Craig
“You know, my friends told me I should stay away from you.”
“Maybe you oughta listen to ‘em.”
She was definitely in the top tier of women I’d tried to pick up. Big blue eyes, long blond hair, tits like you wouldn’t believe, and a body so nice you wanted to weep. And she was all over me. Problem was, I didn’t care. And it scared the shit out of me. Getting plastered and going home with some random woman had been my go-to for getting away from whatever I didn’t want to deal with.
Lena. I made a special effort to remember her name after the debacle with the redhead. Lena was giving me all the signs for the go-ahead, leaning forward, smiling, wrapping her lips around her straw in a way that was damn near pornographic – hell, all she needed was one of those airport runway guys pointing his flashlight things right at her pussy. I probably could’ve fucked her right there on the bar and she would’ve been cool with it.
But all I could think about was Cindy. It was fucking ironic, really. I’d allowed myself to think about her in that way for a tiny amount of time, hoping it’d scratch the itch. Nope. It’d only made things worse. Like a hound dog who’d gotten a taste for blood, all I could think about were all the things I wanted to do to her.
“I mean, they say you’re the kind of guy who says whatever it takes to get a girl home for the night.”
It was some typical game, if you could call it that. She was doing the whole “oh, I know you’re bad, but tell me why I should do what we both know I want to do” routine. If a girl was at this point, sex was basically a given.
It wasn’t what I wanted, though. Even the idea of going to the effort of calling a cab and heading over to her place seemed like too much. She could’ve offered to suck my cock in the bathroom and I probably would’ve thought twice about it.
Cindy. The girl was burned into my mind like a brand. What the hell was I going to do? First things first, I had to get out of this conversation. And to do that, I needed some extreme measures.
“I am that kind of guy. Your friends are dead-on. I’ll take you home, fuck your brains out, and the next morning I’ll be out of there so fast you’ll wonder what the hell you did wrong. And I won’t call you again because I didn’t care about you. I only wanted you for the night. So if that’s what you’re into, then let’s do it. But if not, well, maybe you ought to take your friends’ advice.”
Her face fell as I killed the hell out of the sexy, playful mood. For a moment she was totally confused, as if I was playing some next-level game she didn’t understand. Her expression hardened quickly.
“Wow. Asshole. Have a good night.” Her voice was hard as she snatched her drink from the table and stomped away.
One problem taken care of. Now I needed to get rid of the other. Cindy. I needed to get her the fuck out of my head. I sipped my bourbon and let it linger on my tongue before swallowing. Well, at least the booze was still good. Who the hell knew if the hangover would be worth it? One way to find out.
I leaned across the bar, wondering if I’d been too tough on that girl. She was young – couldn’t have been older than twenty-five. And she’d looked none too happy about what had gone down. But I was right about everything I’d said. I’d fuck her brains out for one night, and if all went according to plan, I’d sneak out before she’d even had a chance to wake up and think about what was for breakfast. Pissing her off now would be better for her than leaving her feeling used in the morning.
But why the hell was I even thinking about that shit? Nearly fifty years on this damn planet and there wasn’t a single woman whose opinion I gave a shit about other than Quinn’s. Was I getting soft or some shit? Scary as fuck to think about.
I finished my bourbon and ordered another. I had a feeling I was going to need it and a hell of a lot more for the kind of ruminating I was in the mood for. But before I could even take a sip of the next drink, the commotion of two girls entering the bar cut through the rest of the background noise.
I turned to see who the hell was causing all the fuss, and I nearly dropped my drink when I realized who it was – none other than Cindy herself. And she had that Alexa girl with her, the little hipster thing who’d seen more dick in her day than a urologist. They’d always been a weird fucking pair, and there they were together after all this time.
And I could tell they were more than a little tipsy. Not quite drunk, but definitely as if they’d done some pre-gaming before heading over. What kind of shit they were planning on getting up to, I could only guess. Cindy wasn’t exactly the partying type – never had been. But Alexa, on the other hand, she was nothing but a bad influence.
