Knocked Up- The Complete Box Set

by Lilian Monroe

  “Well don’t just stand there, Dean, come and say hello!” My mother’s voice draws me out of my stupor. I swing my eyes to her and frown.

  “What is she doing here?”

  “Dean,” she titters nervously, “don’t be so rude.”

  “I’ll be as rude as I fucking want,” I snap. “What is she doing here?”

  “We invited her, son,” my father says as he puts his hand on my shoulder. “Victoria has been speaking to us and she says she’s ready to forgive you for leaving her like you did.”

  “Wait, what? She’s ready to forgive me?” Am I Alice? Is this Wonderland? Is everything backwards? What is going on!

  My mother walks over to me, guiding Victoria closer. With every clack of her heels on the ground it’s like a dagger pierces my heart. She gets close enough that I can smell that perfume she always wears—the one I grew to hate. I shake my head.

  “Is this why you had me over for dinner? I should have known,” I say with a scoff. “It’s never just about having dinner with you two. There’s always an ulterior motive and it’s always self-serving. Unbe-fucking-lievable,” I say, side-stepping and heading for the exit.

  “Dean!” my mother shouts. I stop in my tracks and spin around. She’s breathing heavily, her chest heaving up and down. “It would be a good idea for you to reconsider your attitude.” Is that a threat? “Victoria has been gracious enough to come over and hear you out, the least you can do is spend a bit of time with her.”

  “She was gracious enough to come alone, I see. Or is your lover waiting for you in the car?” My words come out like venom and Victoria bristles. Finally, she speaks.

  “Dean, baby, I just came over to try to fix things up. Your mother has been inconsolable, you know how much is riding on our wedding. I told you I was sorry.” Her voice is sickly sweet and she sways her hips as she walks towards me. Her heels bang on the ground and I resist the urge to shiver. I take a step back as she raises her hand to touch my arm.

  “Enjoy your roast,” I say before spinning on my heels and walking out. I make my way to the black Bentley and slide inside. I remember when my parents bought this car for me, how happy I was. Now it’s nothing but a reminder of their power over me.

  I sigh and bang my hand on the steering wheel with my good hand. “Fuck!” I yell. My heart is thumping and I can’t think straight. She’s been talking to my parents? They’re not going to let this go. It sounded like my mother was threatening me! I take a deep breath and start the car.

  This is an automatic, at least, so I can drive myself around even with an injured arm. The car rumbles to life silently, and I put it into gear. It’s a gorgeous car, and it drives like a dream, but it’s too flashy for me. I don’t like taking it anywhere because it gets too many looks. When I drive out of my parent’s gate, I let out a sigh.

  So much for dinner.

  I pull over on the side of the road and shift my weight to get my phone out of my pocket.

  Dean: Dinner ended a bit early. How about that drink? Where are you?

  I lean back in my seat and take a deep breath. The best thing I can do to get Victoria and my parents out of my mind is to see Sam. Even if she wasn’t attractive and smart and sexy, at least she’s normal.

  12

  Samantha

  Jess gives me a thumbs up as I get up to leave. I laugh and roll my eyes.

  “I’ll see you in a few hours,” I say.

  “Or not,” she replies with a wink. I shake my head and open the door. When I look up, my jaw drops immediately. In front of the house is a gleaming black Bentley. At least, I think it’s a Bentley. I’ve never seen one in real life before.

  Dean is leaning against the passenger’s side door. He’s wearing a proper sling now, and is dressed in dark denim jeans and a dark blue button-down shirt. He smiles when I walk out and my heart does a backflip. He looks really, really good.

  I walk down the steps and try to ignore the beating of my heart. My hands are shaking and I hope that my palms aren’t sweaty. I don’t know if I can trust my voice right now. I walk towards him and he leans in to kiss my cheek. I inhale his musky smell and brush my lips against his cheek. His stubble tickles my skin and I smile as I pull away.

  “You look amazing,” he says in a low voice.

