by S. E. Law
The subject of my thought speaks, immediately pulling my attention to her.
“Do I get a hint as to where we’re going?”
A smile curls my lips as I shake my head.
“Nope, but if you wait just a few more minutes then we’ll be there and you won’t have to wonder anymore.”
She puffs her cheeks out in playful irritation, the sight coming off more cute than intimidating. Keeping that to myself, I focus on the road as we pull into the parking lot of our destination. Kim’s gasp of surprise next to me makes a smile tug across my mouth. I knew she would enjoy this.
I help her out of the car as she stares in surprise and delight at the high-end Italian restaurant in front of us. She mentioned her love of pasta and bread on our previous date and I knew immediately that this would be the perfect place for our next one.
Not many people could get reservations as quickly as I did, but there are benefits to running a popular line of restaurants. I know the owner, Maria Costas, and as a professional courtesy, he put me at the front of their line.
Kim’s eyes light up with excitement as I lead her inside and I have to muffle a chuckle as her gaze swings around with awe to take everything in. The restaurant is a classic white-tablecloth restaurant. Deep red velvet booths host different parties, and the lights are low yet intimate. Black and white clad waiters zoom from table to table, bowing courteously while offering recommendations.
To be honest, I almost reserved the entire restaurant for us, just so that we could have the utmost privacy. But Kim’s discomfort with bigger shows of affection had changed my plan. The whole point of bringing her out on dates was for her to enjoy herself, and not for her to stress about such things.
“Adam,” booms Mario as he strides over to clap on the back. “Thanks for coming.”
“No problem,” I say. “You know we chefs have to support one another.”
Mario chortles and his big belly shakes merrily.
“I’d say you’re more than a chef. You’re the Adam Jackson, food entrepreneur. But who do we have here?” he asks, grinning widely at Kim. She blushes and holds out one small hand.
“Hi, I’m Kim,” she says. “I’m looking forward to our meal at La Viggiatore. I’ve read the most amazing reviews about your place.”
Mario immediately beams with pleasure.
“Yes, that last review in The Herald was wonderful, wasn’t it? I almost cried with happiness when I saw it. But we treat all of our guests the same, so you’ll be getting our best food and service. Luigi!” he claps. “Come here and bring your best wine. The lady and the gentleman are parched!”
Of course, Kim’s not quite old enough to drink yet, so she orders a mocktail instead made of pineapple and seltzer water.
“Of course, madame,” Luigi nods. “May I ask: are you pregnant? Our kitchen especially loves to cook for pregnant women.”
Her cheeks flush hotly and she shoots a quick glance at me.
“No, no, I’m not pregnant,” she says quickly in a whisper.
“Ah,” says Luigi with another bow. “Well, best wishes on your fertility journey then.” He bows and then walks away, a big grin on his face. Meanwhile, Kim turns to me, her color still elevated.
“I don’t know why he asked that,” she says quickly. “That’s such a strange question.”
I merely take a casual sip of my wine.
“Is it?”
“Well yes!” she sputters. “Why would he even ask? It’s none of his business!”
“Yes, but you could be pregnant,” I say with a calm smile. “After all, we haven’t been using protection a hundred percent of the time.”
Kim immediately begins breathing quickly, her bosom heaving up and down. I can barely take my eyes away from the delicious sight.
“Yes, but who’s fault is that?”
I raise my hands in surrender.
“All mine,” I say. “You’re just so lovely, sweetheart, and sometimes I get caught up in the heat of the moment. But frankly, this goes back to our first discussion, which I believe has never been resolved. Are we trying to get pregnant? Or is there still that silly specter of blackmail hanging over our relationship?”
Kim blushes and looks at a loss for words, but then fhe food’s arrival saves her.
“Goodness, this looks delicious!” she says. “I can’t wait to dig in!”
I lean forward to whisper into her ear.
“Don’t worry sweetheart. I enjoy seeing you so happy, so you don’t have to answer now. But think about it, okay?”
She blushes again, and I change the subject.
“Maybe next time I’ll bring you to one of my restaurants so you can see what I do every day.”
She nods, still a bit flustered, and I take another calm sip of wine. After all, I’d love for Kim to get pregnant ASAP. Being with her has made me realize that she’s everything I love: innocent yet sultry; smart as a whip, but never presumptuous; and always willing to share her generously curvy body.
She smiles again and we begin to eat. Just watching her devour hearty Italian food is enough to get me turned on, but I restrain myself. She looks at me shyly and then quirks her head.
“I’d love to visit your restaurants, Adam. In fact, I’ve been curious about what you do for a bit now. Can I ask more about how you made your restaurant chain as popular as it is?”