What the hell did I care, though? They were both grown adults. They could make their own damn choices. Still, something about seeing them out like that made me feel a certain kind of way. Couldn’t put my finger on what it was, exactly.
But there was a certain kind of way Cindy made me feel that I knew all about. The girl looked fucking good. She was dressed in a pair of skintight jeans and a tight flannel shirt and some cowboy boots to go with it all. The bar was the sort of dive that brought in both working class dudes from town and cowboy-types, so she fit right in.
And the bar was crowded enough that they didn’t notice me. So I decided to watch them for a little while, see what the hell they were planning on getting up to. Alexa shouted to the bartender in an obnoxious, drunk girl kind of way, and soon he was over in her direction with a pair of shots. They threw them back and let out a couple of whoops, which seemed very fucking weird coming from Cindy.
Then they ordered a round of drinks and got to scoping out the bar. The way they looked around…I knew it – I’d seen more than a few women scan bars like that, their eyes usually settling on me. It meant the girls were looking for some guys with whom to pass the time.
And it wasn’t long before they found them. Or, to be more precise, the guys found the girls. A pair of rancher types in jeans and patterned shirts and boots moseyed on over in their direction, dropping into the seats and getting nice and comfortable. The girls didn’t seem to mind one bit.
I did, on the other hand. I minded quite a fucking bit, actually. It surprised the shit out of me. Was I jealous?
What the hell do you expect, dumbass? She’s a pretty girl and guys are gonna want to get to know her.
Couldn’t put my finger on why, but I flashed back to a memory from years ago. I’d been at Drew’s house throwing back some beers and watching the Steelers. I ended up going to take a piss and passing by the shut door of Cindy’s bedroom. She and Alexa had been inside having a conversation. I’d never been one to eavesdrop and hadn’t planned on listening. But I remembered something that I couldn’t help but overhear.
“Listen, you’re eighteen freaking years old, you’re about to graduate high school, and you’re still a virgin! You don’t think that’s a little weird?”
“What’s weird about it? Really, I think you’re the weird one for thinking it’s weird that I want to wait to find the right guy.”
“It’s not that big of a deal, Cin. You get naked with the guy and he moves around and then bam – you’re not a virgin!”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about. It has to be more special than that.”
“It’s not, trust me. Especially with guys our age.” A silence had ensured followed by a gasp. “Wait! I think I know who you’ve got in mind for the right guy. Someone who’s older and probably knows what the hell he’s doing.” More silence and a cackling laugh. “Yep, I knew it! You want him!”
“Shut up! No, I don’t.”
“Hey, what’s stopping you? Wait until your dad runs out for some more beer and then make a move. Bet he’d be more than happy to do it for you.”
Of course, it hit me who they were talking about. And I’d realized I’d been standing outside the bedroom door of two teenage girls. So I’d gone to the bathroom and headed back to the living room and that was that.
But sitting there at the bar, I t
hought about what Cindy had talked about, how she’d still been a virgin and, more than that, wanted to lose it to me. At the time, it’d been cuter than anything. But sitting at the bar, the thought made my dick move a little bit. Not her as a teenager, of course, but the idea of her still being a virgin, wanting me to be the one to fuck her for the first time. Was it really possible? I had a hard time believing it was.
Then something snapped me out of my daydreaming. One of the cowboy dudes put his hand on Cindy’s leg under the bar, and I was pretty damn sure she didn’t care for it. Her face tightened, as did the rest of her body. His hand moved up and up, drawing closer to a place on her body that was most definitely not where she wanted it. That was all I needed to see.
My hands clenched into fists and all I could think about was pummeling that little shit into the ground. Her eyes looked worried as she realized what was happening. I didn’t need to think about what I was going to do, not even for a second.
I got up, taking exactly one second to check myself to make sure I didn’t go into total psycho mode and do something that would land me in the fucking penitentiary. When I was sure I was exactly as mad as I needed to be, I threw back the rest of my drink and stormed over to that little shit.
