Couture Love

by Fields, MJ

“All fours, gorgeous. I’m taking it like a Sunday drive.”

  Fourteen

  Eric

  Lying on my bed, holding her, she hasn’t said much at all since we finished. I know damn well she enjoyed it, but I get that she hasn’t had a whole hell of a lot experience with it, and women get in their heads about shit like fucking a stranger, trusting a man, and hell, some even say they don’t like to go down or be gone down on.

  Never been a big pussy eater before her, but that has changed. And it’s changed because I want something real, something with her, not some random hook-up, not some girl who doesn’t know herself and wants to control me.

  I have an epiphany. When you really want to make that girl come … again and again and again, she’s the one.

  I kiss the top of her head. “You wanna go again?”

  Her head springs up at me, the look on her face shocked.

  I wink. “Just making sure you’re awake. You haven’t said too much since we finished. Don’t overthink it, okay? We’re good?”

  She hits her forehead against my chest and silently giggles.

  I push a finger under her chin and raise her face up. She’s fucking glowing. “Would you like to shower? Rest then go again?”

  “One of us clearly has more energy than the other.” She yawns. “I wish I could float to the shower, sleep while I was in it, and then definitely go again.” She pauses. “After at least three hours of sleep.”

  “Got an idea.” I sit up, bringing her with me. “The pool is like a bath. Let’s skinny dip.”

  Her eyes widen, but before she can say anything, I tell her, “It’s private and smaller than the ocean. No one’s going to come out here.” I stand up and hold my hand out. “Let’s go.”

  * * *

  “Told you it was warmer in here than out there.”

  “It is like bath water,” she says, pushing away from my chest and lying back.

  “Tits above water, ass in my hand. Not a worry in the world, a gorgeous girl in my hands.” I squeeze that ass, and she laughs.

  “Life is good today,” she sings.

  When the lights come on around the pool, she flails around, splashing and kicking.

  “Eric, is that you?”

  “Oh my God.” She plugs her nose and goes under water.

  “Who the hell else would it be?” I pull her up and step in front of her, shielding her from my father, who clearly isn’t leaving.

  “You alone or can we talk?”

  “I’m with a friend,” I snap.

  “Anyone I know?” he asks, walking toward us.

  “No, and you don’t need to know her,” I hiss.

  He laughs. “Well then, you two kids have fun. You and I need to chat tomorrow before you head back to Duke.”

  He doesn’t move.

  “Fine!”

  “Easy, son.” He chuckles then finally turns around and walks back inside.

  “Kill the damn lights, would you?”

  He laughs and takes his sweet fucking time, but he eventually turns them off.

  I turn around and can see her eyes as big as saucers. The worst part is that she looks like she’s been betrayed.

  She hasn’t been. He didn’t see her.

  When I reach out to her, she jumps back and covers herself.

  “Don’t you touch me,” she hisses then hurries to the stairs.

  I sigh, knowing we’re about to have our first real fight. Then I think, make-up sex.

  I take my time following her into the pool house. When I get inside, she’s already half in her dress. I give her a minute to calm down.

  “Autumn.” I lean against the doorjamb and watch her try to put on her red, lacey panties that are a bit ripped.

  “Don’t you talk to me,” she snaps as she kicks them off, bends down, grabs them, and then goes for her shoes.

  “He hasn’t come out here since I was fifteen years old and just moved into the pool house.”

  “What was that? Last year … you little perv?” She scowls at me. “Little EJ.”

  I step toward the woman who is clearly losing her fucking mind, and she smacks at the air like a crazed child being swarmed by bees yet never once touches me.

  “You and I both know I’m a goddamned man, and as far as perv goes, takes one to know one.”

  “Oh my God. Oh my freaking good Lord in Heaven, this cannot be my life.” She walks around, looking for something.

  On the tip of my tongue is, There is nothing little about me. However, takes one to know one was just as juvenile, and right now, she’s tripping over the most trivial shit in the world—age—and the most meaningless thing to me—my father.

  The fact that I know she gets in her head a little too much makes it all the more important to get her the fuck out of it.

  “Let’s talk about what’s really bothering you.”

  She spins around and points at me. “You! You …” She pauses. “Why are you doing this to me? Are you trying to get me fired? Did your father set this up?” She throws her hands in the air and continues without even giving me an opportunity to answer. “I should have known better than to think a man … boy like you would go after a girl … woman like me without some sick, twisted—”

  “That’s hot and you know it,” I cut her off.

  “Where in the fuck is my bag!”

  “In the vehicle.”

  “I bet you got that as a graduation gift from Daddy, didn’t you? Or maybe as a gift to ruin my life? That’s it, isn’t it? He hates Ang, so he’s trying to ruin her via me being a blithering idiot.” She laughs. “I’m going to single-handedly ruin her life and my sweet Natasha’s because I believed in some stupid lines about stars from a goddamned toddler.”

  “A toddler?” I purposely flex my pecks.

  “Put some fucking clothes on!”

  “You sure about that? Because the minute my mouth is two inches from yours, your tongue does that little thing, the same fucking thing your clit does when—”

  She covers her ears, and it’s adorable until she literally loses it.

