by L. D. Davis
My dad was going bald, but was still a good looking man. He stayed in shape after retiring from the military. He was bulky, but not fat. He also had few wrinkles and no saggy skin. He looked twenty years younger than his seventy years. Women of all ages flirted with him.
For the gala, my mom wore a white gown by Dior and had her hair swept up in an elegant bun. I spent significantly less money on my dress, a long blue gown that fluttered when I walked. I wore a simple diamond pendant with matching earrings. My money well spent was on my Minola Blahnik shoes. Heaven on my feet.
My mother wrinkled her nose when she saw me, and the whole way into the city she wouldn't shut up about how I wouldn't let her buy me a different gown and that I should have went to her hair dresser and why didn't I wear pearls instead of the diamonds.
"Can you stop?" I slapped my hand on my lap and glared at her from the backseat. "I'm really tired of hearing you. Don't you ever get tired of berating me?"
She turned in her seat to look at me, all shocked and surprised.
"I'm not berating you. I just -"
"Samantha," my dad said firmly. "Leave her alone."
"But - "
"It's over." He said with such finality that she turned back around in her seat.
By the time we got to the gala, I was so wound up, I couldn't think straight. As soon as I could get away from my mother, I did. I found the bar quickly and was already on my fourth drink when Kyle found me. I drank them pretty fast and on a mostly empty stomach. It took everything I had to keep my composure and not look as tipsy as I felt.
"You look amazing," Kyle said, letting his eyes travel over my body.
"Thank you." I smiled. "My mother doesn't think so, but at least someone does. Where's your date?"
"She's running late. She'll be here soon, by the time dinner is served." As if it were natural, he put his hand on the small of my back and lead me away from the bar. He then held out his elbow expectantly and I took it, looping my arm through his.
We walked through the reception area for the rest of the cocktail hour, greeting people we knew and introducing ourselves to those we didn't. Kyle was a freakin' social butterflying master. He remembered names without my help and spoke to others in a way that always made them feel flattered. Whenever we would move on, he would put his hand on my back.
"I love this dress," he whispered to me.
My back was fully exposed in my dress. What he was loving was touching my bare skin, the curve of my back.
Jessyca arrived just as they started seating for dinner. I hastily released Kyle's arm and made my way inside with the rest of the crowd.
Galas sound like a lot of fun, but once someone gets on stage and starts talking, you can find yourself all dressed up and bored to tears. The food is always good and most of the time the entertainment is good, too. This year's entertainment was a cover band covering a number of songs from Frank Sinatra to Green Day. There were a lot of younger people this year, so the dance floor stayed busy with bodies. I loved to dance at any event, so I took to the dance floor with or without a partner. One of my frequent partners happened to be an up and coming film star. He was hella cute, but when he offered to take me back to his hotel room, I politely declined and went back to my table.
Kyle didn't really need my help all night, so I was free to roam and socialize and dance and drink to my heart's content. When he wasn't with Jessyca, he would follow me around. When he was with her, he would watch me as much as he dared from afar.
During dinner, whenever Jess wasn't paying attention, he would try to talk to me about something mundane. At one point he started talking to me about olives. I must have looked at him as if he were nuts because he stopped talking about it in mid-sentence, sighed and then stared at his glass.
Kyle's mother sat on the other side of me. I was nervous about it, because despite what Kyle had said about her, I still had the impression that she was a little snobby and cold. However, I noticed her husband barely spoke to her and even Kyle tended to forget she was there. Jess was so fake to her, it was obvious and so shameful. She rarely left the table to go socialize or anything. I really believed she didn't want to be there. Maybe she was Walter Sterling's eye candy.
I was getting bored, sitting at the table watching everyone else. Kyle and Jess were across the room talking to some people I knew, but didn't care for. I wanted to stay as far away from my mother as possible, and she was surrounded by a large group of women, and admiring men, as usual. I made my way over to the bar and started taking some shots. After my fourth one, I looked up and found Jess squeezed in next to me, ordering a cosmopolitan.
