Sliding (The Stone Series)

by Kitty Berry

  Camp is awesome; I’m playing with better players than I have ever seen before. The coaches are all amazed at how well I can handle the ball but my size is hurting me. I’m short compared to these other guys and I just don’t have the muscle mass that they have. We spend every day all day doing drills, lifting weights, running, and conditioning and then at night we play. We either go one on one or play in an actual game. By the time I get back to my room all I want to do is shower and crash.

  A bunch of the guys are always using this expression “sliding” when they’re talking about leaving and they have me hooked on it. I think I’m going to make it my catch phrase. I leave for home tomorrow to start football conditioning and I am keeping myself on the workout regimen we have been doing here every day at camp. My body has started to change a little even in just these two weeks.

  Brook has started to ask me about college and where I want to go. I know my dad is going to push me to go to UNC where he went and played basketball. I know I have a good chance to get recruited there because of my dad but I don’t want to play there because I’m his son. I want to play there because I’m that good. I don’t know if I can stand to be eight hours away from Brook for four years of my life but if her heart is set on University of Kentucky and I go to UNC that’s what will happen. Maybe I can talk her into UNC.

  Brook is due home in a week and she’s going to flip on Katrina when she gets home. Katrina has been hooking up with Steve’s brother and the word around is that things are moving very fast between them. I even thought about talking to Katrina about him but I think it’s best if Brook does it instead. I know if I talk to her I’m going to threaten to kill her if she sleeps with him. It’s funny, I feel very protective over her like she’s my sister or something and then there I am trying my hardest to get her sister to sleep with me. It makes no sense but I don’t want her to have sex with some random guy who will just be using her. The difference between me and Brook is that I am not using her; I am truly in love with her.

  I also can’t wait for Brook to get home because Bobby just told me yesterday that Asia is knocked up and having an abortion. I can’t tell Brook, I promised him I would let Asia tell her when she gets home so I just warn her that something is up with them. Bobby said he told Asia it was her decision and he would do whatever she wanted but she refused to listen to him. She said her mind was made up and she’s having an abortion. He got all pissed off at her and blamed her for forgetting to take her pill and she got mad at him about the whole thing and now they are barely speaking. I hope this turn of events doesn’t fuck up my chances with Brook now. Which it probably will because now she’s going to be too afraid to have sex thinking that she’ll get knocked up too. If that happened I don’t know what I’d do. I wouldn’t want her to have the baby but I don’t know if I could tell her to have an abortion either. Let’s hope it’s not a decision I’ll never have to make. She’s responsible, she’ll take her pill every day and I won’t have to worry about anything.

  ************

  When I arrive back from the salon I am a new woman. I have had my hair cut, colored and styled for the evening. I have had my eye brows threaded and my makeup done. I also got my legs and underarms wax. But the finishing touch was the full Brazilian to surprise Tate along with my plan of going commando tonight. Tate is already dressed and waiting for me in the sitting area.

  “You look, wow! Tate, you look very nice in that suit and tie, you’ll match me.”

  Tate is wearing a grey suit with a crisp grey shirt to match and a red tie. The pants of his suit hang off his slender hips making his shoulders appear even broader. His body is the perfect triangle; he should have been a model, clothes always fit him so perfectly.

  He smiles. “Once in that dress I can only hope to come close to matching you. Now go put it on so I can show you off to everyone” he says as he slaps my ass.

  When I come out of the bedroom Tate catches his breathe as his eyes take a sweep over my body.

  “On second thought, fuck it, let’s stay here and take that dress off very slowly. Bobby can handle the PR for the night. I want to handle you! ”

  I laugh and bat at his chest as he pulls me in for a long, slow kiss. When we part I laugh at him covered in my red lipstick then I take my thumb and start to wipe it off. Tate takes my thumb in his mouth and sucks on it causing a spontaneous reaction from my body. Maybe I should have worn panties.

  We arrive at the event fashionably late with Bobby and Kate in tow. Dominick has driven us here in the black Cadillac Escalade that Tate uses for nights like this. Tate steps out of the SUV first and as he reaches out his hand to help me out of the vehicle I can hear and see the flashes of the paparazzi. This is one aspect of our lives I will never get used to. After leaving the city and arriving here I almost forgot what it was like to battle the press. I hear them yelling our names and Tate and I give them what they want, we pose for a picture before walking into the party. Tate pulls me close and we kiss for the cameras. Little do they know, they’ve rarely caught our true affection for one another in the kisses we allow them.

  It’s good to see a few of my colleagues and one of them asks if he can steal me away from my husband for a minute to talk business.

  I whisper, “Check out my ass as I walk away, no panty lines because I’m not wearing any” into Tate’s ear as Darren leads me by the elbow to the corner of the room.

