by E. L. Todd
“It was nice to meet you,” my dad said as he hugged Elisa. “Please don’t be a stranger.”
“Thank you,” she said with a smile.
I hugged my dad next.
“Good job,” he said as he patted my back.
“Thanks.” I knew what he meant. “I’ll see you later.”
We walked to a cab then drove back to the townhouse down the road. Elisa was quiet on the drive.
“That wasn’t so bad, right?” I asked.
“He was very sweet,” she said with a smile.
“Yeah. My dad is a badass.”
She laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t say that.”
“He’s a cool guy. I like him a lot.”
“I liked him too.”
“And I know he liked you—a lot.”
“It seemed that way,” she said quietly.
“What’s bothering you?” I asked her blatantly.
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “I liked your dad. He was cute.”
I stared at her for a moment then dropped the conversation. Perhaps she was still nervous after the meeting. I thought it went well. My dad loved her and she liked him. He even wanted to meet her kids. If that wasn’t a declaration of his approval, then I didn’t know what was.
When we got home, the kids were already asleep.
“Hey,” I said as I put my coat on the rack.
“Hey,” Sadie said. “How’d it go?”
“It went great,” I said. “Dad loves her.”
Ethan looked at Elisa. “Had a good time?”
“Yeah,” she said.
We sat on the couch and I pulled her close to me.
“Did he ask about Mom?” Sadie asked.
“Yeah,” I answered. “He thinks you should still invite her.”
“Nope,” she said.
Ethan shrugged. “I tried.”
“He doesn’t want us to hate her,” I added.
“I don’t hate her,” Sadie said. “I just don’t like her.”
I laughed. “I said the same thing.”
Sadie looked Elisa. “Was my father sweet to you?”
“He was very nice to me,” she answered.
“He’s wanted to meet you for a while,” Sadie said.
“Oh?” Elisa said.
“Yeah. You’re the first girl Jared has brought around.”
She stared at me for a moment. “I didn’t know that.”
I met her gaze. “It’s true.” I kissed her on the forehead then the cheek. “I’m a bit obsessed with you, really.”
She said nothing.
“Baby, let’s go to bed,” Ethan said as he picked her up.
“That was sudden,” Sadie said as he lifted her.
“Well, I’m tired,” he said as he carried her down the hall. Koku emerged from the kitchen and followed behind them.
I rubbed my nose against Elisa’s. “Ready for bed, Ellie?”
She nodded.
I rose from the couch then walked into her bedroom with her trailing behind me. When we closed the door, I started to strip off my clothes. When my clothes were off she was practically salivating.
She turned away and started to undress herself. I came up behind her and pressed my naked body against her then I kissed her neck, gliding my tongue down the skin. I grabbed her hips and pressed her ass against my cock. I knew she could feel it. She was responsive but not as much as normally.
I pulled up her dress and pressed my dick against her skin. Then I reached down and started to rub her in the way that she liked. In a moment, she was breathing heavily for me, moaning like usual.
I unzipped her dress, letting it drop to the floor, then removed her thong. I pushed her against the wall, my chest against her back. The dynamic between us was completely different. Whatever was bothering her had left her mind. Now she wanted me to fuck her.
“How do you want it, Ellie?”
“Like this,” she said with a moan.
“I was hoping you would say that.” I dragged her to the bed then pushed her down, pulling her ass to me. The sight of her bent over made me want to explode. I enjoyed making love but I also enjoyed fucking her like crazy.
I pressed my tip against her entrance and I felt the moisture. I could slip inside so easily. “You’re so wet, baby.”
She moaned.
With a single thrust, I was inside her. I still wasn’t used to having sex without condoms so the feel of her bare flesh was always a shock. It was so slippery and smooth. “Fuck,” I whispered.
“Jared.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me further into her.
“Damn.” I pressed my chest against her back. It was smooth and warm. I slowly thrust inside of her while I rubbed her clit. “Try to be quiet.”
“I—I can’t,” she said as she bit her lip.
I continued to move inside her. “The quieter you are, the harder I go.”
“Oh god.”
I slowed down.
She fell silent.
“Good girl,” I said as I increased my pace.
She reached behind her and grabbed my ass, pulling me into her. I was careful not to rock the bed too much. Her breathing had increased and she was practically hyperventilating.
“Stay quiet,” I whispered.
She moaned.
I slowed down.
“Please,” she whispered.
I moved even slower.
She grabbed my ass and squeezed.
I bucked inside of her hard, inserting myself as far as I would go. She stayed quiet and I was astounded. I continued to move inside her, loving every inch of her. “God, I love you.”
Her orgasm kicked in and she was doing a horrible job of staying quiet. Since she was already coming, I didn’t slow down because I wanted to make her feel good. She whispered my name over and over, which made me come at the same time.
“Ellie,” I whispered. “God.” Now I couldn’t stay quiet.
When we were both finished, I kissed her spine until I reached her neck. Then I massaged her skin, making her relax. She lay down and with me beside her.