"Well, you do look like you're enjoying yourself," she said with her fake smile.
I hated talking to Jess, for obvious reasons, but also because she always talked to me as if she was some kind of princess and I was a lowly servant, even though we both came from wealthy families. I didn't know what her problem was with me.
"Actually, I'm bored," I said, not bothering to return the smile, fake or otherwise.
"I suppose this crowd is just a little too sophisticated for some," she tapped her manicured nails on the bar.
"Gosh, maybe you're right. I may not be sophisticated enough for this crowd." I threw back another shot and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand, showing her I didn't care how unsophisticated I was.
"Your dress is very nice," she said. "It is a little too...suggestive for my tastes, but it is nice."
Jess was wearing a red Gucci dress that was flattering, but not fantastic.
"Maybe it is a little suggestive," I said, throwing money on the bar for my drinks. "Kyle really likes it."
I walked away, but not before seeing the startled expression on her face.
Take that, Bitch.
A little while later, we all ended up back at the table again. Jess kept throwing me curious looks, wondering about what I said. I probably shouldn't have said it, but it was an easy way to get back at her for being an ass.
After a long boring hour, Kyle stood up and offered me his hand.
"Let's dance," he said.
I looked at Jess and she shrugged and forced a big smile.
"Jess doesn't like to dance at these things," Kyle sighed.
"I don't like to get all sweaty and yucky, but you don't seem to mind at all." She said, with so much sweetness I was getting a toothache.
"You're right. I don't mind getting sweaty and yucky," I stood up and offered Kyle my hand.
As we walked to the dance floor I said to him "She has no idea how sweaty and yucky I've been with you before."
He tried to hide his smile, because I was clearly angry. We danced for two fast songs. When the band began to play Wonderwall by Oasis, I started to walk off the floor, but Kyle held my arm. Instead of causing even a minor scene, I reluctantly gave in. He held me as close as he dared in front of all of these people and under the watchful eyes of Jess. He had his hand on my bare back, which I knew he really liked.
I wasn't prepared for the emotions that this very slow dance to this awesome song elicited. My heart pounded so fast I would be surprised if he didn't hear it. A large lump formed in my throat and I was finding it hard to breathe. It felt like any feelings I have had for him during or after that long weekend that I had buried were coming to the surface. They sat in my chest like a bomb, threatening to explode out of me into the light for everyone to see.
Not very long ago I had hated him. Now trying to deny that I cared for him was useless. Was it love? Was it infatuation? Either way, it wasn't something that could flourish from here.
When the song ended, I turned away and left the dance floor as quickly as possible. As fast as I could, I navigated out of the ballroom. I barely made it to a stall before vomiting up all of the contents of my stomach. As I flushed the toilet, I hoped I had also thrown up all of those emotions for Kyle.
I rinsed my mouth out thoroughly for a few minutes and bummed a couple of mints from an acquaintance. When I returned to
the ballroom, I discovered my parents had deserted me. They wrongly assumed that I had wanted to stay longer. I had made some mention of staying late earlier, but I was angry that they had not checked with me before taking my car.
"I told them I would take you home," Kyle said, searching my face for what I didn't know. It was kind of annoying.
"I'll be at the bar," I grumbled, and that's where I stayed until Kyle and Jess were ready to go.
"I have a four a.m. flight to catch," Jess reminded him on our way out. "I still have to pack." She nodded in my direction. "And you have to take your assistant home."
I stretched out across the backseat while Jess took the front. For the first few minutes, she berated various guests of the gala, people I had seen her hanging out with.
"Where are you going?" Jess asked Kyle after a few minutes.
"I'm taking you home. You have to pack for your flight, you've made that clear."
"I thought you were taking her home first."
"Does that even make sense? You want me to drive across the bridge, come back across, and then back again to go home myself?"
