Sea of Seduction: A Single Dad Sports Romance

by Jennifer Evans

  My cock throbbed almost painfully, bulging underneath her tongue as her hands and wet mouth worked. The intensity built fast as my legs tensed and I fucked her mouth. “You like it, Coco? Does it turn you on to feel my cock in your mouth? Right here where you work?” She gazed up at me and nodded. I ejaculated with an orgasm that flooded her sweet mouth with thick hot spurts of cum. She swallowed me whole, and when she removed my cock, it jerked and spasmed, a few shots of cum spraying her face, some of it hitting her lips where she licked up my creamy liquid with a smile. “Welcome home, baby.”

  I lifted her to her feet and ground into her with a deep, passionate kiss.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Dominick

  We walked to Lola’s school under a bright California sun. Coco’s hand was warm in mine as we strolled down the street and I took in this woman who had captured my heart. She was confident, she loved her business, she believed in the goodness of her community and she was hotter than hell in the sack.

  When we neared the school, there was the usual mass stampede of kids bolting out of the exits.

  Coco gripped my hand. “We missed the bell.” She frowned. “I hated it when my mom was late picking me up from school.”

  “We’re only a few minutes late.”

  “If I wasn’t having my way with you we would’ve been on time.”

  “Lola’s used to taking care of herself. If I’m with a client, she walks home.”

  We walked a few paces, and that’s when I saw a group of students gathered around what appeared to be two children in a major fistfight. A blur of hair and dirt flew around the kids who were tumbling and tackling each other in the grass.

  “Put him in a headlock!”

  “Punch him again!”

  The crowd reached a crescendo, a fever pitch of screams, hoots and excitement. It reminded me of a scene from Lord of the Flies.

  I struggled to see what was happening but the thick crowd of jeering children made it impossible.

  And that’s when Coco gripped my arm so hard that she nearly drew blood. “Oh, my god. That’s Lola!”

  “What?” Everything happened fast. The crowd parted slightly, and I saw Lola’s long blond hair whip around her body as she whaled on some poor kid. And not just any kid. Lola was beating up a boy. “Son of a bitch!” I broke into a sprint and Coco and I bolted through the chain link gate.

  “Lola! Stop!” Her face was red, sweat dripped off her forehead and her hair hung in her face as she straddled a dark-haired boy who covered his face with his hands. What the fuck? A flush of adrenaline raced through my body as I gripped her shoulders and pulled her off of the poor kid. “Lola! What the hell are you doing?”

  She swung wildly. “He made fun of us again.” I grabbed her tightly to me, but Lola was stronger than I thought. “Let me go. I’m gonna kill him.” She somehow slithered out of my grasp and drew her fist back as the kid covered his face with his hands again.

  Coco ran to the boy’s side and crouched down, stretching her hands in front of her face. “Lola, no!”

  Her voice was a scream. “He’s made fun of me for the last time.”

  I grabbed her arms again and drew her to my chest. My heart raced, and I smelled the sweat on her body. “What are you doing? You can’t beat up a boy.” I looked at the fair-skinned kid who cowered on the grass, dirt covering his jeans and T-shirt.

  His lips curled into a snarl. “Go back home to your phony psychic business.”

  Lola’s voice was a howl as she broke free of me and dove on top of the boy. “Shut up!” I watched in horror as Lola’s body flew through the air and landed against the boy’s body with violence. An audible oof! erupted from the boy’s compressed lips. Lola gripped his hair as the two of them rolled around on the grass.

  The boy screamed. “Pull your kid off me!” He managed to grab a handful of Lola’s hair long enough to startle her. He jumped to his feet and glanced around wildly. “I’ll beat her up bad if you don’t make her stop. Now!”

  I grabbed my daughter. “Lola, what’s gotten into you?”

  “Leave me alone!” She struggled out of my grip and drew her fist back. Before he had a chance to protect himself, she swung and punched the poor kid right in the jaw. I heard the most terrible crunching sound as blood spurted.

  The boy’s hands flew to his face. “Son of a … make her stop.” His head swiveled left and right, gurgling sounds erupting from his mouth. “Make her stop and go back to your loony business.”

