Until Merri: Happily Ever Alpha World

by Suzanne Halliday

“Tom,” Merri murmured. “Can I ask a question?”

  “Sure.” He was surprised, and it showed in the tone of his voice.

  The curl twirling, lip biting started up. Her eyes were bright. “Um, so, we had our first couple’s kiss, and then I threw up.”

  A bark of laughter shot out of him. He couldn’t help it. No matter how you looked at it, the whole night was funny. She and her two newest female squad members, June and JJ, had no problem stepping boldly over the line with their shenanigans. When he spoke to Brew about Merri’s car, the dude told him JJ wanted a few of the boys to terrorize some asshole car salesman. He said it was the tequila talking, but with JJ, he never knew what to expect.

  His laughter earned him a dark scowl. He coughed and gave her all his attention.

  “Sorry, my bad.”

  “Did you laugh because I threw up or because the kiss was awful?”

  Oh, Jesus. The last thing he expected was for her to be unsure. Maybe the iron fist holding onto his control needed to ease up.

  He reacted with instinct. A rather primitive response that surprised him.

  With a hand on her throat, he moved her back a few steps when he stepped into her body space. Her mouth was open, and she was staring at him.

  Pinning her to a wall, he very slowly and very deliberately pressed his body against hers. Her warmth seeped into his bones. He caressed her neck and saw her chocolate eyes flare.

  “Let me answer your question,” he growled a split second before claiming her mouth.

  Merri surrendered her lips with a husky groan. Her fingers glided up his arms and dug into his shoulders.

  He ground into her soft body. His cock was hungry. For her.

  She surprised the fuck out of him when her hands left his shoulders, journeyed south, and ended up on his ass. Taking his cues from her, he left her mouth just long enough to grunt next to her ear as he ground into her again.

  A new sound entered his brain and landed in his heart. His sweet cheeks had a sexy whimper that threatened to put him on his knees.

  The kiss sent the bottom of his stomach into a wild swirl. Lost in the sensation, Tom felt as though he was drowning in her seductive taste. He absorbed each of her whimpers and moans with his mouth as Merri kissed him with a hunger that promised much.

  Framing her face with his hands, he devoured her sweetness. Her lips were on fire and insistent. He knew what she wanted. What she was asking of him.

  The primitive side of his brain urged him to do it. Take her. Now. Stop fucking around and make Merri his.

  As if on cue, their future unpacked in his mind. He envisioned them years from now gazing lovingly at each other and laughing as their kids threw their daily life into chaos. The heart-warming tableau reminded him there was a lot on the line. His gut told him to pump the brakes. For now.

  Raising his mouth from hers, he looked into her eyes. She seemed a little dazed. He smiled.

  “Satisfied?”

  Her face broke into a shy smile. She bit her lip, giggled softly, and nodded.

  “Okay. Glad we got that settled. Now here’s what’s going to happen.”

  He steered her into a chair, bent slightly, and caged her in with his arms.

  “Between now and our date, you’re going to do all the chick things.”

  She chuckled. “The what? Chick things?”

  “Don’t pretend you have no idea what I mean. The styling and waxing and whatever else is involved in preparation for the big night. Find a dress. Something cocktail party worthy. Tits and ass optional.”

  She giggle-snorted but quickly recovered and regarded him with mock seriousness.

  “On the night in question, I will follow the dating guidebook and arrive on your doorstep at the appointed hour. Expect flowers.”

  Their faces were only inches apart. His hands were busy caging her in, but hers were free. She touched the side of his face with a soft caress. He took this as a sign of approval and continued.

  “We will join my family at the banquet and give my dad his night in the spotlight. You will end up dancing with every geezer in the club, probably twice, and will take out your ire on me in private. I promise to be very, very contrite.”

  She fought a grin.

  “Then, because I’m a romantic guy, I’m going to take you to my place and fuck your brains out. We’ll save the lovemaking for our honeymoon but until then, ball slapping fucking.”

  She colored bright red and bit her lip, but she was also smiling. There was a twinkle of excited interest in her eyes.