She patted my chest. “You did good.”
I laughed. “Thanks. I’m glad I satisfy you.”
She cuddled next to me and rested her head on my chest. “That was fun.”
“It was,” I said as I kissed her forehead. “Since tomorrow is a special day, I was hoping I could take you out.”
She looked at me. “What’s tomorrow?”
“Your birthday.”
“Ethan told you?”
“Yep.”
She sighed.
“Have dinner with me.”
“Okay,” she said with a smile. “No gifts.”
“Okay.”
“I know you’re lying.”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
She closed her eyes then fell asleep. I stared at her for a long time before I was able to follow behind her.
10
I woke up early the next morning and got the kids ready then placed them at the kitchen table. I cooked breakfast—tried to cook breakfast—and waited for my beautiful woman to wake up. When she came into the kitchen, her face broke into a smile.
“What’s this?” she asked.
I looked at the kids. “That’s your cue.”
“Happy birthday!” they squealed. They both held up the paintings they made for her, under my supervision, and waved them at her. Tommy’s painting looked like a black smudge and Becky’s looked like bubblegum.
Elisa had tears in her eyes as she looked at her kids. “You made these for me?”
Tommy handed it to her. “This is you.”
She looked at it with a smile. “It’s wonderful, dear.”
“Look at mine!” Becky yelled.
Elisa looked at it.
“It’s you as a princess, Mommy!”
“I can see that,” she lied. “It’s beautiful. Thank you so much.” She kissed each of them on the head then hugged them tightly. There were tears in her eyes
and she tried to blink them away.
I turned off the stove then walked over to her. “Happy birthday, honey.”
She smiled at me. “You did this?”
“No. We all did it,” I said as I looked at the kids. I kissed her on the forehead. “You look beautiful.”
“I just woke up,” she said with flushed cheeks.
“I don’t understand the relevance.” I pulled out a chair for her and had her sit down. “Come on.” When she sat down, I pushed her chair in. “Breakfast is coming up.”
I grabbed the plates then set them on the table. We started to eat together when Ethan walked into the room.
“Happy birthday, baby sister.” He kissed her on the head.
“Thank you,” she answered.
Ethan grabbed a plate and started to eat. “Why does this taste weird?”
“Jared cooked today,” she explained.
“I tried to cook,” I corrected.
“Oh,” Ethan said. “It tastes great.”
I laughed. “I know my cooking sucks in comparison to Elisa’s.”
“It’s the thought that counts,” Elisa said.
“What a pity compliment,” Ethan said with a laugh.
Elisa glared at him. “It’s not pity. It’s incredibly sweet.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you like it.”
Koku came to my leg and started to beg for food. “Koku obviously think it’s good.”
“But he eats his own shit,” Ethan said.
Elisa glared at him. “Don’t cuss, Ethan.”
“Damn,” he said. “I mean, wait—oh forget it.”
I laughed. I tried very hard not to curse around the children and I hadn’t had a slip up yet.
Sadie came into the room holding a vase of flowers. “Happy birthday, Elisa,” she said as she placed them in the middle of the table.
“Awe,” Elisa said. “They are beautiful. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She sat down beside me and started to eat. She gave Koku a few scraps, but after he smelled it he walked away.
Ethan laughed. “That was just sad.”
I shook my head. “Clearly I need more practice.”
“Or you should stop—for humanity.”
“Leave him alone,” Elisa said. “I think it’s great.”
“We all know you’re lying,” Ethan said. “Don’t bother.”
She reached across the table and grabbed my hand. “Thank you.”
Sadie took a bite of her food then made a face. “Wait, Jared made this?”
“Yeah,” Ethan said with a laugh.
“You should have said something before,” she said as she chewed.
Ethan laughed. “You’re so cute, baby.”
“Even when I look like I’m going to throw up?”
“Don’t be annoying,” I said to her. “I wanted to do something nice for the woman I love.”
“And you succeeded,” Elisa said to me.
Ethan stood up. “Well, I’m going to head to work—and grab breakfast on the way.”
I laughed. “Something so sweet turned so laughable.”
Ethan shrugged then kissed Sadie on the head. “I’ll see you later, baby.”
Sadie rose from the chair then dumped her plate in the sink. “I’m leaving too.”
They both bolted out the door.
I looked at Elisa. “I’m sorry it isn’t very good.”
“It’s fine, Jared. Don’t listen to them.”
“Okay.”
I looked at my watch. “I need to get going. I’ll do the dishes when I get home.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said with a laugh.
We rose from the table then walked to the front door. She wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me. It was gentle and wet. When she pulled away, she pressed her forehead against mine. “Thank you for breakfast.”
“Of course,” I said. “We still on for tonight?”
“Yeah,” she said with a smile.
“And you’ll get your birthday sex later.”
She blushed. “I better.”
“Oh you will.”
I gave her one last kiss before I walked out the door.
When I got to work, I had to organize all the accounts I was handling then speak to my clients. The job was rudimentary and repetitive. Sometimes I was actually bored. But it paid the bills and gave me a flashy title. I called the restaurant and made the reservations before I went home.
