You woke me up for ice cream?”

  She smiled and said coyly, “Maybe?”

  I let out the breath I’d been holding since she woke me up and caused me to panic. It came out in a whoosh…

  “Fine. Ice cream. I’m on it. Just stay right where you are and I’ll be right back.”

  When I got downstairs I grabbed my cell out of my briefcase. I could hear it chirping and knew that meant I had a voicemail. Pushing in my code I heard Skye’s voice:

  “Hey, baby. I…well, I was missing you and thought maybe we could have some of that awesome phone sex we used to have. If you can’t be with me the least you could do is call me back and phone-fuck me,” she laughed. “I love you, baby. Call me when you get this and I’ll phone-fuck your brains out. Sorry, that was really corny. I apologize, but call me any way, okay? I really need to hear that sexy voice from the man I married.”

  As I scooped the chocolate-peanut butter swirl ice cream into the bowl for Lilly, I dialed Skye’s number.

  “Skye’s house of phone-fucking, how may I fuck you today?” she answered.

  I couldn’t help but laugh at that. I looked around to make sure that Lilly hadn’t come downstairs before I spoke. I whispered, “Hey, babe.”

  She whispered back, “Why are we whispering?”

  “Oh, I’m out with the client and their talking business. I didn’t want to be rude, so I thought I’d whisper.”

  “I see. Well why don’t you sneak out to the bathroom and let me demonstrate the service my new business offers.”

  “Babe, I’d love to, but I can’t do it tonight. This is going to go really late. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Fine,” she pouted. “Tomorrow it is. I guess I’ll just have to satisfy myself this evening. I thought the whole reason to have a husband was so I could have sex anytime I wanted to?”

  “I’m really sorry. I wish I was there.”

  I really did want to be there with her. Skye was amazing in bed. She could turn me on, just by looking at me. And I hadn’t realized how I craved dominance before I met her.

  “Sterling? You still love me, right? That hasn’t changed?”

  “What the hell? Why would you ask me that, Skye?”

  “I don’t know I just feel like we’re drifting apart. It’s like you’re not really here when you are here, and the rest of the time you really aren’t here. I’m worried that we’re losing our spark.”

  I walked outside, gently closing the screen-door behind me hoping Lilly wouldn’t hear me and figure out what I was doing.

  “I love you, Skye. We’re not losing anything, promise. Where are you right now?”

  “Relaxing in the bathtub.”

  “Perfect. I want you to do something for me. Can you do that, Skye?”

  “I’d do anything for you, Sterling. Anything at all.”

  “Good. Take your hand and grab your nipple and pinch it, hard.”

  I heard her exhale and a sexy moan came through the phone line.

  “Good girl. Now the other nipple.” She moaned again as I continued, “Slowly slide that hand down under the water. Very slowly find your pussy. When you get to your sweet, wet pussy slide two fingers in.” I could hear her panting and water sloshing around. “In and out. Over and over. I want you to think of me, Skye. I’m there with you. I’m leaning over you. We’ve spent the entire evening having the hottest sex of our lives. You’re on your fifth or is it sixth orgasm?”

  “Sixth,” she groaned.

  “That’s right. I’ve made you come over and over. I’ve used my fingers, my tongue, and my cock. Right now I’m over you riding you. Thrusting into you as hard as I can. I’m so deep. Do you feel me, baby?”

  “Mmhmmm…I feel you, baby. Oh, Sterling…”

  “Let it go, baby. Come for me, Skye,” I ordered. “Now.”

  And with my words she did just that. Her breaths were evening out and she was coming down from her orgasm when she said, “Thank you, Sterling. You have no idea how much I needed that, tonight.”

  “Asher? Sweetie? Did you get lost?” Lilly said, coming down the stairs into the kitchen,

  Shit.

  “Who was that? Who’s Asher?” Skye asked.

  Shit.

  I whispered, “He’s the client, and that was his wife. I really gotta get off the phone, babe. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

  “Okay, baby. Have a good night and I’ll wait for your call tomorrow.”

  “Goodnight,” I said.

  “Oh, Sterling?”

  “Yeah, babe?”

  “I love you, always.”

  I whispered, “You too, babe. Always.”

  “Asher? What are you doing outside? Who are you talking to?” Lilly asked as she walked through the door and out onto the porch. I slid my cell into my pocket.

  “Work, sweetie.”

  “But why did you go outside to talk to work?”