  “Are you on the pill?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good. Makes things easier and just so we’re clear, I’m squeaky clean. I defer to you on the issue of condoms.”

  He was shocking her with his brazen declarations, but something told him to get the pesky details out of the way so he could concentrate on his main objective. The seduction of Merri.

  “Yes, to everything,” she murmured. Her voice was heavy with desire. “But can we pass on the condoms?”

  Tom tested. He wanted to see how far he could go. “So you like the idea of me coming inside you?”

  She bit her lip before handing him the keys to heaven.

  “Um, I’ve never, like not even once.”

  His understanding grin turned quickly into a leer. “Oh, baby. I’ll make sure you enjoy every throb and every drop. Make no mistake about it. I want you. Badly. My cock needs you. I hope you’re ready.”

  Her eyes flared again. Mission accomplished. He planted the seeds. Hopefully, the only thing she’d be able to think about between now and then was the promised fucking.

  He leaned closer and kissed the tip of her nose, then left her with one more wicked thing to think about.

  “Bare pussy might be nice. Start off right. Get to know what turns my baby on.”

  Her soft gasp made his cock throb.

  He stroked her hair. “Although pretty dark curls are nice too. Something to tickle my nose.”

  Tom ended with a stroke of genius.

  “And you can expect man grooming on my part.” He traced a finger around her lips. “Now that I know what a talented mouth you have, I’m eager to see those pretty lips stretched around my dick.”

  She shivered. His libido snickered and offered a mental high five.

  “Oh, and one last thing, sweet cheeks. You can trust me to take care of you. I aim to please, Merri. And just so you know, the harder the fuck, the more loving the aftercare.”

  For a slight second, she looked like tears were a possibility. It killed him that no one had ever treated her right, but then again, until Merri, he hadn’t exactly given a shit. Not even with his wife. This was a journey of firsts for both of them.

  Chapter Seven

  She’d been in a state of near constant arousal since Tom spelled out what to expect for their date night. Not only that, Merri thought with a wince, but she also couldn’t concentrate worth a damn. And people were noticing.

  “Ya havin’ one helluva day,” one of the other waitresses drawled.

  Merri liked Sharon. She was the undisputed queen of gentle, Southern lady insult comedy—something every great diner needed.

  Tucking two menus under her arm and picking up a coffeepot, Merri winked and made a joke.

  “Not enough sleep. Binge watched a couple of seasons of Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. You know how it is.”

  “Oh, sure.” Sharon smirked. “Too much TV is why you gave Mr. Burrell a fruit plate instead of his standard three-egg omelet?”

  The morning went downhill after that. She was starting to freak out and wasn’t sure what to do about it.

  Did she get a facial, a hot stone pedicure, and have her lady parts waxed?

  Yes.

  Did she also drop by a little boutique catering to naughty lingerie enthusiasts?

  Also, yes.

  But she still hadn’t figured out what to wear. There was a lot hanging on what she chose. Did she go vampy? Conservative? Sexy? Comfortab
le?

  Aargh. Cyndi’s bright suggestion was the most direct option. Short and low cut with a no apologies pair of hooker heels.

  Reinforcements were necessary to help her decide.

  At the exact moment she needed advice, June and JJ sat down in her station and waved her over.

  “Well, this sucks.”

  “Uh, yeah, it sucks. Your ass hangs out.” June nixed the tacky black dress with a jerk of her thumb. “Next.”

  Merri peeled the clingy outfit off—a feat requiring Olympic-level gymnastics skill.

  When the hell did her butt get its own zip code?

  Was it true what she read in magazines—that turning thirty meant your body went to hell?

  “Stupid, fuggin’, goddamn, bullshit,” she mumbled disagreeably.

  “Here.” JJ held up a conservative gray dress. “From the Mother Superior Collection.” She sniggered. Her eye roll wasn’t necessary, but the petite troublemaker added one anyway.

  “Ew,” June grumbled. “Why is that even in your closet?”