  I pulled Lola away from the boy, but she struggled mightily. “Don’t you dare make fun of me!” Lola fought my grip, her body flailing. She felt slippery, like a greased pig. She slid out of my grasp and hurled herself on top of the boy again, straddling him.

  Coco yelled, “Leave him alone! Let him up!” But Lola went for the boy, attempting a headlock I’d taught her.

  I raced to their sides, my heart pounding. “Lola! Let him up!” Luckily Lola hadn’t mastered a headlock yet. I grabbed her shoulders as the boy slithered free long enough for me to pull Lola away. I gazed into her wild brown eyes. “You’re going to kill him.” Her breathing came in short gasps. “Who told you to beat up a boy?” She tried to escape my grasp but unfortunately for Lola, I was stronger. I gripped tightly of her muscles that felt like a prizefighter’s.

  Her breathing was erratic, short gasps of wheezing breaths. Finally, some of the fight left her, and she gazed at me. Her voice dropped. “You did, Daddy. You told me next time Justice pushed me, I could hit him.”

  The boy’s voice was shaky. “Why’d she have to hit me so hard?”

  I stared at the boy and then at Lola. Coco’s mouth hung slightly open. The crowd had given us a wide berth. Where were the teachers? Everyone looked at me. “This is Justice?”

  Justice held his hand to his jaw. His breathing came so fast it sounded like he’d just ran the fifty-yard dash. “Lucky I’m tough. She coulda killed somebody else.” He hitched his jeans up and his finger pointed to his chest. “Not me.” The three of us stared at Justice. His dark hair was mussed, his fair skin covered with dirt, but his lightly freckled face held an expression of amusement.

  And then Justice slapped his thigh and dissolved in laughter. We stared at him for long moments. Then he looked me in the eye. “That kid of yours is tough.”

  The whole thing was so grimly comical that I nearly burst into laughter myself. Instead, I stepped forward, placed my hand on his shoulder and asked, “Are you okay?”

  Coco leaned over Justice. A slight trickle of blood seeped out of the corner of his mouth. “You’re hurt.”

  “I’m okay.” He rubbed his jaw.

  My hands had clenched into fists and I forced them to relax. When I was Lola’s age, I’d had many schoolyard scuffles. I remembered what it felt like to be both on the receiving end of bullies and the one who beat the hell out of them.

  I kneeled down between Lola and Justice. “Lola never told me it was a boy who was bothering her.”

  “Yeah, well that daughter of yours can’t take a joke. So what if me and my friend’s like to have fun? We didn’t mean nothing by it.”

  Lola advanced on Justice again and shoved him in the chest. “Don’t ever make fun of my family again.”

  “Hey! Don’t touch me.” His full lips pursed in anger. “Your daddy’s here now. He’ll protect you.” His hands curled into fists. “So I don’t have to hurt you.”

  Lola screamed, “I can take you and all your friends with one hand tied behind my back.”

  I reached out and pinned Lola’s arms to her side. “No, Lola, you’re not taking anybody on today.” I gazed at her and my breathing finally slowed. “Why didn’t you tell me Justice was a boy?” I scanned her body for injuries. She was fine. The boy hadn’t taken a swing at my Lola.

  She stared at the ground, her long hair hanging in her face. “You didn’t ask, Papai.”

  One of the teachers, a hatchet-faced woman, sprinted toward us so fast that I thought her dress would
catch fire. “What’s going on here?” Her head whipped around wildly as the crowd gave her room. “Oh my Lord, he’s hurt. This comes under the heading of grounds for suspension. Who’s in charge here?” She grabbed my arm so hard I winced. “Are you a parent?”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m Mr. Cortes. Lola’s father.”

  She squeezed her eyes shut tightly, and when she opened them, they were ice chips. “We do not permit fighting. This is a zero tolerance school.”

  Justice’s gaze flicked to the teacher and back to Lola. He seemed to smirk as he stared at Lola for long seconds and something sparkled in his eyes. He looked over his shoulder. A woman stood next to a dark sedan and waved to Justice. “Oh shit.” He covered his mouth. “I mean shoot. There’s my mom. I gotta go.”