I grabbed the box from my bedroom then changed before I headed back to Elisa’s. As I was walking there, I imagined what she would be wearing and how she looked. I knew she would be beautiful, but just how beautiful was still a mystery.
When she opened the door, my mouth dropped. She was wearing a low cut dress with a high slit, revealing her legs.
“You—look—yes.”
“Thanks,” she said. “You look very handsome as well.”
“Well—duh.”
She laughed.
“You ready?”
“Well—duh,” she snapped.
I laughed then grabbed her hand. “Let’s go.”
We walked to the restaurant. It was a fancy Italian restaurant. I knew Elisa didn’t go out very often and I wanted to do something nice for her. When we approached the table, I pulled out the chair for her and she sat down.
“This place is really nice, Jared.”
“And I’m sure their cooking is better than mine.”
She laughed. “It wasn’t that bad.”
“That bad? Koku wouldn’t even eat it.”
“Maybe he wasn’t hungry.”
“That dog is always hungry.”
“It was sweet either way.”
“Well, I’m glad you appreciated it. I just hope I didn’t poison our kids.”
She flinched after I spoke. I wondered if the use of our is what made her uncomfortable. It just slipped out. I wasn’t thinking. Instead of making the situation worse, I decided to drop it.
“How was your day?” I asked.
“Good. I placed the paintings on the refrigerator.”
“Future works of art.”
“Maybe,” she said with a smile.
I leaned forward. “Did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?”
She blushed. “Thank you.”
“Have you thought about what kind of sex you want to have?”
She smiled. “A little.”
“I’m glad you’re doing some real brainstorming. People need to take birthday sex more seriously.”
“It’s a tough decision.”
While we were eating, I looked across the room I saw my ex, Suzie, sitting across from a guy. She was clearly on a date. I hoped she wouldn’t notice me, and if she did, I hoped she wouldn’t talk to me. The last thing I wanted to do was make Elisa uncomfortable with a crazy ex. It wouldn’t make me look good.
When we were finished, I pulled out the cash and left it on the table. “Are you ready, m’lady?”
“Yes.”
I pulled out her chair and helped her stand up. I guided her out of the restaurant and avoided Suzie as much as possible. I know I broke her heart when I dumped her. But I had to do it. That bitch was crazy.
“Thank you for taking me to dinner,” she said.
“Yeah, of course. Did you like your food?”
“It was great.”
“Good.”
We didn’t say anything on the cab ride home. She placed her hand on my thigh and rubbed me gently. I started thinking about birthday sex. When we pulled in front of the house, I handed the money to the driver then got out.
Everyone was asleep when we walked inside. It wasn’t late but the house was silent. We walked into the bedroom and closed the door.
“So have you decided yet?” I asked as I loosened my tie.
“Too many options,” she said as she kicked off her heels.
“Well, I’ll give you your gift now so you have more time.”
“You got me something? You
’ve done more than enough.”
“It will never be enough for the woman I love.”
Her eyes softened. I pulled the box out of my pocket then sat beside her on the bed. I was careful not to get down on one knee. “Here,” I said as I handed it to her.
She took the box and opened the ribbon. “Tiffany’s?” she asked. “They are so expensive.”
“Ignore that.”
She opened the lid and pulled out the necklace. It was a heart made of white gold. She stared at it affectionately.
“It’s a locket.”
She opened the clasp and looked at the picture. It was a picture of Becky and Tommy holding up the paintings they made for her. She stared at it for a long time without saying anything. Her lack of reaction frightened me. I couldn’t tell if she loved it or hated it. When the tears started to fall, I knew I did something wrong.
“Elisa?”
“I’m sorry,” she said as she tried to wipe her tears away. “It’s very sweet, Jared.”
“Then why are you crying?”
She stood up and turned away from me, the locket forgotten on the bed. “I—I can’t do this. I’m sorry.”
I felt my heart fall. “What—what do you mean?”
She started to sob. “I thought I was ready but obviously I’m not. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
I felt the tears burn behind my eyes but they didn’t fall. “Please don’t do this, Elisa.”
“I’m sorry, Jared. I like you, I really do, but I can’t do this.”
I looked at the floor and tried to control my breathing. I didn’t understand. I did everything for this girl. I knew she would never be over her husband and I was fine with that. “Elisa, don’t be scared. It’s okay. Just sleep on it tonight.”
“No,” she said. She still wouldn’t look at me. “I can’t do this, Jared. I’m sorry. I want you to leave.”
“Please don’t do this.”
“You told me that if I ever asked you to leave, you would do it without hesitation.”
She was right. I did say that. I rose from the bed but couldn’t feel my legs. I thought everything was fine. We seemed so happy together. The kids loved me. I didn’t want this to happen. “Uh—I’ll go.”
“Okay,” she whispered. She didn’t bother to turn around.
I came up behind her but didn’t touch her. “Elisa, I love you.”
She was silent.
