by Laney Smith
While Nathan ate his dinner, Ryan called Frannie to tell her he would be later than he expected he would be for dinner. His mother was understanding and decided to take Ryan up on his offer some other night. She insisted on reheating leftovers from the night before.
“I’ll explain this later, Mom. I’m really sorry.”
“Ryan, don’t apologize. It’s the thought that counts. We appreciate it. We’ll go out another night.”
“Thanks, Mom. I really do love you guys.”
“We love you, too,” she said with a smile in her voice.
Ryan disconnected the call and focused his attention on Nathan. He kept his little friend company, laughing and joking with him while he enjoyed his dinner. Just as Nathan was finishing, Corlay came through the door, slamming it behind her. Ryan stood, ready to fight whatever had come tearing into the house. When he saw a woman standing in front of him, eye make-up smeared across her face and hate raging in her eyes, he shook his head, stunned and confused.
“Hi, Mom!” Nathan called from behind him. “We got you stuff.”
“I saw that in the pictures,” she said as she glared at Ryan.
“So, you’re Corlay? It’s nice to meet you,” he said as he offered his hand.
She ignored his outstretched hand. “You’re such an asshole,” she muttered. “Thanks for the guilt trip.”
“You’re welcome,” Ryan said with a smirk. “Glad you could make it. You might want to microwave your dinner. It’s probably cold by now.”
Keeping their voices low so Nathan wouldn’t hear them, the two argued.
“I didn’t ask you to do that.”
“I understand that. You told us you would be here between five-fifteen and five-thirty. It’s an hour later.”
“I probably just got fired, thanks to you.”
“Good. I’m glad. Nathan just ate dinner with a ghostie.”
“I don’t care how much money you throw around. That doesn’t give you the right to treat me like this.”
“Are you really that delusional? This isn’t about money. This is about a little boy that never has the first idea when his mother will be here for him. He calls me when he has nightmares. I’ve known him for days. Not months. Not years. Days, and already, he clings to me for security. What job are you doing? Because it’s sure not being a mom.”
“Get the fuck out of my house.”
“Not a problem. It’s not big enough for us both, anyway.”
Ryan turned and started for the door.
“Permanently, Ryan. I don’t want my son learning how to be spiteful like you.”
Ryan stopped in his tracks and dropped his jaw in disbelief. “Are you really that damn proud? Does being right really mean that much to you?”
“You’re a hot head.”
“You know better than that. You’re trying to comfort yourself. He picked that stuff out for you, all by himself. I tore the damn vegetable section apart, trying to figure out what kind of radishes you eat. You do not eat radishes. You eat ravioli. You know what? I’m not here for you. I’m here for Nathan. If you don’t want me here, you can call the cops and have them remove me. Because until you figure this out, I’m coming to keep an eye on him. Like I told you before, he’s too young to be left alone. He can’t even see out of my car window when he’s sitting, buckled in the seatbelt. You’re out of your mind.”
“You don’t understand.”
Ryan scoffed and shook his head. “You’re damn right, I don’t. You’re not going to make me understand. Go act like you enjoy that cold dinner, because with all of that spite I have rushing through me, I tried to teach your son how to treat his mother to a nice dinner. You’re right, Corlay. I’m such an asshole.”
Ryan rolled his eyes, turned around, and stormed out of the house. He was furious. He threw his body down into his car seat and slammed the door. At some point during the flurry of anger, Scottie texted her address. She listed a couple of movies and the start times for each. Ryan let his head fall back against the headrest as he sank deeper into his seat. His initial thoughts were to cancel. He wasn’t in the mood to encourage something he wasn’t sure he wanted. Then, he decided that maybe a little stress relief would do him some good. After all, he was supposed to be an “asshole.” So be it.
~THIRTEEN~
After Ryan decided he would go through with his plans with Scottie, he sat tall in his seat and drove away from Nathan’s house. He stopped by his parent’s house, since he had a little time to kill. He explained the situation with Nathan and Corlay to his parents. He explained what kept him from making their dinner date. Though his mother was proud of her son for graciously helping the child, she couldn’t help but play devil’s advocate for Corlay.