  “You watch your mouth young man,” the teacher said. “I’ve seen everything I need to see. Saw it all from my office.” She placed her hands on her hips and planted her feet firmly in the ground. “You’re just lucky I was in the middle of a parent teacher conference. Christ almighty, what’s this world coming to?” She jabbed a finger at me. “Your daughter better get used to one long week of suspension. And another week of scrubbing down the girls’ bathroom tile. With a toothbrush.”

  “Can I be excused?” Justice said.

  “Get out of here before this young lady kills you,” she said.

  He picked up his backpack, slung it over his arm and broke into a trot. “See ya tomorrow, Lola.” He slowed to a walk, glanced over his shoulder once and shrugged.

  Coco’s hands brushed over Lola’s body inspecting every inch for cuts or bruises. “Are you okay? You’re not hurt, are you? Oh, my god, you could’ve been killed.”

  Lola smoothed a hand through her hair and gave a crooked smile. “I’m okay. Justice wasn’t being nice.”

  I grasped Lola’s shoulder and forced her to look at me. “Jesus Cristo, Lola.” I shook my head. I stood up and forced Lola into a hug. My voice was low. “My daughter’s got one heck of a right hook. Just don’t use it on Justice anymore, okay?”

  She gazed up at me. “Okay, Papai.”

  The teacher crooked a finger at me. “You and your daughter come with me.” She turned on her heel, and we followed to her office where Hatchet Face suspended Lola for a week.

  * * *

  The following day, I had finished up with my appointments. My mother, Lola and Coco stood in the kitchen hovering over a pot of mom’s famous caldo verde. Coco especially enjoyed this soup because it contained vegetarian favorites: kale, onions, potatoes, garlic and olive oil. Coco wasn’t hip on all the meaty dishes my mother prepared, but she did her best to consume at least a few bites of the smoked pork sausages typically served with the soup.

  A knock rattled the door as I was carefully storing my tarot cards into their sacred case and preparing them for a full moon healing ceremony.

  When I opened the door, Justice was standing there. A crooked grin was plastered on his face, and he held a single rose in one hand and a bundle of surf wax in the other. He gave me the wax. “These are for you.”

  I stared at the young boy for a few minutes. He reminded me so much of what I was like at that age: shy but with a brimming curiosity about the world around him. “Thanks. Surfers can always use more wax.”

  He craned his head and asked, “Is Lola here?”

  I made a grand sweeping gesture with my hand. “Come on in.” I cupped my hands around my mouth. “Lola! You’ve got company.”

  She skipped out of the kitchen. When she saw Justice, she stopped and rubbed her hands on her shirt and then smoothed her hair. “Oh! Hey. What’s up?” Her voice was a squeak.

  Justice took one step forward and handed Lola the rose. “For you.”

  Lola accepted the flower and the two of them stared at each other for long seconds. I cleared my throat and was saved from speaking as my mother and Coco entered the room.

  “Lola, you didn’t tell me to expect company. But you know we always set an extra place for everyone.” The quiet in the room was deafening and as usual, I could trust my mother to break the ice. She peered at Justice. “Well, are you going to introduce me, Lola, or not?”

  Lola broke her hypnotic gaze on Justice. “Yes! Of course. Grandma, this is Justice.”

  Mom pulled Justice into a great big hug. When she let go, she placed her hands on hips and gave him the once over. “I heard all about what happened yesterday. Are you okay?” She cocked her head. “Look at you. All bruised. Santa Maria, what’s the matter with Lola?” She thumped Lola lightly on the back of the head. “Lola needs to act more like a lady.” She muttered curse words under her breath. “Beating up a poor kid who can’t fight back. It looks like your mamae taught you right. Not like some parents.” She wagged her finger at Justice. “You’d never hit a girl.”

  Lola said, “Grandma, dad didn’t know it was a boy who was bothering me.”

  Mom threw her hands up in the air. “So, it’s okay to beat up somebody if they’re the same sex as you? When are you kids going to learn?”

  I stifled a laugh. I’d seen my parents in a few knockdown drag outs of their own. Once my mother had thrown a vase at my father during one of their arguments. He’d ducked just in time and the vase shattered against a wall. Afterward, my mother had cleaned up the mess and prepared my father’s favorite dinner, lit candles muito romântico and apologetic. She’d kissed his cheek, told him she was sorry, sat on his lap and filled his wine glass. My parents never let any arguments stand in the way of their love. I blushed thinking of the sound of the bed creaking in their room that night.