It all happened pretty damn quick. I grabbed the kid’s hand from Cindy’s leg and yanked it off. The dude’s eyes were as wide as fucking saucers and he let out a quick “what the fuck?” as it happened. And as shocked as the kid was, the girls were even more surprised. Their hands shot to their mouths as they realized what was happening.
“You know what the fuck, kid,” I growled. “Not very fucking polite to touch a lady like that within four minutes of meeting her.”
I gripped the kid’s hand tight, making sure I didn’t do it tightly enough to break anything – as much as I might’ve wanted to.
“Who the hell are you?” he snapped, getting some of that shithead energy that guys his age were known for.
“Mr. Johannsson!” Cindy’s exclamation answered the question.
The kid’s expression changed as he realized who the fuck I was. “I’m sorry! I didn’t know!”
“I think you knew exactly what you were doing. And you also know there are consequences to acting with that kind of impropriety.”
“What kind of consequences?”
Truth be told, I hadn’t thought that far ahead. All I really wanted was for the kid to get his fucking hand off Cindy’s goddamn leg.
“Mr. Johannsson!” Alexa repeated my name, but her tone was less surprise and more anger. “Leave him alone!”
I turned my attention to Cindy to see what she thought. There was still total shock at seeing me, but there was relief too. I could sense she was glad I’d done what I’d done. The point had been made. I narrowed my eyes at the kid one more time before tossing his hand aside like it was the most disgusting fucking thing in the world.
“Get your asses out of here. These girls are off-limits.”
They didn’t need me to tell them twice. The boys scampered off like whipped pups, melting into the crowd on the other side of the bar.
Leaving me with the girls. Whatever happened next, it was going to be mighty interesting.
I regarded the girls for a long moment, curious as hell to see what they were going to do. Cindy was still shocked, but Alexa wasn’t shy about making her thoughts on the matter known.
“What the hell was that, Craig?”
“That’s Mr. Johannsson to you, kid,” I snarled. I didn’t want to be too mean to the girl, but she needed to know that wasn’t the kind of tone I’d be accepting anytime soon.
“Mr. Johannsson, Craig – whatever the fuck. You think that’s cool to do what you just did?”
I shrugged. “Don’t give a damn whether it was cool or not. I did what needed to be done.”
Alexa expression was fierce as she stared at me. “Cin and I were having a good time talking to those guys and you came over here and, what, decided to be a chaperone and bouncer all at once?”
“I don’t know about you, kid, but from where I was sitting it didn’t look like Cindy was having too much fun.”
Alexa turned her attention to Cindy. “What’s he talking about? Did you not want to be hanging out with those guys or something? They seemed cool.”
The shock finally began to wear off Cindy’s face. “I mean, they were cool at first. But then the one guy, the one who was talking to me…he got kind of handsy.”
“What do you mean?”
“Putting his fucking hands where they didn’t belong,” I growled. “And you’re outta your mind if you think I’m gonna let that shit fly.”
“Did he really?” Alexa was more concerned now than anything. “Like what did he do?”
“Tried to get to third base right here at the bar,” I said.
“Cindy can speak for herself,” Alexa shot at me.
She had a point – I was still so fucking steamed that I wasn’t giving Cindy a chance to say how she actually felt about it. Her face had told the whole story, but hey, maybe I’d been a little too hotheaded. Wouldn’t have been the first time.
“He’s right. Like I said, he was fun at first. But then he put his hand on my leg and I froze. I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t want to make a scene or anything like that. I mean, I would’ve said something, but…”
It made sense with the kind of girl I knew she was. Cindy never had a hard time sticking up for herself – I’d seen it more than a few times on the farm. But when it came to matters of sex and flirting and all that shit, it stood to reason that she would easily feel overwhelmed.
Fuck – did it mean she was as sexually inexperienced as I wondered?
