The Cliff

by Gucker, Christie A. C.

  Chelsie was kind enough to open it in time before she hit it face first. She fell out of the doorway and landed on her ass in the dirt. She opened her mouth to say something, but Chelsie just slammed the door.

  I turned to Dane. “You. You made this mess. You brought that slut back into my life and to this cliff. I gave her a chance for your sake and you used it against me. You used her to hurt me and hurt Grant. You just couldn’t be happy for us. Go clean up your mess. Now.”

  Dane looked at me. He had no expression on his face at all. He looked down and headed out.

  I was so angry I was shaking, but damn it felt so good to finally give Lori a piece of my mind. Chelsie and Samantha were on me in a second, giving me hugs and telling me how awesome I was for standing up for myself. I shook my head feeling terrible. It was out of character for me. But I was done. Done with all that shit. It felt just as good as it did bad.

  I walked back over and sank down next to Grant, who pulled me close to his side and whispered into my ear, “Remind me never to get you mad at me.” He gently kissed my cheek. I smiled at him and put my head against his shoulder.

  “Shots all around. Lanie, you deserve the first one.” Dylan handed me a shot. I downed it quickly and held the shot glass out for another. He filled it again and we all did a shot together for good riddance to Lori.

  “How about we get back to the game?” Steve would do anything to get back to a good time.

  “Lanie is the only one who doesn’t have a sticky on her head yet.”

  I realized that everything had all gone down and they had all been still wearing them. If anyone had been watching, it would have looked more bizarre than it probably had to begin with.

  Grant grabbed a pen and began to scribble. He put it on my forehead and then ran his finger down my cheek. That’s right, there was no one here to hide from. Everyone in this room knew we were together. I could finally let loose, relax and be with my boyfriend. I curled into him and gave him a deep kiss. I heard Samantha sigh. So glad my passion for Grant could reach her from across the room. I giggled to myself and drank another shot.

  We got into the game and soon we were laughing and having a great time. It was like old times.

  Except something was missing. I ran to the kitchen and grabbed…

  Chapter 26

  God, I Wish I Was a Sandwich Cookie Right Now

  … a package of double-stuffed sandwich cookies.

  “You can’t have a kid’s night without double-stuffed sandwich cookies.”

  Everyone cheered. Silly, really, that a bunch of adults were cheering for cookies, but hell, how could you resist sandwich cookies? Plus, we were all seriously buzzed at this point. We gathered around the coffee table and I started to toss them out to everyone. I grabbed mine and pulled it apart and started to seductively lick it for Grant. As he watched me, I could see the corner of his mouth start to twitch. He licked his lips as I slowly licked the crème filling.

  “God, I wish I were a sandwich cookie right now,” he moaned softly.

  I began to circle my tongue around and around on the cookie, starting slowly and then getting faster and faster. I was completely focused on his reactions. I would lick the crème and then give him a sexy mouth opened ‘oh’ in between. I was giving him my best sex eyes and totally playing it up. I began to swirl the crème all over my parted lips, moaning and then licking it off again. I sucked my bottom lip in and bit it, closed my eyes and ran my hands down my body.

  “Lanie, please,” I heard Grant growl, but continued to molest the cookie.

  “Maybe we should go …” I heard someone say in the background. I didn’t care; I was having fun teasing Grant and not caring who was watching. I grabbed another sandwich cookie and began double dip licking.

  Suddenly Grant was on top of me. I looked around the room and it was now completely devoid of anyone but Grant and myself. He grabbed my cami, pulled it up and began mimicking the sandwich cookie taunts on my girls. I squealed quietly and arched my back. Scooping more crème, I rubbed it on myself to offer him a sweet treat. He growled again and began to suck enthusiastically, sucking hard. I moaned and wrapped my legs around his waist and pulled his hips against me.

  “We keep having sex with food and I’m going to end up fat.”

  “No worries, I plan on working all the calories right off you,” he whispered into my breast. He licked the rest of the crème off me.

  He slid his body down mine and pulled my pants off in one smooth motion. He was good. He grabbed the cookie from my hand, licked some crème off and then began to lick me off. I writhed beneath his hot mouth, the feel of his tongue was intense and I wanted nothing more than to feel him inside me. I twirled my fingers into his hair to keep him there and he was totally immersed in what he was doing. He added his hand to the action and he ran his fingers up and down, stroking while he kissed and suckled me. I could barely stand it and wanted to scream out it was so good. He reached with both hands, cupped my ass and pulled me even closer. I was rocking hard against him, barely able to contain myself.

  “Oh God, Grant, oh yes, fuck me with your mouth. Oh, feels so good, Baby. Don’t stop. Don’t you dare stop.” I felt so dirty saying it that way but it was so good I got carried away.

