by Anna Scott
“I love you, sweetness. You are just what I needed, after a shit day. You are the light on a dark night, the happiness and joy at the end of a bad day.” I whispered, and leaned in to kiss her smiling mouth. I felt the wetness trickle down her cheeks, but I let her cry this time. I knew her heart, knew how soft it was, how loving she was, and knew that she was just as overwhelmed as I was.
I moved over her, inside her, and with her, as she lifted her legs to wrap around me. One foot at the small of my back and one just under my ass, she pressed up with every thrust. Her pelvis tilted, and she met me, joining with me, shared herself, her love and pleasure with me.
Our eyes never separated, not once through her orgasm and then mine. I rolled us both to the side as I came, trying to move some of my weight off her. We lay like that, looking into each other’s eyes, still connected, sleepy and sated until we fell asleep in just that position.
Never, not once in the months we dated or since, did we fall asleep with me still buried deep inside her.
Three hours later, I was pulled away from the sweet smell of my woman’s hair and the feel of her wrapped tight next to me by the shrill sound of my ringing cell. Groggy and annoyed I answered the damn phone. Hearing the watch commander’s voice, I sat up abruptly. Something was wrong, seriously wrong. If there was a standard call-out, we’d get the automated message. I almost never got a call from the watch commander in the middle of the night. Even if there had been a homicide and I was being pulled in on the case, it would be my captain or my sergeant calling and not the commander.
“Yeah, yes, sir, I’m here.” I stumbled, trying to find my bearings. I felt Amber move on the bed as well. She sat and from the corner of my eye, I watched as she pulled her nightgown down to cover herself as she got up from the bed, preparing to make coffee, I assumed.
I knew a lot of guys on SWAT and throughout the sheriff's department, many of whom had frequent middle of the night phone calls. I didn’t know too many who had women happy to get up and help them with whatever they needed before rushing out the door. I knew that Dawn did that for Gavin too. She seemed to do it instinctively, like Amber did, and right from the start. Amber had always gotten up with me, every time. It floored me that she was not only willing but happy to help me. It seemed to bring her joy, to make her feel content when she saw to my needs.
On some level, I could understand it. I knew the rush, the feeling I got when I did something for her, but she almost never needed her oil changed, or something fixed in her house in the middle of the night.
I wasn't sure of what was going on yet and I waved for Amber to sit back down, but instead of doing that, she came to me and moved into my space. She offered me the comfort she thought I might need, and in fact, she was right.
“We’ve gotten a call from the alarm company. They reported a breach at the back door of your mom’s house. We have units en route, but I don’t know anything yet. We’ve called the house, trying to make contact, but there's no answer.”
“Shit,” I said, standing and grabbing Amber’s hand and squeezing it, just before I moved toward her dresser. Thankfully, I’d had the forethought to move some more of my things back in, though she’d never gotten rid of my stuff from before. I had a decent little selection. When she saw me start to tug up a pair of jeans, Amber moved into the kitchen and within minutes, I smelled the coffee brewing.
I assured the commander that I had my shit together, which I absolutely did not, and told him I was on my way, getting his assurance that he’d contact me as soon as he heard anything. Mom’s house was a good thirty minutes from Amber’s, so units would be on scene and would hopefully make contact before I could get there.
“Honey, what’s wrong?” Amber asked as she walked back into her bedroom, a travel mug of coffee ready to go. Thankfully, when we’d been dating before, she’d bought one of those one-cup coffee makers, the thing was great, brewing a large cup in about a minute. She hadn’t told me, but I knew she’d bought it for me. It had only taken one time when I stood and waited for her old machine to finish so I could run out the door before the new one was in place.
“The alarm tripped at my mom’s house, and she isn’t answering the phone,” I explained and watched her entire body go on alert.
“Oh my god, is there anything I can do? Do you want me to go, I can drive you, are you okay?”