"Well..."
"I'm exhausted, Jess. I'm taking you home first."
"Okay." She said grudgingly.
They spoke in low tones for the rest of the ride to the Main Line. If I wanted to pay attention, I could have eavesdropped on their entire conversation, but I tuned them out and stared out of the window the entire time. I felt like I was imposing on them anyway.
When we pulled into the driveway of Jess's parents' enormous home, she turned in her seat, smiled a fake smile.
"Have a nice night, Emmy. Oh," her face scrunched up. "Your hair's messed up from all of that dancing."
So is your face.
"Thanks for noticing," I gave her a fake smile also.
"Sorry. I am so used to keeping every hair in place and looking good at all times, especially for my man." She whispered the last part. As she was saying this, Kyle had got out of the car.
As he made his way around the car I smiled broadly and said "Kyle's seen me in much worse condition and didn't seem to have a problem with it at all. Quite the opposite actually. I really don't think he's that superficial." I laughed lightly.
She stared at me, started to smile but it faltered and then just faded. She wasn't sure what to make of what I just said. She didn't know whether to shrug it off as nonsense or to be worried, especially after the comment I had made earlier in the night about Kyle liking my dress.
Even after Kyle had opened her door, she stared back at me for another moment. She finally got out only because I got out first so I could take the front seat for the ride home. Jess had recovered quickly. She gave me a quick hug and told me to make sure Kyle picks her up from the airport next week. She didn't view me as any kind of real competition, not that I was even competing, I think. He was all hers, but it bothered me that she felt she was somehow above me.
"I will be out in a minute," Kyle said and closed my door. They walked inside with her arm linked tightly through his.
I waited for Kyle for almost five minutes. I didn't really mind, but I was getting pretty sleepy. I looked in the mirror at my hair. A few strands broke free of the french roll it was in, but nothing to get upset about.
"Do you want to go get some coffee and pie at the diner?" He asked as we drove away.
"I'm pretty tired and I have to take my parents to the airport in the morning." I wasn't lying, but the main reason I declined was because I was still trying to deal with the churning mass of emotions that struck me earlier.
"Em, it's only pie and coffee. Seriously."
I was feeling a little hungry considering I had puked up my dinner a couple hours before, but my mouth felt icky and I was dying to brush my teeth and rinse with some strong mouthwash.
"My mom made a cake yesterday." I had forgotten about it. She had made it especially for me. Sometimes she wasn't so horrible. "It's chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, but it has white chocolate between the three layers."
He grinned, which made me smile. Stupid mouth.
My mom was still up when we walked through the door. She was in flannel pajamas and Phineas and Ferb slippers (thanks to my nieces and nephews, she was a big fan of the cartoon). Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and she was sitting at the kitchen table painting her nails and reading Vogue. She looked like an over grown teenager.
"Your hair is looking a little bent out of shape," she said immediately, and she had barely looked up.
Kyle stepped in before I could respond and her attitude changed. She smiled at him with her beauty queen mouth.
"Thank you so much for bringing Esmeralda home safely. I hope she wasn't too much trouble." She waved her hands, trying to dry the paint on her nails.
"I'm not a toddler, Mom. He wasn't babysitting me." I struggled to get out of my coat until Kyle gently eased it off of me. "Thank you."
"I'm going to bed now that you're home. Don't stay up too late." She smiled that ridiculous smile at Kyle again and patted his arm as she left.
"I understand now why some children throw their parents away to rot in nursing homes." I said, taking my shoes off of my sore feet.
"That's a horrible thing to say." Kyle took off his tie and jacket and unbuttoned the first few buttons of his shirt.
"Yeah," I admitted. "Maybe it is."
"She did bake you this cake," he said, uncovering the cake with a flourish.
There wasn't even one slice taken. When I urged my parents to eat some, my dad reminded me he wasn't a big chocolate fan and my mom insisted that since it was made for me, I should have the first slice. I didn't feel like eating it until Kyle started talking about pie.