“What if those extra hours are how she is able to put food on the table? Would you want the little boy to go hungry? Or to go without water? You don’t understand because you had a talent that earned you a lot of money. Not everyone has that luxury.”
“So, you’re saying I’m an asshole?” Ryan asked with a hint of hurt in his tone.
Frannie narrowed her eyes. “No. I’m saying maybe you’re missing a lot of information to be passing judgment the way you are. Either help them, or don’t, but don’t dictate conditions in order for you to help them.”
“OK! Well, like I told her, I’m not there for her. I’m there for Nathan. So, I don’t care what she does. If Nathan needs me, I’ll be there.”
“You could try to be patient with that woman until you know all the details. How would you feel if she lost her job because of you?”
Ryan sighed. “Right now, I’d be perfectly happy with that. Nathan needs his mom.”
“You’re stubborn, Ryan. You get that from your daddy. See it from her side with your heart, son. The head has no compassion.”
Ryan looked at his watch and rolled his eyes. “Alright. I need to go get ready. I’m taking that realtor to the movies.”
“Oh, I think the world of her. Scottie is just as sweet as she can be. I don’t imagine it pains you to look at her, either, huh?”
Ryan pressed his lips together, still too irritable to smile with sincerity. “She’s alright.”
“You should shave your face.”
“That’s what Nathan told me, too,” he smiled, again. This time, the smile was sincere.
After he finished getting ready for his time with Scottie, Ryan sent a text, telling Scottie that he was on his way. He punched her address into his GPS and he pulled away from his parent’s home. By the time he reached Scottie’s house, Ryan had worked himself up, prepared to give that woman everything she wanted from him.
His GPS guided him to a beautiful red brick house in a perfectly maintained neighborhood. He walked up the stone walkway and through a brick archway with a wrought iron gate. He rang the doorbell and patiently waited for her to open the door. As soon as the dark wood, beveled glass portal opened, Ryan stared into the blue eyes residing under the dark, perfectly curled hair. She wore a simple, green and blue striped tank dress with sparkly low heeled sandals. Everything about her look dripped sex appeal. The scent of her perfume washed over him. It was as though a spark had ignited gasoline.
He stepped inside the door, sliding his arm around her waist as he kicked the door shut behind him. He pressed her against the wall, converting his anger into passion as his tongue forged past her lips. The soft moan that escaped from her encouraged him. He reached down, gripping her bottom with both hands. He pulled her body to his as he pressed his erection against her. He broke the kiss and put his forehead to hers.
“I’d be lying if I told you I’m looking forward to sitting in the dark, thinking about the things I’m thinking and not being able to do any of them.”
“You just want to get laid?” she asked with a flirty smile.
“Fuck yeah,” he softly growled as he pressed his mouth to hers, again.
As his mouth trailed over her neck, and his hands massaged her breasts, Scottie cradled his head i
n her arms. “I’m going to let you get all stirred up and then I’m going to call you off, like you did to me earlier.”
“Too late,” he whispered in her ear. He gently bit her earlobe.
Scottie’s breath quickened and it felt as though there was a twisting cable in her lower abdomen running straight to her womanhood. The sound of his panting breath, the smell of his cologne, the warmth of his busy hands and the determined, cocky confidence he displayed rendered her defenseless. She decided to play by his rules this time. She decided to let herself enjoy this moment and save her retaliation for another time.
As things heated up between the pair, Ryan heard his phone ringing from his pocket. He broke the lip lock and stared into Scottie’s eyes with a blank expression. He unfastened his jeans and let them fall to the floor before he kicked them away. Scottie hummed her approval and his lips moved over her bare shoulder.
“I want you in my bed,” she whispered.
Ryan lifted his head and smiled a dimply, seductive grin. He narrowed his eyes and nodded his head. “Let’s go.”