  “Oh, this old thing,” I say with a wave, gesturing at the outfit that Jess and I carefully crafted over the past two hours. I’m wearing my favorite jeans and that black camisole, and Jess helped me fix my hair so it falls around my face in loose waves. I’m wearing more makeup than I normally would, but it’s just enough to make me feel like a bombshell.

  Dean laughs and pulls the car door open.

  I whistle. “I thought you couldn’t drive. This is quite the upgrade! Weren’t you driving a Honda before?”

  He shrugs. “This is my automatic.”

  “Right, of course,” I say as I give him a thumbs up. “My automatic Bentley is just parked out back.” He laughs and I shake my head. “Who are you?”

  His lips curl upwards and he gestures towards the open car door. “Tonight, I’m your chauffeur, your date, your tour guide, your beau, anything you want me to be.”

  “My beau! That’s a bit presumptuous, don’t you think?”

  He just winks at me and closes the door when I swing my legs inside. It’s incredibly spacious, and I sink into the luxurious leather seats. I watch as he walks around the front and take a second to run my fingers along the smooth polished wood panelling. I’ve never been in a car like this.

  Dean slides into the driver’s seat and turns to me with a smile.

  “What do you say we go to a favorite spot of mine?”

  “Lead the way,” I say with a smile. “I don’t know the city at all. You’re my tour guide, aren’t you?”

  He chuckles and starts the car. We drive through the streets and I can’t believe how quiet the car is. Dean turns on the radio for a bit of low background music. I can see heads turning as we drive by, and I wonder if they’d ever guess that a small town girl from Virginia is in here. I glance over at Dean.

  “So, I’m guessing either ‘children’s entertainer’ isn’t your main occupation, or you have some dark side that I won’t be allowed to hear about. Which one is it?”

  Dean laughs. He glances over at me and winks before turning back towards the road. “My father owns an investment banking firm. This car was a present from my parents.”

  “Are you close? With your parents, I mean.”

  Dean’s eyebrows draw together slightly and he shrugs. He leans back in his seat and adjusts the sling before answering. “Depends what you mean by close.”

  “I mean like you spend a lot of time with them and they’re important to you.”

  “Well I work with my father, so I spend a lot of time with him by definition,” he says with a laugh. “We’re here.”

  We pull up to a building and I see a small sign for a bar. Dean gets out of the car and comes around to open the door for me.

  “You only have one good arm, you shouldn’t be doing that for me,” I say with a smile. He shrugs and leans me towards the building. His hand sweeps down my spine to rest in the small of my back and a shiver of excitement runs through me. He’s so close to me I can almost hear his heartbeat.

  He can probably hear mine, it feels like my heart is bouncing violently against my chest. We step down the stairs together and I grab the door at the bottom.

  “I’ll get this one,” I say with a grin. He smiles at me and we step through to a dark jazz bar. I swing my eyes around the room to see a three-piece band playing on a small stage in the corner. The whole room is dimly lit with exposed brick walls on all side.. The bar is black and shiny, and we head over to sit on two stools near the end. I look around at the plush booths and rich wood wainscoting and I smile.

  “This place is cool!”

  “I know,” he says, glancing towards the band. “I love coming here. It’s like a little hideaway.”

  He motio
ns to the bartender and orders a bottle of champagne. Once the glasses are in front of us he hands me one and lifts his own towards me.

  “To new beginnings,” he says. “And congratulations on your divorce.”

  I grin. “To new beginnings.”

  We drink together, staring at each other until the last moment when we tip our glasses back. The bubbles explode on my tongue and I put my glass down. I smile. Jess is right. I can enjoy myself tonight, and enjoy his company. This doesn’t have to be anything more than a bit of flirtation and a bit of fun.

  13

  Dean

  I’m trying not to stare at the way her jeans are hugging every curve, or the way the lace on her chest is giving me just a hint of cleavage. I knew she was good-looking before, but seeing her dressed like this is making my cock throb.