  “It’s a little muggy tonight, so I thought I’d step outside to get some fresh air.”

  We walked inside and the
ice cream was melting all over the counter. “Oops, sorry.” I ran my finger through the remnants of ice cream. I wiped the ice cream on Lilly’s nose. “Uh oh, looks like you have something on your nose. I better help you out with that.” Leaning toward her, I gently sucked the ice cream off her nose. She moaned and then ran her finger through the mess on the counter. She took her finger and ran it along my chest, from nipple to nipple. This was so fucking wrong. I was turned on from the conversation with Skye and now I was with Lilly and she was getting me all hot and bothered.

  What the fuck kind of man had I become?

  I was playing with fire and didn’t have the sense to realize how it was gonna burn when it finally was ablaze.

  “What a mess you are, Asher. Since you helped me out with mine, I guess I better help you with yours.”

  “No man would ever turn down such an offer, just so you know,” I laughed.

  She ran her pretty little pink tongue all along my chest. I groaned when she tugged at my nipple with her teeth.

  “Oh shit, Asher,” she groaned.

  “I know, sweetheart. I want you so bad.”

  “Oh, Asher.”

  “Mmhmmm…”

  “Asher!”

  I opened my eyes and looked down at her, she seemed to be in horrible pain. “What’s going on?”

  “The baby. I think he’s coming.”

  “Oh my god. What do I…what do we…what the hell am I supposed to be doing?”

  She placed her hand on my cheek. “Asher, calm down. We need to get to the hospital. My bag is packed and ready to go, just go grab it out of the closet and let’s go.”

  “Thank god, you’re calm.”

  “Asher, I’m in a lot of pain and I don’t know how much longer I’m going to be able to remain calm if you don’t get your ass upstairs to get my bag and get me to the fucking hospital.”

  “No cursing in front of the baby, remember?”

  She pressed her lips into a straight line and glared at me like the badass bitch she was trying really hard to be. “Really? You want to do this now?”

  “No, no of course not. Say whatever you want. I’m going upstairs…I’ll be right back.”

  The next twenty-two hours were spent with Lilly screaming in pain and me doing everything in my power to make her feel better and to calm her down. Nothing worked, until he was born, then one look from our little guy melted away all of the pain and calmed both of us down. He was finally here. We were parents. I was a daddy.

  Lincoln Daniel Brown.

  The sadistic bastard that I was insisted that my son have my real name as his middle name.

  He weighed eight pounds and eight ounces and was twenty-two inches long. He had dark hair like me and beautiful green eyes, just like his mom’s. He was the most perfect baby I’d ever seen. He was beautiful and such a good boy. He cried right after he came into the world, but once he signified his appearance with a loud wail we hadn’t heard another peep out of him. We were waiting patiently to take him home tomorrow. We were worried that his temperament might change when he was at home in his own bed.

  ***

  “Guess what?”

  “You got married again? Your name is Chance? You grew up in a small town in Kentucky?”

  “Wow, Becca, you’re a fucking laugh riot you know it.”

  “I take it you’re a daddy now?” she asked.

  “He’s so perfect, Becca.”

  “You got a picture of this sample of perfection?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I just emailed it to you.”

  “Well, let me pull up my email and check him out.” I heard her clicking around on her computer and then I heard her gasp. “Holy hell, Daniel. He’s absolutely beautiful. He really is perfect.”

  “I made that, Becca. Can you believe that perfection is part of me?”

  “Yes Daniel, I can. You are a beautiful, albeit screwed up, person.”

  “Thanks a lot,” I laughed.

  “It’s true. What are you going to do about Skye?”

  “What do you mean?” I asked.

  “Come on, Daniel. You can’t stay with her now that you have a son with Lilly. It’s time that you stopped this charade and picked one of them to build a future with. I would think you would want to stay with Lilly because of the baby.”

  “Not because of the baby.” I was getting really agitated. “I love her, Becca. I don’t know what part of this you don’t understand. I love them both. This arrangement has been working out just fine, and I don’t see any reason to change anything now.”

  “And that’s the problem, Daniel. You don’t see how wrong this all is.”

  “I know how wrong it is, Becca. I just don’t give a fuck. I love them both and I’m not changing a damn thing.”

  “It’s killing me to watch this train wreck unravel. One of these days you’re going to screw up. It’s gonna be big and you won’t be able to fix it. When that happens you’ll hurt everyone. Is that something you’re prepared to live with?”