"I suppose I can try to be a little nicer. Sometimes." I shrugged. "Only a little though."
I excused myself and quickly brushed my teeth and rinsed. My mouth felt much better and my stomach rumbled just thinking about my mom's cake.
It was delicious. My mom was the biggest pain in the ass, but she can cook and bake better than anyone I knew. I've chosen her food over that of five star restaurants and world famous chefs. Even though she gave me ideas of suffocating her while she slept, she cooked banging meals almost every day.
I told Kyle about my mom's cooking and how she even prepared several meals for me and froze them.
"I will be here every night to help you eat it all." He said, dabbing my nose with frosting.
"Hey!" I scooped up some on my finger and slabbed it onto his cheek.
"I really want to get you back for that, but I don't want to waste good cake."
"It would be like sacrilege." I said with a mouth full of cake. I washed it down with some coffee.
We sat and talked for over an hour. It was nice because we didn't discuss work or anything sensitive. We talked about embarrassing moments, our favorite artists and old cartoons.
Like before, he helped me clean up and wash our few dishes. When I dried the last dish and turned around, Kyle put an arm on either side of me, trapping me between him and the counter. His face was only a few short inches from mine.
My heart sped up again. Stupid heart.
"Did I tell you that you look amazing tonight?" He asked, his voice just above a whisper.
"You may have mentioned it once or twice." He had mentioned it several times.
I moved my hand towards one of my stray hairs, suddenly self-conscious, but he stopped me.
"No, I like it. It's sexy."
His lips brushed mine but then he pulled back some and then did it again, but then restrained himself once more. He was having some kind of internal struggle. He gripped the counter behind me and looked down at the floor between us. I couldn't help myself. I ran my fingers through his hair. He looked at me, searching my face for permission. As an answer, I locked my hands around his neck, bringing him closer. He responded quickly, kissing me deeply and slowly.
He nibbled on my earlobe, occasionally flicking his tongue across it, dr
iving me a little crazy. When he started to kiss my neck, I got all jelly-like in the knees.
He had one hand on my back, pressing me to him. His other hand was entwined in my hair. I knew we weren't high school kids, and hickies were generally unattractive on a thirty something woman, but it felt so damn good as he nibbled and sucked on my neck. I moaned softly, in total ecstasy.
His lips found mine again, but more aggressively than before. He pulled away again and kneeled before me. While staring up into my eyes, he slowly eased my dress up over my thighs. He tugged on my panties and I stepped out of them. His fingers found me moist and willing and ready. Without much trying on his part, I had an orgasm that almost made me fall over.
I thought he would stand up then, but when I felt his tongue on me I thought I was going to lose my mind. When he finally stood up he kissed me deeply. Without taking his lips from mine, he pulled my dress up again. While he held it up, I undid his pants and reached inside. He moaned into my mouth as I stroked him.
Suddenly, he stopped kissing me, adjusted himself with one hand while holding my dress up still with the other. In one fluid movement, he put his hands under my ass, lifted me up and then entered me. I gave a short shriek and wrapped my legs and arms around him.
Even though my parents were right upstairs, I couldn't help myself. I moaned and cried out. The faster and harder he went, the louder I got. My butt was up against the counter getting bruised, but I didn't care.
He grabbed the back of my head, forcing me to kiss him. He stopped kissing me, but tilted my head back so he could kiss my neck. He suddenly groaned really deep which sent me upward toward another climax.
"I love you, I love you," Kyle groaned into my neck. I started to scream as I came and he quickly covered my mouth with his to muffle it.
After a quiet minute with no sounds but the two of us trying to catch our breaths, I untangled myself from him and he eased me back onto my feet.
I didn't know what to say or do. I stood where Kyle left me while he fixed his clothes. He had said he loved me, but that could have been just in the heat of the moment and maybe had no real meaning, but he had never said it before.