  All the stress of my parent’s house dissipated the moment she walked out of her house. I’m a bit embarrassed to be driving her around in the Bentley, but what can I do. It’s where I come from, and I can’t hide it forever.

  Sam looks at me curiously and shakes her head.

  “You’re a mystery,” she says with a smile. “I thought you were just a struggling artist before, and now I find out you’re actually an investment banker. How did the clown thing come up?”

  “It sounds cliche, but I just wanted to give back. I don’t know if you’ve ever worked in the financial sector, but it’s completely ruthless. I felt myself getting out of touch. I met Pat, the guy who owns the clown business, and I fell in love with it.”

  I glance at her to try to gauge her reaction. It feels good to tell her these things. She smiles at me and I know that she gets it. Most people that are around me—my parents, friends, colleagues—they all dismiss the clown job as a phase. It doesn’t feel like a phase though, it feels like the most important thing I’ve ever done. Sam nods her head and I feel like she understands that right away.

  I take a sip of champagne and then turn my head towards her. “How about you? What do you do?”

  Sam smiles and a thrill goes through my chest. “I actually work with kids as well, in non-profit. In Virginia I ran an after-school program for underprivileged kids, but now I’m not sure what to do. I’m just taking some time off and trying to come to terms with the fact that I’m divorced.” She shakes her head and stares off towards the band. “It still sounds so weird to say it.”

  “I’m sorry,” I say. “I know I was saying we’re celebrating but I can’t imagine how hard it is for you.”

  Sam’s eyes flick back to mine and she smiles sadly. “It’s fine. It’s for the best.”

  “I went through something similar,” I find myself saying. “I thought I was getting married, I thought she was ‘the one’, whatever that means.”

  Sam laughs. “I love that. ‘The one’. Such bullshit.”

  “Completely,” I say. Our eyes meet again and she smiles before taking a sip of champagne. I watch the way her lips curl on the glass , and the way she holds the stem delicately in her fingers. I take a sip of my own drink and then nod towards the band.

  “You want to dance?”

  “Sure,” she says with a shy smile. My chest immediately tightens and I stand up, holding my hand towards her. She slips her fingers into mine and it feels like an electric current running through me. If I had ice in my veins at my parent’s house, it’s completely gone. Now it feels like my whole body is on fire.

  We walk out to the small square dance floor in front of the band, and I slide her fingers onto my shoulder. She places her other hand on my shoulder and stands a bit away from me.

  “Is this okay? I’m not hurting you?” she asks, glancing at my arm.

  I shake my head. “It’s perfect. I wish this thing wasn’t in the way,” I laugh. I slide my hand down to her waist and she inches closer. Her head comes a bit closer to mine and we sway slowly to the music. I inhale and close my eyes, trying to ignore the thumping of my heart. I run my fingers a little bit further behind her waist until my fingertips are brushing the hem of her jeans. I can feel the silky fabric of her shirt and the lace trim and all I want to do is slide my hand under her shirt to feel her skin.

  She inches a bit closer and rests her head on my good shoulder. Her arms are draped around my neck and I wrap my good arm further around her. We move together slowly, swaying back and forth and inching closer to each other.

  It feels like heaven. My whole body is vibrating and I can feel the heat of her skin so close to mine. Her hair smells so fresh. She’s trailing her fingers over and back on the nape of my neck, sending shivers down my spine. My cock is throbbing between my legs and I close my eyes to try to control myself. All I want to do is pull her closer and crush my lips against hers. I just want to take her home and rip all these clothes off her and tangle my fingers into her hair before kissing her harder than I’ve kissed anyone before. I want to taste her and touch her and feel every curve of her body under my fingers.

  She moves her hands from the nape of my neck across my shoulders and lifts her head. She looks at me with those dark green eyes of hers and a shiver runs through my body. Her lips start to curl up into a shy smile and she tilts her head to the side.