  “I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Right now I’m going to go hold my son and hug my wife.”

  “Which one?”

  I hung up the phone and tried to block out what Becca said to me. It was hard to do, but I was happy and she wasn’t going to ruin this for me. I’d worry about the future in the future. Today my focus had to be on Lilly and Lincoln.

  My son.

  I had a son.

  Lilly gave me that.

  God, I loved that woman.

  Chapter Six~

  Four years ago

  Everything felt like it was coming to a boiling point. Like I was just about to hit the crescendo and all hell was going to break loose. I needed a breather from everything.

  Skye’s demands were driving me crazy. Lincoln and Abbi needed me around more and more, and it was all becoming too much for my screwed up brain to handle. I needed to get away from my life for a while.

  I decided a visit to the country could work wonders at clearing my mind. My grandparents little farmhouse in Missouri would be the perfect place to hide from everything for a little while. Fixing it up a little bit would be a great distraction from the insane asylum that my day to day life had become.

  Nothing ever cleared my head better than a run or a long drive. A road trip to Missouri was just what the doctor ordered. I could think about everything that was going on and maybe figure out what the hell I needed to do next.

  After a visit to the local Ford dealership, I was the proud owner of a used extended cab F-150, black of course. The gas mileage wasn’t great, but it wasn’t like money was a factor for me. I was probably fucking up the ozone layer, but that wasn’t a big worry for me right now.

  After about a day of driving from New York I came across this little old fashioned diner in some Podunk town in North Carolina. It was small as hell, but something drew me in. So I pulled into the parking lot and went in to grab a bite to eat. There were several tables scattered around the place and a chrome bar with chrome barstools around it. For a place its size they had quite a crowd.

  Taking up residence at a table near the back of the room, I noticed there were several scummy looking guys crowded around the table across from mine. The cute young waitress walked out from the kitchen. She had long reddish blonde hair and was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. She had an apron tied around her waist and she looked really young.

  The guys were leering at her ass, and one of them made a comment about what a fun ride she had been. It turned my fucking stomach to hear them talking about that poor girl that way.

  When she came up to their table the one who acted like the ring leader of the scumbags, grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. The look in her eyes was that of fear and hatred all wrapped up into one. His dirty hand came up onto her neck and he brought her face down to his. When he slammed his lips onto hers she…let him?

  What the hell?

  I thought for sure by the look on her face that she would push him away from her, but she didn�
�t. She accepted his kiss and let him touch her. It took everything in me to not get up and slam his head into the table, repeatedly.

  When he finally released her from his hold, she got up and went into the kitchen acting like nothing had happened. Like what I just saw was perfectly normal and happened all the time. The look in her eyes was blank when she stood up and walked away. It reminded me of the look I’d seen many times when I was younger. The look my mother got in her eyes when she talked about my dad coming home. When she was living in her dream world.

  “Damn, that girl can fuck like no other,” I heard one of the guys say.

  “Best piece of ass I’ve had in years,” another said.

  “That was awful nice of Paul here to let us share her. If I had a full time piece like that I sure as shit wouldn’t be loaning her out.”

  The man that I assumed was Paul said as he fist bumped each guy at the table. “What can I say? I’m just a nice guy.”

  The thought of those men touching that poor sweet girl made me sick. My blood was boiling, my heart was racing, and it was taking everything I had in me to not go over to that table and kick all of their asses.

  Why did she let that happen?

  Surely, she didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t imagine her doing it if she had, but maybe I was wrong about her. It wasn’t like I knew her or her situation. Maybe she was on drugs or something.

  My waitress filled up my coffee cup and I kept an eye on the girl from before the rest of the night. The guys all left besides Paul. He stayed all night, and never once let her out of his sight. Every time she would walk past him he would grab her ass or touch her arm. Something to show she was his. It was fucking disgusting.

  I should’ve left town.

  I shouldn’t have stayed and went back to that diner every night for a week.

  I should’ve let it go, but there was just something about her that told me I couldn’t let it go. I stayed in town at a little bed and breakfast and spent my days on the phone spewing lies to my wives and my nights keeping an eye on the pretty young waitress that deserved so much more.

  I had a feeling from the moment I first saw her that something was off, and I couldn’t have been more right. The night when I took her away from him was the first time I saw the fear disappear from her face. I gotta admit I loved being the guy who did that for her. It was a definite boost to my ego. There was nothing sexual about our relationship. She was a girl who needed help and I was the guy who helped her. That was all.