  Justice gazed at Lola. “Too bad you got suspended. School ain’t the same without you.”

  Lola’s face flushed pink. “It’s okay. I was a jerk.”

  “I think we owe you a dinner,” Coco said. She smiled broadly at Justice. “Can you stay?”

  He shrugged. “Sure. My mom don’t care as long as I’m home by seven to eat with her.” He smiled at Lola. “I’ll get to eat two dinners.

  Coco turned to my mom. “Cecilia, you sure it’s okay?”

  My mother headed for the kitchen. “I’ll cook up a few more sausages.” She pivoted midstride, came back and withdrew the flower from Lola’s grip. “I’ll put this in water.” She disappeared into the kitchen.

  Lola’s face turned crimson. “So, um, hey, Justice, you want to check out my dad’s surfboards?”

  He grinned and slapped her five. “What’re we waiting for?”

  Lola, Justice, Coco and I trooped to the garage where Justice took a few whacks at my punching bag.

  “Justice, do you surf?” I asked.

  “Heck freaking yeah.” His face became animated, and he stopped the punching bag mid swing. “Lola said you’re gonna surf Cortes Bank.” He bounced over to one of my big wave guns and stroked the deck of the board. “You taking this baby to the Banks?”

  I moved to his side. “Probably.”

  Justice said, “Can I go?”

  Coco gave Justice a nervous smile. “I think that’s something your mom wouldn’t be too happy about.”

  Lola said, “Justice is a great surfer. One of these days he’ll be out there. If he wants to.”

  Lola and Justice gazed at each other for long seconds. Finally, Justice turned to me and said, “Hey, I’m sorry for making fun of you guys.” He rolled his eyes. “You know, about the business and all. It’s just that the guys at school, well, you know how it is. They act all tough and everything.” He raised his palms. “They kind of make it so a guy has to say things he doesn’t mean.” He looked down and shuffled his feet. “You know if they want to be cool and all.”

  “It’s okay man.” I punched him softly on the shoulder. I knew all about peer pressure.

  Coco pulled Justice to her breast, her arms around the young boy. “Oh, honey. You don’t need to do what those kids say.”

  His face reddened, and he politely extricated himself from Coco’s grasp. I said, “It’s cool. I get it.” I clapped my
hands. “So, when do you want to surf?”

  Justice’s face lit up with youthful excitement. “Seriously? Will you teach me those aerials? That’d be freaking killer.”

  I liked this kid. He had an eagerness about him, a naiveté that reminded me there was still hope in the world. I ruffled his hair and told him I would.

  My mother appeared at the garage door, wiping her hands on her apron. “Are you going to leave me in here to eat all this food myself? And then when I finish I can die of loneliness?”

  We all burst into laughter and headed into the house where we feasted on my mother’s Brazilian cooking followed by Coco’s dessert concoction: carob balls rolled in organic Coconut flakes.

  After dinner, as I helped my mother with the dishes, she said, “What’s going on with you and Coco?” She wiped a plate and handed it to me. “Are you going to make her an honest woman? Maybe give Lola a mother?”

  “Mom, we’ve only been dating a few months.” I had no interest in going into details of my love life with my mother.

  She swatted me with the dishtowel. “When are you going to settle down? Maybe give me more grandbabies?”

  I laughed a nervous laugh. “Coco can’t—”

  “She can’t what? Marry a good man with a nice family?” She threw her hands up in the air. “I suppose you’re going to tell me her career is more important? What’s the matter with these American women? All they think about is money and being like a man.” She softened. “But Coco’s not like that. I like her, Dominick. I’ve seen the way she looks at you.” Her rheumy gaze locked with mine. “You know, love doesn’t come around that often.” She performed the sign of the cross. “If your daddy was still here you know what I’d do? I would grab him by the arm and drag him into the bedroom right this second.”

  “Mom!” I busied myself with drying another plate. “I don’t need to hear that.”

  She grabbed my arm and forced me to look at her. “Be good to that woman. You need to settle down, meu filho.”