  Wearing only her underwear, Merri slapped her hands to her waist and glared at Team J. “You’re supposed to be helping me find an outfit. Not critiquing the contents of my closet.”

  “Your fucking closet needs a blowtorch,” JJ snarked.

  She looked at June for help. “Come on, you’re a teacher. You know this drill. When you work around kids, sober and stuffy is the way to go.”

  “She has a point.” June nodded her agreement. “But you’re a part-timer at school. That’s not your whole life.” She motioned to the rack of clothes. “Dig deeper, JJ. Back of the closet. You know that’s where the crazy shit hides.”

  JJ clapped her hands, and boomed, “I’m going in!” Then she disappeared, and all Merri heard were the hangers scraping on the rack and JJ’s muttering.

  June tossed her a short robe to put on and patted the empty space alongside where she was propped up against the headboard of Merri’s bed. A tote bag was beside her next to a spread-out pile of bridal magazines.

  Covering up, Merri climbed onto the bed and sat cross-legged. She reached for a magazine and scanned the cover.

  “When did you know?” she asked. “When did you know Evan was the guy you wanted?”

  “It’s a long story,” June quietly admitted. “But it’s not the story you’re asking about, so I’ll just say this. I’ve always known. It’s always been Evan. Even when it wasn’t, it was still him. I know that doesn’t make sense.” She shrugged with a smile. “He’s my happiness.”

  “Love is weird.”

  “It’s everything,” her new friend said in a wistful sigh. She rubbed her tummy.

  June’s happy contentment gave Merri hope that something similar was possible for her and Tom. She had a diary filled with childish proof that she’d been dreaming about being Mrs. Tom Franklin since forever.

  June’s laughter brought Merri back to the closet rampage. She looked at the open door and saw JJ with a couple of outfits draped over her shoulder while holding up a dress with the tag still attached.

  “Look what I found.” JJ waved the hanger. “I think we have a winner.”

  “Oh, that. Impulse buy.”

  “Try it on,” June urged.

  “And put on your sexiest shoes. This situation calls for a major style initiative. Let’s see what we have to work with.”

  She didn’t hate the dress. In fact, she’d been thinking about Tom when she bought it. The black off-the-shoulder short-sleeve mermaid dress molded her butt, and since he loved her ass … well, what else was there?

  JJ rummaged through her shoes and produced a pair of gold sandals with high heels and ankle straps.

  “Gold,” she pointed out. “Classy. You’ll need a gold necklace. Something that makes a statement. And for a pop of color, I suggest a bright red purse. Match the purse to your lipstick, and Tom can wave good-bye to bachelorhood.”

  She shimmied into the grown-up dress and shoes while June and JJ looked on. It fit perfectly. The off-the-shoulder style featured a deep notch at the low neckline. She liked the way the bodice showcased her waist. The dress flared for her hips and then clung to her thighs before ending in a soft ruffled flounce that hung from her knees to mid-calf with the sexy mermaid draping in the back.

  If she wore her hair down and added a chunky gold necklace and bracelet, the outfit would knock Tom’s boots off.

  Before she decided, Cyndi had to weigh in.

  “Take a pic, please.” She had her phone on hand precisely for this reason and handed it to June. “Full length, front and back, okay?”

  Posing like a fashion model, she vamped it up for shits and giggles and then texted Cyndi. While she waited for a response, she showed off her latest lingerie purchase.

  “Check this out.”

  From a flat box, she held up the main piece. “It’s called a merry widow set. It’s stretchy and barely keeps the girls in place, but check out the back. It’s open, and the butt lacing gives it a touch of naughty.”

  JJ reached for the teeny-tiny fishnet panties. They were completely see-through. “Show-off.” She smirked.

  Merri blushed while the girls laughed.

  The outfit was completed by sexy fishnet stockings with wide lace tops attached to garters on the merry widow.

  June applauded. “Nicely done, wench! Nicely done.”

  Merri hoped so. Her intention after hearing what Tom was planning involved taking him as far to the edge as possible.

  “To shave or not to shave. That is the question before me,” Tom mumbled to his reflection.