She had gone into panic mode. I knew because her words were rapid fire and sounded frantic. She was worried, for me, and I knew it. I was worried too, but I needed to go, and I needed Amber to be safe.
Placing a firm hand on her shoulder, I watched as she visibly relaxed. The change was amazing - beautiful really, the affect I could have on her, the same affect she had on me. The knowledge that just the touch of my hand could settle her that way touched something deep in my soul.
“Stay here, baby, I don’t know what I’m walking into, I want you here, safe, okay?” I asked a small smile on my face. This situation was not one where I wanted to be smiling, but there was something about Amber, in her over-exuberance, there was kindness, compassion, and concern. She felt so much, so big, for everyone around her, I couldn’t imagine how she’d take it if something had happened to my mom, even though they’d never met.
Leaning in, I kissed her forehead and told her to go back to sleep. As I walked to the front door, she promised, “I’ll be awake, you call me, if you need anything, I’ll be there. Okay?”
Nodding, I watched her beautiful, worried face as I closed the door. Climbing into the truck, I called mom’s house and cell repeatedly – no answer. Finally, I gave in and called my sister, which was about the last thing I wanted to do. Natalie worked the swing shift but was usually home around midnight. She worked as a dispatcher for the Dallas PD.
Nat and I were crazy close, and it had sucked not telling her about Amber before. She was tiny, five-two, super thin, and long, fiery red hair. She was fierce, though. No matter how small, she was a spitfire, and I knew that someday when she found the right guy, she would bend over backward to give all that spirit to him and their kids. She loved so much, gave so much and expected so little in return, he would be one lucky son of a bitch to get her. There was no doubt that she would love Amber, and I couldn’t wait for all of them to get together.
I hadn’t said anything about Amber before to my mom either. because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. She would have been on the phone with Nicole Davies, Gavin’s mom, about five minutes after finding out about Amber and me, then everyone would have known, which wasn’t what Amber had wanted, neither had I, in the beginning.
I was thrilled when my crazy sister had settled down some and decided to become a dispatcher. She had done a lot of things, but she needed constant adrenaline in her life. A lot of jobs could offer that, and obviously, I knew without a doubt that she could have done any of them, but in this one, I was happy to know she was safe.
I hated calling her now, didn’t want to worry her, to freak her out about Mom. Unfortunately, that didn't matter. I needed to know if Mom was over there. It wouldn’t be the first time that either of them would stay at the other’s house. I never understood that shit, I wanted to sleep in my own bed, or Amber’s of course. The whole slumber party thing was strange to me, and no part of me wanted to picture my mom and sister having pillow fights, which really was about the only thing guys wanted to imagine happened when girls had sleepovers.
“Trent?” My sister asked, her voice groggy.
“Hey, Nat. Have you talked to mom tonight?”
“No, she’s taking care of Mrs. Madison. She was supposed to come home from the hospital yesterday. Why?”
Letting out a deep, relieved breath, I explained the situation and assured my sister that I’d call her after I got to Mom’s then disconnected so that I could alert the officers arriving on the scene.
For the first time, since the commander called, I was able to take a full breath. I called Amber too, wanting to let her know not to worry about mom. I wasn’t h
appy that her house had been compromised, especially since I didn’t yet have a good idea of what had happened there, but the fact that she was likely safe was a huge weight off my heart.
“I’m so glad, honey, can I do anything, is there anything you need?”
God, that woman, she was always so willing and eager to help.
“No, baby, I’ll let you know what I find out, but why don’t you try and get some sleep? You’ve got another long day tomorrow.” I reminded her, knowing that with Aurora gone, Amber was taking on the bulk of the responsibilities at the store. There was something going on with the woman who owned the coffee shop down the street too. Amber had mentioned it to me. She was worried for her friend, but it sounded like the cousin was running with a bad crowd. I knew all of that shit weighed on her, the last thing she needed now was to go into a full day with only a couple of hours of sleep. We didn’t both need to be grumpy.