  His hands were now massaging while he penetrated me with his tongue, swirling it over and over again. He slid two fingers inside and began to pump them into me. My entire body exploded with my orgasm and I bit down hard on my lip, holding my breath so I wouldn’t scream out. He didn’t stop and continued to pump, kiss, suck and lick as my body continued to shudder in pure ecstasy. I couldn’t take anymore; it was too much. My legs were shaking uncontrollably.

  “Please, Baby, stop. You can stop now. Please, I can’t—” and I exploded into another full force O.

  “Oh Grant!” I started to scream and he jumped forward to cup his hand over my mouth as body continued to shake with the second O which hadn’t stopped yet. He began to grind his hips into me and I couldn’t help but grind back against him. I needed him inside me.

  “You have to make love to me, right now. I need you inside me. Now!”

  He ripped his sweats off and plunged into me thrusting at an extremely fast pace. I grabbed his amazingly muscular ass and pulled him deeper. I bucked my hips into him, our movements completely in sync.

  “Oh fuck, Lanie. I’m too worked up. I can’t hold back.” He came hard, pulsing inside me. We were both completely out of breath, sweating, writhing, and rocking. We groaned softly together, whispering our undying love to each other. Eventually our rocking slowed, until we both lay completely spent in each other’s arms.

  “Grant, that was amazing. I especially love your O-atmeal cookie recipe.”

  He laughed softly into my neck and then pulled back to kiss me passionately.

  “Remind me to always keep cookies in our pantry.”

  “You mean in my panty?”

  “That too.”

  We cuddled up together on the couch in our favorite spooning position, talking softy about what happened with Lori and Dane’s mysterious phone call. We laughed and kissed until eventually silence and exhaustion overtook us. Grant ran his hands through softly through my hair, lulling me to sleep. We slept so soundly that we never moved up to Grant’s room. Sometime early in the morning I was awoken by the sound of talking in the kitchen.

  “I’m so glad this isn’t our house anymore—look at this mess.” It was Jennifer.

  “Yeah, me too. Looks like one of their famous high school parties, doesn’t it?” Joe said.

  “Yes, but we never found that particular couple asleep on the couch together.” She giggled.

  I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and realized it was still dark out. Joe must have been up getting ready for fishing. It was so sweet of Jennifer to get up with him. I sat up and saw Jennifer coming toward Grant and I with two cups of coffee.

  “Good morning, Lanie. I trust you had a good time after we went up last night?” She gave me her
warmest smile.

  I wanted to snuggle back in next to Grant, but I realized he was supposed to be fishing and that he would have to get up. Then I realized that my dad would be up and notice I hadn’t come home. Why did that make me feel funny, like a teenager who had fallen asleep at her boyfriend’s? I smiled to myself and reached to take my cup from Jennifer.

  “Yes, we had a great night. We’re one less now.” She gave me a quizzical look and I winked at her. “I threw Lori out last night and I think Dane was on board, too.”

  “Oh, Haley is going to be so happy about that. You’ll have to give me all the details. And I want the play by play.”

  I nodded and then turned my attention to the hot piece of sleepiness curled around me.

  “Grant, Honey, you need to get up.” I took his mug of coffee and swayed it under his nose. He twitched for a second and then his breathing became deep again.

  “Grant, Babe, you have to get up.” I ran my fingertips right behind his ear and down his neck.

  I heard a low groan, or maybe it was a growl, and he reached his arms around me and pulled me close and started to reach for my gals.

  “Whoa there, handsy. We’re not alone. Alert, your mom is watching you try to feel me up.”

  Grant looked up with one eye, peering back and forth between us.

  “Good morning, Mom,” he said in a groggy voice.

  “I bet it is,” Jennifer said with a slight smirk.

  Then he reached for me again and pulled me into a deep, passionate kiss.

  “Good morning, my love.” He was definitely more awake now and I could feel other parts waking up beneath our blanket. I smiled to myself. Damn morning fishing.

  “Now it’s a good morning. I’ve been waiting to see that happen … for years. And now it’s official!” Jennifer giggled and then she ran off to find Joe or to start making wedding plans, whichever came first.

  “You need to get up and get ready for fishing.”

  “I don’t want to go to school.”

  “I didn’t say go swim with the fishes.” I laughed,

  “I see we never made it upstairs.”

  “I couldn’t have even if I wanted to. After what you did to me, I wouldn’t have been able to walk up the stairs.”

  “I would have carried you, you know.”

  “I didn’t care where we were, as long as I was next to you.” He pulled me down to him and I snuggled back in. I had to restrain myself from getting all hot and heavy. I was so used to being with him morning, noon, and night. We had been able to not miss a night together last night, but that would not be the case this evening.