“Good,” I said. “Then I did the right thing. Little shit’s lucky I didn’t break his fucking wrist.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Alexa said breezily. “It just so happened that this time you did the right thing. But I brought Cin out to have fun and meet some guys and we don’t need some old dude watching over our every move. Got it?”
“Old dude?” I asked, letting out a bark of a laugh. “Trust me, this old dude knows what guys your age have on their mind all the time. And it’s doing whatever it takes to get into those jeans of yours.”
“Oh, it’s only young guys who think that way?” Alexa asked, an eyebrow arched. “Because I know about your reputation, Craig, and you’re not exactly a monk when it comes to this kind of shit.”
She had me there. But the point still stood. “Doesn’t matter how I act. The point is I know an entitled little fucker when I see one.”
“Yeah,” Alexa said. “Same here.” She narrowed her eyes at me, making it clear who she was referring to.
Cindy raised her palms. “OK, both of you need to stop this right now. Tonight’s supposed to be about relaxing and blowing off steam, and this is the total opposite of that.”
I didn’t want stress her out more than she already was, so I backed off. But Alexa clearly wasn’t done.
“Listen,” she said. “This girl needs to get laid, stat. And the last thing that’ll help that happen is someone like you prowling around making sure no guy comes within thirty feet of her. So why don’t you go find some poor girl with low self-esteem and leave us alone?”
There were plenty of insults in that statement I took issue with. Maybe they were true, but that didn’t matter. Cindy needed to get laid? What the fuck did that mean? And why did the thought of her sleeping with someone else make me physically ill?
“Alexa!” Cindy’s voice was sharp. “Do you really need to announce that to the whole fucking bar?”
She shrugged. “Hey, plenty of guys here would probably love to fuck you. Straight-up proclaiming it to the bar might make this whole thing easier.”
I didn’t know what to say. I knew what I wanted to say. I wanted to tell her the only one who’d be fucking her anytime soon would be me. But I couldn’t say that. Could I?
“Wait a minute, you’re telling me that you’re here
tonight to what, hook up with some random guy?”
“Not sure if that’s any of your business,” Cindy sniffed, regaining her usual confidence. “What I want to do with my night is my concern.”
“And it’s my concern too,” I stated. “Kid, I’ve known you for years – you’re not my own daughter but you’re pretty damn close.”
The words sounded strange, and I knew why. Sure, I had a soft spot for her and wanted to look out for her. But the way I felt about her was definitely not a daughter kind of situation. Even the way she sat in front of me in that tight-as-fuck shirt, those jeans she looked poured into…they were enough to make my cock shift. But I had to put that aside.
“Daughter,” Alexa scoffed. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s it. I know why you’re being so protective over her and it sure as hell isn’t about that.”
“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Cindy’s eyes widened again, and I got the impression she knew what was about to be discussed. Me, I had a feeling. And I didn’t like it.
“You know exactly what it means, Craig.” It was clear the booze was making her mouthy. But I didn’t stop her. “It means that this girl” –she sloppily grabbed Cindy’s arm hard enough to make her shift in her seat— “has been waiting since she was, like, sixteen for you to take her virginity.”
“Alexa!” Cindy was clearly totally fucking embarrassed, her face red as a ripe tomato.
“And if you’re not gonna do it, then get the fuck out of the way so someone else can pop this cherry. Because if it’s not you, some other cowboy with a big dick will be happy to do the job.”
Well, there it was – out in the open. Cindy was still a fucking virgin and she wanted me to be her first. The thought of it was almost more than I could handle. She’d been so tight in my fantasy, and now I knew she’d be even tighter in real life. It was enough to almost make me blow my damn load right there in my jeans.
I wasn’t a man who was easily rendered speechless, but that had done it.
“Well?” Alexa pushed, glaring at me. “Say something! You’re always so quick to be a smartass – no comments now?”
Mistoletoe Surprise: An Older Man Younger Woman Christmas Romance Page 7