  “Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!”

  I clear the distance between us and cover her mouth. “The security system reads at a certain decibel level, and you’re about to break it.”

  When she attempts to pull away, I pull her closer.

  “And you are the one having issues with Father knowing about this which, by the way, he doesn’t. But if you keep screaming like a raped ape, they may come out here and see what the fuck is wrong.”

  She bites my hand, and I smile politely.

  “You done?”

  She doesn’t answer, but I can tell she is, so I take my hand away.

  She steps back and picks up the heel still not on her foot and begins walking toward the door.

  “Autumn, let’s talk about this like adults.”

  “One of us is an adult; the other is barely legal.”

  “You do know you’re even fucking gorgeous when you’re pissed, right?”

  She whips around, eyes filled with tears, and my fucking heart nearly stops.

  “Don’t ever speak to me again.”

  She limp-runs out the door, and I head out after her then realize I’m naked. So, I run back in and grab some sweats and a sweatshirt, push my feet in some slides, and then hurry down the pathway.

  I expect her to be in my Rover, but she isn’t, and neither is her big boho bag.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I sigh as I get in the vehicle and starts it up.

  Driving down the driveway, my lights are on bright in hopes I see her walking down it. Then I laugh out loud when I get to the gate and see she’s actually going to scale the fucking thing, barefoot and in a dress with no panties on. She’s not two feet off the ground yet and still has ten to go.

  I hit the button on my visor to open it remotely, and she clings to the damn thing for dear life instead of jumping down like a normal person would.

  But she’s not normal. Not at all.


  Thank God.

  I roll up slowly then stop once beside the side of the gate she’s scaling. “Need a lift?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “Both services would be my pleasure, Autumn of Queens.”

  “God, you are such an asshole,” she says, cautiously climbing down, legs wobbling. “Just like your father.”

  I can’t help laughing. “Chill out, bruh.” I put my vehicle in park, walk around, and open the passenger side door for her. “Get in the damn vehicle.”

  “Fat chance. I’d rather walk.”

  “That’s tough shit. It’s Labor Day weekend and every idiot with wheels has been partying all day. It’s not safe,” I say as she bends down and removes her one shoe that’s on her foot.

  “Great, maybe I’ll get hit by a car and won’t have to tell Ang that I just fucked up our lives.” She then stiffens after I assume she realizes what she just said and stops moving.

  “Get in the vehicle.”

  She wipes her eyes before looking back. “I didn’t mean—”

  “All will be forgiven if you get in the damn vehicle.”

  “I want to walk. I need to walk. I need you to stop whatever game you’re playing and remember I gave little EJ Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups when he was crying in the bathroom at my very first de la Porte Labor Day—”

  “So, you’re the reason I got fat? That was you?”

  She shakes her head back and forth ferociously. “No.”

  “Get in the car and let me tell you how many times I jerked off to the hottie who gave me chocolate in the bathroom.” I try to hide my smile, but fuck if that’s not some funny shit.

  “This is not funny, Eric. This is not funny at all!”

  I place my hand on the small of her back and firmly but gently guide her into the vehicle.

  When I get in, she scoots as close to the door as she possibly can.

  “You have a problem with my age, yet you’re acting like I’m going to give you cooties.” I hit the button to start the Rover.

  “Forgive me if I’m completely freaked the fuck out that I rode the face of the crying adolescent.” She pauses and looks at me with some sort of realization then quickly looks away.

  I put the vehicle in drive and pull out onto the road. “You gave me Hershey’s chocolate, and five years later, I rode your Hershey highw—”

  “Was there”—she scrunches up her face—“chocolate on …?” She points to her lower region.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Autumn, I’m trying to get you out of your head and back to enjoying the good.”

  “I think I’m going to throw up.”

  “Okay, that’s just being dramatic—”

  “Pull over. I’m going to throw up!”

  She’s not being dramatic. As soon as I pull off the road, she hurls out the window. After three times, she opens the door and stumbles out into the evening air.

  I throw on my caution lights and get out to help her.

  On all fours, her back is arched like a scared cat and she’s crying and dry heaving. I hold her hair back, and she doesn’t fight me.

  After several minutes, she sits back on her heels, shivering.

  I pull my sweatshirt over my head and put it over hers. “Don’t do that again,” I whisper as I pull her hair out of the back of the hoodie. “And don’t fight with me. Neither of us knew. And Autumn, I don’t kiss and tell, so whatever you’ve made up in your head about why I came onto you that night, it had nothing to do with anything other than serendipitous occurrence. Today, I went to that fucking picnic because I promised my sister I would. The reason he came looking for me tonight is because he’s aware I know he’s been fucking me over for years and I’m no longer some little boy he can manipulate. I may be twenty-one years old, but I’m a fucking man, not a goddamn boy.”

  She doesn’t say anything, so I don’t either, until the rain starts to fall.

  “Come on, babe; you’re still shivering.”

  Fifteen

  Autumn

  I have never been so disgusted with myself in my entire life, and that’s a big deal since I was drowning myself in everything Baby Ruth just two years ago.