  “Thank you for taking me out tonight,” she says softly. “It’s been a really nice day.” She glances at my arm and then shakes her head. “I mean, probably not that nice for you. But considering those papers I signed and how awful I felt yesterday. I don’t know. I’m rambling. It’s just nice.” Her eyes lift back up to mine and I smile.

  “My day has been perfect,” I respond. “I wish I broke my arm all the time if it meant I got to spend this much time with a beautiful woman like you.”

  Her smile widens and she brings her forehead back to my shoulder. I pull her in a bit closer and she wraps her arms around my neck again. We sway to the music, and I shut my eyes and enjoy her closeness.

  14

  Samantha

  As we move back and forth in each other’s arms, I rest my head against his shoulder. He has one arm around me and I try not to touch his injured side. He cradles me in his arm and we move back and forth. My mind is completely quiet.

  I don’t remember the last time I felt so peaceful. From the moment I started suspecting that Ronnie wasn’t faithful to the moment I dropped those papers in the mailbox, my mind has been a hurricane of thought and emotion. I’ve hardly been able to finish a thought before three other thoughts start knocking on my brain.

  But now, as the sounds of the band surround us and we dance, my mind is quiet. I don’t think of anything except how good it feels to have his arm around me, and how his cologne reminds me of a forest after the rain. His hand moves gently back and forth over the small of my back, and he presses his fingers into me to pull me closer. My body feels like a puppet, and every little movement he makes I respond to right away.

  For the first time in months, I just let myself go. I close my eyes and rest my head on his shoulder. My breath slows down and all I do is exist. For these few minutes with Dean, I’m perfectly content, perfectly at ease, perfectly safe.

  All too soon, the band stops an we separate. I turn to the band and clap while Dean smacks is good hand against his thigh. I look at him and smile, and I see a spark in his eye when he smiles back. He motions back to our seats.

  I settle in beside him and our thighs come to touch. He brings his uninjured hand down to rest on my knee and stares into my eyes.

  “So have you decided how long you’re going to stay in New York?” His question comes out softly, almost hesitantly.

  I turn to my glass of champagne and run my fingers up and down the stem. I take a deep breath and shrug before swinging my eyes back to him.

  “I’m not sure,” I finally say. “I like it here. I was thinking I might stay.”

  Did I just see his face brighten? It’s hard to tell in this light. His fingers press ever so slightly into my thigh and he nods.

  “I think you should,” he says softly, barely above a whisper.
His voice is like a growl that sends vibrations through my chest every time he speaks. I can feel myself blushing, and something sparks between my thighs. I swallow and turn back to my glass of champagne, trying to ignore the lump in my throat. Dean does the same, and the second his hand leaves my thigh I wish he’d put it back.

  At that moment, a big group of people walk in through the door. There are at least ten of them, and they’re loud and drunk. Both Dean and I turn towards them and then exchange a glance. They take up so much space, and the peaceful spell that was over us starts to break.

  “You want to get out of here?” Dean says as he turns his head back to me. I feel my lips curl into a smile and I nod.

  “Definitely.”

  We walk back up the stairs into the fresh night air. Dean’s Bentley is gleaming under the street lights. Instead of heading towards it, he motions down the street.

  “There’s a nice park down here. You want to go for a walk?”

  “Sure,” I say. We turn towards the park and our hands slip into each other. My heart jumps in my chest as our fingers intertwine and the heat of his body gets a bit closer. Everything feels so natural with him. I clear my throat.

  “How’s your arm feeling?”

  “It’s fine. Just a scratch,” he says with a grin. “Well, broken in two places but you know. I’m tough.”

  “Rub some dirt in it,” I say with a grin.

  “Exactly,” he laughs. “Can’t even feel it.”

  We walk in silence for a few moments. It’s a peaceful silence. We’re both wrapped in our own thoughts but our hands are still together and our steps are synchronized. The peacefulness in my heart from before is still there, but there’s something else inside me too. A warmth, or a spark, or something traveling up my arm and straight to my core. I clear my throat.