He bent down and looped his finger in the belt loop of his jeans as Scottie held his hand, pulling him toward her bedroom. When they cleared her bedroom door, Ryan jerked his head back and let out a chuckle as he stared at the oversized canopy bed in front of him. The four posts were more like elegant greyed oak pillars. The rails around the top were a matte finish, silver scrolled metal of some sort. Though the metal scrolls had the matte finish, there was a shimmer to them – a pearly shimmer.
“I was worried about breaking your bed,” he said with a cocky smirk. “I’m just not sure I’m that much man.”
Scottie bit her lip as she slid her hands under the edge of his shirt. “You’re more than welcome to try.”
He stared down into her face, an ornery grin widening his lips. “Oh, I’m definitely going to try.”
Scottie raised his shirt over his head, leaving him standing in his boxers.
She drew air deep into her lungs and exhaled as she breathed the words, “Oh, Jesus.”
Ryan smiled as he stepped closer to her, tenderly coaching her, “Come here, pretty baby.”
He pulled her closer to him. He walked his fingers up her back, tangling his hands in her hair, tugging her head back. He clenched his jaw as a throaty hum filtered from behind his lips.
“Mmm . . .”
“Everything you do turns me on like nothing I’ve ever known,” Scottie confessed, surrendering to his touch.
She swallowed hard as her heart raced. The look in his eyes sent rippling waves of lust to the only part of her body she could feel. He lowered his mouth to hers, stalling just before his lips pressed to hers. Scottie’s mouth chased his as he playfully hovered just beyond her reach. His eyes locked on hers as he quickly lowered his head, sweeping his tongue through her mouth and sucking on her lips before his tongue plunged in again. This time, his eyes slowly closed as the kiss deepened and he breathed her in. He released her hair and tugged at her dress.
Once he had her exactly as he needed her, he tossed her onto the mattress as though she weighed no more than a baseball. He reached into his jeans and retrieved a condom. Scottie scooted closer toward him, opening and clamping her fingers like a clamshell, wanting to take the condom from him.
Her tongue traced the etched, muscular definition of his abs as she wrapped her hand around his erection and began stroking him. She placed soft kisses along his manhood. One taste led to another, and that taste led to, yet, another. Within a short period of time, Ryan was thrusting his hips, driving himself in and out of Scottie’s soft, warm mouth. His hands massaged her head as she pleasured him. His breath was heavy and shallow as he pumped his hips. He abruptly stopped and pulled himself away from her with a nervous chuckle.
“Time out,” he asserted.
“Cum for me. I’ll get you ready to go again,” she promised.
Ryan tilted his head, and flashed her a sarcastic smirk. “It’s nothing to do with that.”
“Then, have fun with me.”
“I am,” he smiled. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
Taking the condom from her, he tore the package open. He rolled the membrane over his erection. He took her hands in his, using his body to push her back on the mattress. A cocky grin spread his lips as he wedged himself between her legs. He stood up, leaving her lying back. His eyes scanned her body before he zeroed in on her gaze, again.
Ryan’s hands massaged and pulled at the flesh on her legs as she moved her body, a non-verbal plea for him satisfy her. The more he avoided her womanhood, the more she hungered for him there. He slid his hands up the sides of her body, the friction, raising every nerve to the surface of her skin. As his hands slid back down toward her hips, the tip of his erection teased her.
“I want you,” she said with desperation in her voice.
Ryan slid his hands back up her ribs and down again. This time, when he reached her hips, he pulled her body into him as he thrust into her. Her back arched and she drew a deep breath and held it, enjoying the sensation of finally feeling him inside her. She exhaled, attempting to move her body against him.
With a feather soft touch, Ryan’s fingertips traced her hips from the sides to the front, causing her to squirm from the erotic caress. He slowly drew his hips back and thrust them forward again. As he slowly backed out, he rotated his hips in a circular motion, before he pressed into her again.