  My heart says to believe that he didn’t do this on purpose, but my heart has betrayed me on more occasions than I have ever admitted to anyone but myself.

  I’m pissed at myself for not noticing those damn eyes. I’ve only seen such an overpowering color of blue once before.

  I flatten my rolling stomach with my hand in hopes of not throwing up while consciously making the connection to the hurting teen who sat in the corner of the bathroom, crying, his emotions mirroring mine that day and my heart breaking for him. And now, here I sit, next to him five years later, and he’s …

  “Stop it!” I say to myself, covering my ears.

  Pulling my hand away, Eric sternly says, “Look—”

  “Hell no, I’m not going to look, not at you ever again. God, what the fuck is wrong with me!”

  “You’re not fucking listening, for starters. I didn’t goddamn know until today. And as I said, it’s none of his or anyone else’s fucking business, Autumn. We’re adults.”

  “One of us barely.” I pull my knees up to my chest, bury my face in them, and hug them.

  “You and I both know I’m a man.”

  “Man,” I huff. “Three years ago, I sent you a fucking graduation card … with a box of Reese’s minis.”

  He chuckles, and I turn my head quickly and scowl at him.

  “Ms. Greenfield.” He reaches out to push the hairs stuck to my tear-covered face away, and I push my face back into the sweatshirt that smells just like him. “This could have been avoided by exchanging last names over the past couple days, but you were hell-bent on it being a hook-up. But now that we’ve agreed—”

  “My last name is Raynes so, no, it wouldn’t have. Also, hell no, we aren’t doing this. When I step out of this vehicle, it’s a handshake and a never again.”

  “What happened to being a woman of your word?”

  “How can you even think this could ever be something!”

  “How can you think it already isn’t?”

  “You’re showing your age. Apparently, the logical side of your brain doesn’t develop until you grow hair on your balls.”

  “That was funny, and I could point out that neither of us actually have hair, and possibly that only one of us is acting with any logic at all right now.”

  I have no desire to argue anymore. This is impossible. So, I keep my head buried and try not to inhale the fucking scent of him … and fail miserably.

  When he slows down and turns on his signal light, I look up to see we are pulling onto the beach access road.

  “This is not the cottage.”

  “You really want to go back there right now looking like that?”

  “Why the hell not? It’s not like I’m not going to be this year’s whispered about ‘Winner of the Hamptons Weekend Biggest Whore’ award in the office on Tuesday morning.” I turn and point at him. “Because of you.”

  He throws the vehicle in park and turns toward me. “Cut the shit.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Cut. The. Shit. You wanna continue to throw accusations and be disrespectful to us, keep playing a victim, then woman up and over-discuss all your emotions, or come up with an amicable decision on how to proceed with this.”

  “I don’t think you understand that there is no us. There is no proceeding.”

  He rolls his eyes and sighs exaggeratedly like he’s dealing with a child.

  “How did you expect I would react to this?” I snap.

  “When I found out, I googled you.”

  Oh my God, I think as mortification now leads the race of emotions fighting to rule my head to, I swear, take me out once and for all.

  “Saw all the shit, like the Baby Ruth pictures, and I will admit that it fucked me up that the woman I plan on fucking for the foreseeable future was—”

  “Gro
ss.” I bury my head deeper.

  “—married to a major league baseball player, but I manned the fuck up. I didn’t say fuck this. I didn’t let my emotional cargo-fucking-ship-sized baggage or others influence what I want with you. Even after I was told by my old man today that I’m a half-ass lacrosse player at college level, not professional like your ex, I still wanted you. I still want us.”

  “He’s such a dick.” I rub under my nose with the shirt sleeve.

  “Corner a snake and they strike, Autumn. It’s something I have to deal with, but it will never come back to you, to us.”

  The softness in his eyes and, if I wasn’t so beside myself, the gentleness in his way of … dealing with me, this … would ease all the worries away, but not with baby EJ … not even now that he’s Prince Eric.

  “We can be friends.”

  “Friends?”

  “Eric, I can’t do this.”

  He nods once. “Autumn of Queens, I’m not sure you can deny what’s destined.”

  I look out the window, emotionally and physically exhausted.

  He exhales a deep breath. “Let me tell you about the stars.”

  Sixteen

  Eric

  Waking up alone on the beach, I nearly panicked when she wasn’t there. She had been a mess, and I get it; it was fucked up. But until I woke up alone, I thought she was just being overly emotional.

  Then I went there, too.

  I was pissed off enough that I got my Rover stuck and had to call a buddy to help me pull it out. The reason I got stuck? I didn’t let any air out of my fucking tires before driving onto the sand, because I was too damn worried about getting her somewhere calming.

  But she didn’t calm down. She exhausted herself to the point that she passed out.

  I track her ass on Snap maps and see that she is already heading back to the city, so I head home to change, pack a bag, shower, and go after her.

  When I walk into the pool house, Shelby is sputtering, cursing, and pacing back and forth.

  “Shells, language.” I say loud enough that it will be heard over her own voice.