  Darren and I have worked together on a few projects over the years and I respect his work immensely. He tells me that Tate is being honored in a few months for his work in the music industry. Tate doesn’t know about the award yet but Darren was approached to choreograph a number to be performed at the award dinner and now that I am in California and have my own studio he says I should do it instead. I accept without even thinking and he tells me his assistant will call me with the details. I tell him I will be working on getting a staff together over the next few days. He lets me know that a few dancers we have worked with in the past happen to be in the area. I plan on using them and will send for my own from New York as well. I am very excited to be working again and within minutes of speaking to Darren I have my plan in place. The thought that I haven’t worked since the miscarriage briefly comes into my mind but I push it aside, I am not going to let anything ruin this for me and especially not for Tate. He has worked so hard over the years and he deserves this recognition.

  Tate comes up behind me, removes the glass of pink champagne from my hand and whispers into my ear, “That’s enough champagne for you. Your attempts to make me sport a hard on in front of the whole room has worked. I certainly hope you have a plan in mind to help rectify my little” he clears his throat “problem here.”

  “Oh, do I ever” I say as I lead Tate by the hand to the bank of elevators.

  When he sees where I am taking him he smirks, “Did you have too much to drink?” Tate asks as we step into the empty elevator.

  We stand in the elevator with our eyes locked and the anticipation is building, the air is so thick with sexual tension it couldn’t be cut with a knife. I wait until we are between the third and fourth floors before I hit the stop button. Tate uses this as his signal to pounce on me. He slams me with my back up against the mirrored elevator wall and he places his hands on either side of my head leaving his hand prints on the mirror. I pull at his tie and take his shirt out of his pants. Tate smells my neck as I tilt it to the side and he moans.

  “God, the way you smell always makes me weak.”

  I can feel his erection pressing into me as he holds me against the wall with his hips. Before I know it Tate lifts both of my hands above my head, turns me around and starts to unzip my dress. I place my hands on the mirrored wall and I feel my dress fall in a puddle at my ankles.

  “No panties, huh? You weren’t just fucking with me then?” Tate growls, his arousal getting the best of him.

  He turns me to face him and notices my Brazilian.

  “Oh, that’s fucking hot, Brook. You got a Br
azilian again. I love when you do that. It reminds me of when we were younger, when you were cheering.”

  Tate then pushes me to my knees in a silent plea for pleasure. I undo his pants and take him into my mouth. He lets out his breathe and moves my hair so he can watch me swallow him deeper and deeper. After stroking him with my lips I gently bite the head of his cock and he lifts me up from under my arms.

  “I want to fuck you right now” he says as he lifts me up and places me on his throbbing erection. He leans against the mirrored wall again using his hands to brace himself as I wrap my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.

  “We haven’t done it like this in forever. You’re going to make me come too soon” Tate says as he bites my shoulder leaving a little love mark.

  I place my hands on his shoulders and use them to push myself off, lifting him out of me and then slowly sliding back down his impressive hardness.

  “Aw fuck baby. Don’t stop. I give up, I can’t hold it. Just make me come” he says as he holds one of my ass cheeks in the palm of his hand. I pick up my pace and when I lift myself up I quickly slide down him again this time. It only takes a few times, up and out, down and back in to make him tense. His breathing accelerates, his erection gets firmer and I feel him brace himself with both hands on the wall. His head drops back as he lets out a loud moan and knowing that I just made him come like that, so fast, sends me to my happy place and I begin to constrict around him.

  We return to the party a little rumpled and red in the face but no one seems to take notice. We stay for a respectable amount of time holding hands, hugging each other before we decide to find Bobby and Kate and head back to the hotel. After the session in the elevator you would think we’d sleep like babies but we both spend the night tossing and turning. We are both very anxious about the therapist appointments we have tomorrow.

  Tate has his appointment first thing in the morning but mine is not until noon so when Tate leaves to head to his appointment I head to my studio. I call my assistant in New York and ask her if she has any interest in coming to California for a few months. I explain the project and ask her to make some calls for me and send me some of my contacts, music and files. Heidi calls me back within an hour and agrees to come to California in a few days and she will be bringing some of our dancers with her. I start working on the story line and the songs. I decide to do songs from artists that Tate has represented but I want to tell the story of Tate’s rise to the man he is today and that includes our relationship.

  I head to my appointment at noon and wonder what has happened during Tate’s session. The therapist I am meeting with is different from the one Tate met with this morning. I will be meeting with a woman, Bernie and Tate met with her partner, Drew. After my appointment Tate and I will have our session together with both Bernie and Drew the following day.

  I am led directly into the office when I arrive and I shake hands with Bernie, a small framed pleasant looking woman who directs me to the two chairs near the window. There is a water feature similar to the one Tate had installed in my office and the room is soothing. Bernie doesn’t have my taste in décor but it’s welcoming and calming. I sit in one of the chairs and she sits in the chair next to me. She asks me where I’d like to begin and I tell her I don’t really know where I should begin. We decide that I should start with my family.