She promised that she would try, but I didn’t have high hopes that she would actually fall asleep. It amazed me how much Amber internalized. She took so much on, always the first to help out, the first to volunteer her assistance. She was always, always there for friends and family. She would drop whatever she was doing to be there for anyone. Amber was great about it, but she took a lot on herself, emotionally, she felt every one of her girls’ problems. She worried about them, thought about them, and ran herself crazy.
Shutting off the truck, I scanned the area in front of my mother’s perfect white house on the far side of Allen. It was nice, well-kept and the area was great, more rural than suburban, though it was right on the line between the two. We’d moved into that house after I’d turned seventeen, just two months after Dad had been convicted and sent to prison.
My father had been the ultimate asshole, proud, rich, arrogant and controlling. I’d seen it, some of it, growing up, but he kept most of that shit hidden from me. Looking back now, I could see it in him, could see the controlling nature, the way he was with my mom and then my sister, but I hadn’t known. I hadn’t understood it then. I knew I was his favorite, his boy. I was a big kid, even when I was young. I was taller than the rest, athletic and was pretty easy going.
Thankfully, he didn't spend much time with me, but when his cronies were around, he dragged me out to show me off, like a prized pony. He told his friends how well I was doing in whatever sport I was playing at the time. I had been proud to make him proud, had been happy to make him happy. It wasn’t until I was fourteen when I started to see things differently.
Unfortunately, I didn’t see things for what they were until it was too late. My eyes began to open during spring break, freshman year, just two months from turning fifteen. My dad told me that he was going to take me on a business trip with him over break.
Mom’s father had owned a bunch of oil fields. Since he and gran only had Mom, they passed the business down to her, but Dad ran it all. Mom’s family had money, a lot of money. Dad hadn’t been so fortunate, he worked hard, getting scholarships for both grades and football to get into college. It had been there, at school, that he met my mom.
My gramps had been proud of Dad for working so hard, changing his circumstances the way he had, not being a pampered little asshole like so many of the kids with money. So gramps approved, and Mom and Dad were married.
So, Dad ran the company, Harper Oil after gramps retired. He wanted to take me out to some of the fields, to see the rigs and meet the men. I was to see how things were going. He told me that he was grooming me to take over someday.
I was thrilled. I’d never gone on a trip with just Dad before. We flew down and then took the helicopter out for a tour. We stayed on the yacht and went out to some of the rigs. We were on board, touring the fields for four days.
At the time, I remember thinking it strange that Dad needed three assistants on board with us. I hadn’t understood why they couldn’t work from Dallas. We had phone access after all.
It was the first night, on board the ship, just before we sat down to dinner that Dad had pulled me aside for a little man to man talk.
“Listen, Trent, you’re growing into a man now. It's time you explore that. Do you know what I’m saying?” He asked, giving me a strange look, I hadn’t understood.
“Um, sure, Dad. I guess.” I’d stammered, not wanting to appear stupid to the man I idolized.
“Men need to be men, son. No matter how much they love their wives and family back home, we weren’t made to be sedentary, and idol like women. It is important to embrace your desires, to encourage that in yourself. It will help you to be a more powerful man, to be strong in business and in life.” He’d explained. I thought seriously about what he was saying, and honestly, I hadn’t been able to grasp the weight of his meaning. I had an idea, but really, I had no clue.
Since my dad was my hero, I nodded bravely and followed as he led me into the dining room. The table was set for five, which I thought was strange, but then remembered that he’d brought staff along and thought that they were probably going to join us. If I’d only known how right, I was.
We’d sat down at the table, my father opposite me, the assistant named Amy next to him and I sat on the other side, between two women, Jaqueline, and Marianne. It was bizarre that all of his assistants were young, very attractive, dressed similarly, but looked different. Jaqueline had long dark hair, olive skin, and dark brown eyes. Amy was a small blonde with blue eyes and the biggest tits I’d ever seen, and Marianne was a redhead with green eyes and freckles. It was like he’d gone out and selected them purposely like that. Amy looked like the cheerleader, the proverbial girl next door, Jacqui looked like a voluptuous Italian bombshell and Marianne looked like she’d just come over from Scotland, her short plaid skirt adding to the look.