  “Hey, I’m going to head home. If I stay here much longer, I won’t ever leave and you won’t be going fishing. Last night was amazing, Love.”

  “What was amazing was you—the way you stood up to Lori. In fact, yesterday was pretty much epic all around. I am so proud of you, Babe.”

  “It’s you. You give me the strength. You make me who I am, Grant.”

  “No, Love, you have always been a strong, smart, beautiful woman who could stand on her own two feet. Believe it.”

  “What I believe is that your love has made me whole.”

  “I feel the same way. I couldn’t ever see my life without you in it. It’s an impossibility.”

  “I see the sandwich cookie-whores are up bright and early.” Steve was always jokes first and nothing but jokes after.

  “Jealous.”

  “I got mine just fine last night.”

  “Sure you did, Pee Wee,” I teased.

  “That’s not what she said. She changed my name to Godzilla. Didn’t you hear her screaming it out all night?”

  “I just heard loud snoring. Wait, that must’ve been Godzilla roaring,” Grant said.

  I tousled his hair, leaned down and gave him a soft peck on the lips. “I’ll be up to the fishing spot soon with breakfast.”

  “Will you stay and fish with us?”

  “I have to do some work today, go over some ads and trade show stuff. I was going to show Jennifer.”

  “Bonding with my mother?”

  “Well, you’ll be bonding with my father.”

  “Lots of bonding going on around here.” Dylan was just making it down the stairs and didn’t look like he was awake.

  I gave him a high five, which he completely missed, on my way out the door.

  “I’ll see you guys in a bit. Bringing you all beach sandwiches.”

  When we were young and hit the beach early, our moms would bring ‘beach sandwiches’ which were basically a fried egg on a roll and anything else you wanted on it. My favorite was egg, cheese, salt, pepper and ketchup. But everyone had their favorites.

  “Cheese, please,” Grant called out.

  “Not sandwich cookie stuffing?” Steve stuck he finger down his throat and pretended to gag.

  “Yuck, that sounds disgusting.”

  “You seemed to be enjoying it last night.”

  I closed the door behind me so I could no long hear the banter and headed home to cook. When I got home, I heard Jack milling around in the kitchen, so I headed straight there.

  “Still in your PJs, I see.”

  “Yes, I stayed over last night.”

  “I figured that out when you never came home.”

  “Dad, did you stay up to wait for me to get home?”

  “Yeah, it’s a dad thing.”

  “You do know I’m in my twenties now, right?”

  “Yes, I know, Lanie. It wouldn’t matter if you were fifty; you’re still my little girl. And I worry and I’m protective. Deal with it.”

  “Yes, sir.” I laughed and he shot me a raised eye-browed glance.

  “So are you coming fishing or what?”

  “I’m going to stay and make you all beach sandwiches and bring them up later. You want anything special?”

  “You know.”

  “Dad, I don’t keep anchovies in the house. And anyway, that’s disgusting.”

  “Bacon, egg, and cheese better?”

  “Um, yeah. So I was thinking about tonight.” I hadn’t really spent any time with my dad alone, and I really wanted to have a heart to heart. It was time to start cluing him in on everything since apparently he was too blind to catch on. Maybe he was just in denial or playing dumb. Maybe he was just waiting for me to come out and tell him. I wanted to wait until Grant spoke to Dane, but I also didn’t want to totally blindside him with my relationship.

  “What about tonight?”

  “I thought maybe we could go out to dinner. Just you and I.”

  “I heard there’s a …

  Chapter 27

  I Swear to God

  “… great new Italian place in town. Want to go try it out?”

  “You heard about that?”

  “Dane mentioned it last night.”

  “I see. Well, I ate there the other night and it was amazing. I would love to take you there.”

  “Oh really? I heard it’s pretty fancy. Did you take clients?”

  “No, just Grant and I went.”

  “Oh, I see. Well, if you’d rather go somewhere else …”

  “Why would I want to go somewhere else? The food was great. We had a great time. I want to go there with you.”

  “Then it’s a date. Now I have to get up to the cliff before it’s biting time.”

  “Okay, Dad. I’ll be up in a little while.”

  I headed upstairs to get myself ready for the day. Once I was showered and dressed, I headed back downstairs to start cooking. I laid everything out and began my own little assembly line, making various combinations of beach sandwiches. I was also brewing coffee and filling thermoses. I heard my door open, I turned my head to see who it was, and Dane came bouncing into my kitchen.

  “Hey, Lanie, where’s Jack?”

  I shot him my crappy-morning-to-you bitch-face and replied coldly, “He’s already at the spot. You should go there, now.”

  “Good. I was hoping I could get s
ome time alone with him to talk.”

  “What the hell do you need to talk to my dad about in private?”

  “That’s between me and your dad, Lanie.”