Scottie clawed at his abdomen with one hand, the other clenching the sheets on the bed. Knowing where he was about to take her, Ryan leaned forward, cupping her breasts in his hands. He squeezed her nipples between his fingers, pinching tighter as she responded to him. Before he unleashed on her, he lowered his head, nipping and sucking on each nipple, teasing them with his tongue. The soft moans coming from beneath him pleased him. The fact that she had been lifting her hips up and down for five minutes told him it was time.
Scottie saw the devious smile on his face as he winked at her. He drew his hips back and this time, he rapidly pumped them hard and fast. Scottie’s hands were gripping anything she could grasp – his body, the pillows, the sheets, the edge of the bed. The throaty growl sounds Ryan made only added even more to the primal rawness. His quickened breath rushing in and out through his clenched teeth swept her away to some entirely different animalistic, wild, ravenous, sexual experience. As he got closer to his own orgasm, the noises he made mixed with the sensations he created for her sent her body erupting and riding waves of pleasure. She wrapped her legs around, him, squeezing him, trying to take him in deeper. Ryan lifted her off the mattress, holding her body to his with one arm, hovering them both off the bed with the other, pulling her into him as he thrust into her a few more times. He held his breath as his release finished, before finally exhaling and dropping his head. He let out a playful, exaggerated groan.
Scottie laughed as he carefully lowered them
both back down on the bed. “Was it good for you?” she flirted.
“I have a cramp in my foot, so I think so.”
“I can’t feel any other part of my body.”
Ryan chuckled as he lifted his body off hers and reclaimed his anatomy. He
fell to the bed beside her.
“Are you going to stay here with me?” Scottie asked as she snuggled to him, resting her head on his shoulder.
“I wanted to take to you to the movies. I really did,” he sighed. “Then, I started thinking about what we were doing the last time we were together. It was more than I could stand.”
“I’m not complaining.”
He put his palm on his forehead. “I really am an asshole.”
“Maybe. I wouldn’t know. But, if so, you’re a sexy asshole, and you’re so good in bed.”
He smiled. “Yeah? So are you,” he muttered as he moved to softly kiss her.
“We can do this anytime you want.”
“Hey,” he said as he turned his head to look at her, “I really need a house. I know
you told me to find another realtor . . .”
“I was just mad,” she interrupted. “What’s with that kid? Is he yours or something?”
“No,” Ryan answered with reservation.
“Then, what’s with that little brat?” she giggled.
“He’s not a brat,” Ryan defended. “He’s a good kid and he’s got a bad situation. He needs a friend, you know, somebody with some sort of stability.”
“So, does it have to be you? Why should you be stuck taking care of a kid you didn’t father?”
Ryan pulled his arm out from under her and raised up on his elbow as he looked down at her.
“He’s like the little brother I never had, I guess. I don’t know what it is, really. But, it bugs me that it bothers you. I’m not really a kid person, either. This kid, though . . . I don’t know. Maybe we shouldn’t talk about him. I feel myself getting mad,” Ryan said as he lowered his head and kissed her. “. . . and frustrated . . .” he kissed her again. “. . . mean . . . and nasty.” He nuzzled her neck, prompting her to giggle as he playfully bit at her shoulder.
“Mmm . . . Let’s do it again,” Scottie purred, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his body onto hers.
~FOURTEEN~
The next morning, Ryan woke to the blinding vanity light from the dressing area just off Scottie’s master bath. He sat up to look toward the garish beam. It didn’t matter that the beautiful woman looked like a centerfold getting ready to do a boudoir photo shoot. The light was too obnoxious for Ryan to feel anything other than annoyance. He fell back onto the mattress and covered his head with a pillow.
“Good morning,” Scottie’s voice sang.
A grumble returned from under the pillow.
“I have to meet a client in an hour and a half.”
Ryan lifted the pillow off his head. “Tell me five minutes before you have to leave.” Again, he covered his face with the pillow.