Shaking off my surprise, I wave my hand in the universal gesture of “go ahead.” Her childlike curiosity is refreshing as she shoots off rapid-fire questions.
“How did you start out? I know you said you started working in a minimum wage job, but how did that lead to you owning your own restaurant? What made you want to do this?”
Other people have asked me these questions multiple times, but they only wanted to know for their own self-gain. It’s nice to have Kim so interested in my past, simply because she wants to know me better. Her genuine interest in me makes my heart grow warm.
“I did start out at a low-wage job. I was a Taco Mama cashier to be specific. I think I mentioned that to you, right?”
She nods.
“Were you sick of bean burritos by the time you were done with that job?”
I throw my head back and laugh.
“Yeah, but it wasn’t just the food. I didn’t mind the food, to be honest. They let you eat as much as you wanted on shift, so I was grateful that I didn’t have to pay extra to feed myself. In those days, it would have meant skipping meals and going hungry occasionally.”
She nods, her eyes wide with a forkful of lasagna halfway to her mouth.
“I’m so sorry to hear that,” she murmurs.
I shrug.
“Don’t be. The chain had a lot of problems outside of food. The management was terrible and most of my coworkers were fed up with it. Those that stayed didn’t even try to do their best, which of course made for poor morale and a terrible working environment. That’s what made me decide that I would do better than them. I would open my own restaurant, and carefully pick a team to help me run the place. I couldn’t do worse than Taco Mama, let’s put it that way.”
She nods again.
“I think Taco Mama is still in business, but they closed a lot of stores recently, right?”
I nod.
“Yeah, they’re idiots. Their poor management was going to doom them, even if their food wasn’t half bad. But anyways, once I opened my first restaurant, the rest is history. I opened a second place, then a third, and more and more until we had restaurants all over the Eastern seaboard. Now we’re making a push to go national. I’ve also been playing with the idea of franchising them, but haven’t made a decision yet.”
Realizing I was performing a monologue, I stop and shoot Kim a smile.
“Sorry, I tend to ramble about my business. If I start again you can tell me to stop. I won’t take offense.”
She blushes.
“No, it’s okay. I can tell you’re really passionate about your work, and that’s probably the reason why you’re so succ
essful. You come alive when you discuss your restaurant and I like seeing you so happy. I’m still interested in the details though.”
Her open honesty makes me duck my head, and I grin at her.
“I appreciate that, sweetheart. Ask away, and I’ll do my best to explain.”
She smiles and the hours pass seamlessly as we go over the various ins and outs of running a business. Kim’s enthusiasm and interest are heartwarming, despite the topic being what most would call “dry.” She listens with rapt attention, and I feel flattered that this beautiful woman is interested in me and my business.
As the conversation begins to wind down, I turn the topic of conversation to her.
“What about you, sweetheart? You said you were a senior right? Do you have any particular aspirations for after graduation?”
Kim’s look of surprise is immediately overcome with uncertainty.
“I’m honestly not sure. I was planning on going to college, but I guess you know what happened with that.”
I shake my head.
“No, not exactly. Adella mentioned something about a girl in need, but she didn’t get into specifics. How did you come to know Adella?”
Kim takes a deep breath.
“Well, she’s my History teacher. Both my brother and I are in her class.”
I jerk back.
“You have a twin brother?”
She nods and bites her lip.
“Kurt is a great guy, and he’s been my best friend since … well, really our whole lives. The thing is that Kurt has anxiety and he gets nervous a lot. There’s been so much pressure from our parents to get into a good college, and he feels it acutely. As a result, he cheated on an exam in Mrs. Rogers’s class.”
I shake my head.
“Damn. That sucks, but I’ve done worse in my life.”
Kim nods her head quickly.
“I know, right? It’s not exactly a felony. But Mrs. Rogers threatened him with the book, and he broke down. I stepped in to see if I could do anything, and well, Mrs. Rogers set me up with you.”
I stare at her.
“So it’s because of your twin brother that you’re in this situation. It’s nothing that you did yourself.”
She shakes her head slowly.
“No, I didn’t cheat. But you see, I’d do anything for my brother. Kurt … well, he’s just Kurt. He doesn’t get it sometimes, and I’ve been protecting him my whole life. I wasn’t going to let something like this send him into a spiral of depression.”
I stare at the beautiful woman, even more impressed with her self-sacrifice and giving ways.
“You’re doing this for your brother?”
She shoots me a helpless look.
“Yes, sort of. You see, Kurt … well, he’s just Kurt,” she repeats. “I can’t explain it but he’s my brother. I can’t let Mrs. Rogers treat him like this!”
I take another sip of my wine, trying to look calm despite the fact that thoughts are raging through my head. This is no nasty nymph, the way Adella Rogers made her out to be. This is a sweet, innocent girl who’s been taken advantage of by an unscrupulous old hag. Not only that, but Kim is trying to help her brother. This isn’t even about her.