  I tell her about my parents and siblings. Both of my parents are still alive and doing well, they are still married after all these years and live in Florida. My sister is on her second marriage and has two little girls with her second husband. We talk often but only see each other on holidays due to demographics, she lives in Vermont. I tell her that Michael is living with his gay partner in New York and doesn’t attend holidays because my parents refuse to accept his life style but we see each other often as he works for Tate. Michael and Jeremy have a baby boy they just adopted. We talk about how and when Tate and I met and how we formed Taylor Studios Inc. together. I tell her that I have a good relationship with my mother-in-law who has spent the last two years since Tate’s father’s fatal heart attack traveling the world with a group she met online. I tell Bernie that my family loves Tate. This leads her to ask me about children and I tense my entire body, “We don’t have any children. I had a miscarriage about a year ago. We’re thinking about trying again but we have some things to work out so that’s why we’re here” I sadly report. She asks why we waited so long to try to have children when we had been together since we were kids. I tell her we weren’t trying when I got pregnant, that Tate didn’t want children; that he never wanted to have to share me with anyone. Bernie says we’ll need to explore that topic in more detail as we progress in our therapy. She asks about my work and how I feel about Tate’s commitment to his work. We end our session deciding on a time for next week and she says she’ll see me the following day with Tate and Drew.

  The following day when we meet with Bernie and Drew I feel as if every move we make is being judged as either right or wrong by them. Tate takes my hand and I sit next to him on a loveseat. I actually like this office better than Bernie’s. It’s a pale green color with light purple accents, very Asian feeling. Clean lines on the furniture and bamboo materials are used throughout.

  “So, where should we begin?” Drew asks and Tate looks at me for an answer.

  I suggest that we begin with explaining our problems that we are having at the time and Tate reluctantly agrees. I tell them about Tate’s drinking, about the unplanned pregnancy and the miscarriage. I add the six month separation and our recent reunion. I tell them about our plans for therapy and maybe another pregnancy. Tate adds in information about our business and how much music has always meant to us and our relationship. Drew and Bernie share with us the information we each shared in our private sessions without revealing any confidential information and we make a plan to see them each week individually and then in one group session. We schedule our group session and Bernie thanks us for coming, stands letting us know our time is up. I guess for a first session it was fine but I don’t feel as if we’ve accomplished anything.

  When we walk out of the office and enter the lobby we hear the song “I Knew You Were Waiting” at the same time and we clasp hands and walk to the car with smiles on our faces remembering my return from camp that first summer.

  The morning after the movie premiere I have my appointment with Drew. I notice his diploma on the wall, he went to Duke and we joke around about being rivals. Drew seems like a cool guy, someone I would be friends with if we met under different circumstances. He asks what some of the issues are so we can make a plan of action to resolve as many of them as possible. I mention my drinking and drug use that caused Brook and me to end up living on different coasts for six months. I tell Drew about the guilt I keep inside over my unresolved issues between myself and my deceased father. I tell him that I am an only child and have never felt the need for siblings but that I am very close with Brook’s family and so I feel like I do have siblings sometimes. I tell him about my mother and her travels since losing my father and that I miss her terribly. I don’t tell Drew that I am embarrassed to face her so the space from her is actually what I need right now. I tell Drew that Brook and I have decided to try to have children after I tell him brief details about her previous miscarriage. He asks me about my career and I tell him that I work in the music industry but I don’t get into the specifics. We agree that we should meet once a week and that he’ll help me work through my issues. We shake hands and plan to see each other the following day with Brook and his partner, Bernie.

  ************

  When I get off the plane and enter the area where everyone is waiting for their person to arrive I look around and can’t see my parents through the crowd anywhere. I don’t see Tate at first because I don’t recognize him. He has shaved his head and gained ten pounds of pure muscle mass. It isn’t until I hear “I Knew You Were Waiting” coming from a boom box that I know Tate must be here somewhere. I look ar
ound frantic to set eyes on him and then there he is. He is wearing a cut off shirt and sport shorts. His legs look like they have more hair on them then I remember and his head obviously has way less hair on it. His arms look much bigger and his chest is starting to protrude where his pectoral muscles are developing. I run to him and he catches me in his arms and lifts me up and spins me around while I run my hands over his new crew cut. I can’t believe he has shaved off all of his black silky hair. I had no idea Tate had done that or that he was coming to meet me at the airport with my parents; it is the best surprise I have ever had.

  “Brooklynn! You look so skinny, did you lose weight? Didn’t they feed you at camp?” Tate asks but before I can answer he continues, “So are you surprised to see me or more surprised that I shaved my head?” Tate inquires as I kiss his cheek assuming my parents are watching from someplace close by but then Tate lip locks me and I melt into him. His tongue finds mine instantly and I continue to rub his head.

  “It’s hot” I tell him about his shaved head “And it matches my you know from the shaving.”

  “As much as I want to hear all about that and God, do I want to hear ALL about that we have like three more minutes before your parents are going to be back so shut up and kiss me” Tate orders and I obey.