  He scrubbed a hand on his face and chin. He kept his hair relatively conservative—a leftover habit from his Army years. Shaving, however, was not his favorite activity.

  Merri liked his bearded look, so the decision wasn’t difficult.

  Suiting up for a date reminded him of putting on his dress uniform. The attention to detail and the nervousness about getting it right.

  Of course, making sure his socks were the same color and a two second-decision about shaving did not compare to what he knew Merri was going through to prepare for their big night.

  She texted him a picture of the receipt from her visit to Lady Godiva where she shelled out a wad of dollars for a rose facial, a fancy spa pedicure, and the waxing room date night special.

  He chuckled. Where the hell had he found the balls to request bare pussy? There was a first time for everything, and he wasn’t sorry. Not when he ached to bury his face between her legs and find out once and for all how she tasted.

  His man grooming consisted of trimming the hedge and shaving in all the right places. He wasn’t kidding about wanting to watch her suck his cock. He sure as fuck hoped she liked it because his go-to fantasy when jerking off was Merri on her knees between his legs, slurping and sucking while he stroked her glorious head of soft curls. He’d grab a good handful when he was ready to come and direct her efforts. Imagining coming in her mouth with his cock nudging the back of her throat turned him on.

  Checking his watch for the tenth time, he measured his progress. Taking a shower took longer than usual due entirely to a nagging hard-on that started last night and refused to back off. He didn’t want to tug one out in the shower. What a waste. So he had to use redirection to get his response under control.

  He was in the middle of zipping his pants when the phone rang. His father’s face was displayed on the screen. Stretching his arm out, he answered the call and put it on speaker.

  “Hey, Dad. What’s up?”

  “Tom! Settle an argument with your mom, would you, son? She says I can’t make the joke about blowing smoke up my coaxial.”

  “She’s right, Dad. It’s a lame joke. If you have to be funny, use the one about spelling your name with phonetics. Foxtrot Romeo Alfa November Kilo Lima India November. Everyone in the audience who knows the phonetic alphabet for radio operators will be busy deciphering our last name.”

  “Ah, ha-ha. You’re right. Hey, wh
ile I have you, Merri is still joining us I hope.”

  “She is. I’m picking her up in a little bit. Why?”

  “You know how women are. Your mom wanted to do cocktails here, but I pointed out that wasn’t necessary. Then she got it into her head that we should have coffee and dessert after.”

  “Uh, Dad,” Tom muttered. There was no way he was committing to doing anything after the banquet except fulfilling all his fantasies.

  “Relax, my boy. I wasn’t born yesterday. I’ll keep your mom distracted so you and Merri can make an escape.”

  He blurted out the truth. “I wanna marry her, Dad. She’s the one.”

  “Glad to hear it, Tom. After what Laurel put you through, your mom and I weren’t sure you’d find someone.” He chuckled. “The joke was on us because the someone you were destined to find was right here the whole time.”

  “Now, I just have to convince her.”

  “Millicent Merriweather is a smart gal with a good head on her shoulders. She’ll make the right choice as long as you don’t mess up.”

  Tom snorted with a laugh. “Thanks for adding even more pressure, Dad!”

  “You’re my son, which means anything is possible. Your mom will be happy to tell you about some of my bonehead moments over the years.”

  “Dad, I gotta go. We’ll see you soon.”

  “Signing off, son.”

  Now that he said the words out loud, he was totally sure Merri was the only girl for him. Falling for his best friend wasn’t the forbidden outcome he once feared. She was it for him. All he had to do now was demonstrate with everything he had that he was the one for her.

  He tucked his shirt in and buckled his belt. It was rare for him to dress in anything other than jeans, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t rock a killer suit. The classic Hugo Boss he kept for special occasions was perfect for this evening.

  On the strongly worded suggestion of his mother, Tom had consulted with Merri about coordinating. He had no idea what that meant, but he did it, and to his amusement, Merri was thrilled at the question.

  She suggested a simple white shirt and black tie and told him not to worry about a pocket square because she’d take care of it.