I wondered where Dad found them if there was some kind of catalog for hot secretaries and he’d just ordered them from there.
Once my salad was served, the young brunette server left the dining room, and I felt the napkin on my lap move slightly. I was taking a bite of my food, but when something grazed against the zipper of my khaki trousers. I jolted, shocked and unsure of what I felt.
When I looked with wide eyes over at my father, he was casually eating his salad, but Amy had scooted her chair over, much closer to him. She was completely focused on doing something under the table. It took a moment for me to realize, but when I noted the slight movement of her bicep and where her gaze was focused, I was shocked.
Though I was only fourteen, I was already very tall, over six feet and somewhat muscular. I made varsity for football and basketball my first year in high school. Thanks to all that, female attention was not new to me. I was technically still a virgin, I didn’t have to be, and frankly, I had already done pretty much everything else or had it done to me.
So, when Jacqui unzipped my pants and slipped her hand inside, my body reacted, as it would, and I’d begun the strangest night of my life. Not wanting to disappoint him, I hadn’t protested, didn’t say anything to him, about cheating on my mom, about sleeping with his secretaries or encouraging his son to do the same. Regardless of my body's reaction, it was wrong.
It had taken me a while, but after the days of father-son bonding, I began to see him in an entirely different light. Thankfully when the festivities had gotten really advanced, he retreated to his own room – with Amy of course – so I hadn’t had to see him in that light. I could only imagine him watching me and critiquing my lack of style it or something.
By the end of the trip, I had done everything, with each of the assistants my father had brought on the trip. Sometimes one on one and sometimes, not. I felt dirty and disgusting after that week. Unable or unwilling to say no, but knowing what we were doing was so beyond wrong, I'd been changed forever.
I started to see the real man, behind the image he portrayed. He wanted the high life. To be top dog, to do whatever and whomever he pleased, whenever he pleased. Unfortunately, he was just an asshole.
That experience opened my ey
es to something else too, though. I finally opened my eyes to see my mother. She had been docile, amiable - always, but she had begun to draw into herself more and more as the months progressed. A couple of times, I saw a red mark or a bruise on her. She always had a ready excuse, but I began to wonder if my father was marking her if he was hitting her.
I grew quickly and steadily through high school and by the time my junior year rolled around, I was taller than my father by at least two inches. A few times he tried to be domineering toward my mother and even once toward my sister, but I got in the middle of it quickly, diffusing the situation and he’d backed right down.
For some reason, it was important to him, that I respect him. He wanted me to like him and to look up to him. Of course, I didn’t, not anymore. I hadn’t let him know my true feelings. That had been the only thing I had to hold over his head, my approval.
Late, one Friday night, I pulled up in front of our ridiculously ostentatious house, turned off my mint condition sixty-nine Camaro and looked up at the mini-mansion.
I sensed that something was wrong, though I had no idea what it was. Nothing was out of place, of course, my father wouldn’t allow that. It was quiet, which it should have been, it was almost two in the morning. There was an ominous feeling in the air, I couldn't put my finger on it, but something unsettled me.
I had been planning to stay over at a buddy’s house since it would be late and I’d probably be buzzed. The football game had been about forty miles away, so by the time we got back, and the party started, I already felt off. I couldn’t get the feeling out of my mind, so even after my girlfriend tried to get me to take a walk with her, I explained and cut out.
Opening the front door, I moved quietly. I slipped off my shoes, so I didn’t wake anyone if they were asleep and to keep anyone from knowing I was there. I heard it, something, a breath. I didn’t know what it was, but I heard something, just a whisper in the air. I walked toward the family room at the back of the house, where I stopped in stunned silence. I stayed in the shadows so my father couldn’t see me, but the images before me stopped my heart.