Kim’s solemn eyes twist something in my chest; my arm is reaching out to hold her hand before I consciously give the order.
“Well, enough about that. How about we head home? I think we both need some rest and who knows? Maybe we’ll think of a solution to all this.”
She looks down sadly, but then looks up and smiles at me,
“Yes, let’s go. Who knows? Anything can happen.”
My heart twists again because it’s not Kim’s fault this happened. Yet now, I want the curvy girl more than ever, and I won’t let anyone take her away from me.
11
Kim
As we cross the entrance of Adam’s house, I feel every ounce of the emotional toll from our previous discussion pile on me at once. The date had been great until that last bit. What am I doing here? How could I have let myself get blackmailed into this situation? Even if I’m the prisoner of a millionaire, I’m still a prisoner.
Suddenly, I feel like I should have been smarter, wilier, or at least just flat out refused to come. Because what’s happening with our relationship? I’m supposed to be a nymph in bed for Adam, but god forbid, what if I catch feelings?
The scratch of lace under my dress reminds me about my original plan for the evening, making me grimace internally. I’m not exactly in the mood for anything sensual, but that doesn’t mean Adam should have to go without. In fact, that’s my so-called job, right?
Turning to wrap my arms around him, I trail a finger down his chest just lightly enough to be felt. My smile is forced but still seductive.
“Ready to finally see what I have under my dress tonight?”
Surprise flashes through me when he grabs my hand and brings it to his mouth for a kiss, before shaking his head.
“Not tonight. I can tell that you don’t want this and honestly? I can live without it for one night. We can give your lingerie a work-out tomorrow. How about that, sweetheart? Meanwhile, why don’t you go and pick a movie for us to watch? I have your favorite ice-cream and my favorite beer in the freeze, ready to go. Is there anything else you want for our movie night?”
Smiling hesitantly, I add, “Do we have any popcorn?”
His laugh rolls through me, helping to chase away some of the cold from the past few hours.
“Of course I have popcorn. What kind of man do you think I am? Even if I didn’t love it, you do and that guarantees that I’ll always have it in stock for you.” he said, throwing a wink over his shoulder as he disappears into the kitchen.
I can hear the telltale popping of kernels as I flip through the selection of movies. Adam’s voice floating in from the kitchen makes me pause.
“Do you want to change into something more comfortable? Sweetheart, you know I love you in sweats just as much as a little black dress.”
My heart races. Did he just use the word “love”? But maybe he meant it in a different context. More “I love your outfit” rather than “I love you.”
I answer in what I hope is a normal-sounding voice.
“I think I’ll just steal your shirt to put over my lingerie. I’m getting used to wearing lace now so it’s not as scratchy as it used to be. Unless you have a problem with me taking your shirt?”
I doubt that he does, considering how he drools whenever I wear anything of his, but it’s always a good idea to ask before I take someone else’s things.
Adam appears in the doorway in the next instant, leaning against it with a cheeky smile.
“The day I say “no” to that is the day you should bury me.”
As he speaks, he removes his shirt, tossing it to me with a glint in his eyes that has nothing to do with sex. Slipping out of my dress, I pull the shirt on over my curves. Adam’s leering at me, but it’s a good leer. The kind that I like, and I do a sassy squiggle of my hips to tempt him.
He chuckles and I run into his arms for a hug.
“Sweetheart, you look beautiful,” he murmurs into the crown of my head. I press myself against him.
“Thanks!” is my chirpy reply. “Now for the movie.”
I look around for the remote and begin to scroll through our streaming choices. Hmm, there’s some good stuff here. Meanwhile, Adam heads back into the kitchen to see to our popcorn. Faintly, I can hear him asking me something, but then inspiration strikes.
I run into the adjoining den and grab up all the blankets and pillows I can find. Then, I start back toward the living room with them in my arms. Adam’s chuckle is music to my ears even as I feel a flush working its way up my neck. The mass of blankets doesn’t allow me to see him until I feel his arms gathering some of my load.
“So that’s where you went. Here, let me help with this.”
Like I was going to refuse. If he waits much longer I might topple over from the weight of the blank
ets.
With half the load in his arms, I can now see his fond smile. The affection in his eyes makes me want to duck my head, but I fight the urge. You’re a grown woman, I remind myself. You can handle this.
We dump the cushions and throw pillows on the floor as Adam turns to me with a grin.
“So, I take it we’ll be making a fort today?” Nothing in his tone is disagreeing with my idea and I allow myself to relax, grinning back at him.
I give a sheepish shrug, “It’s been years since I last did this but I want to do it with you. Of course if you don’t want to – ”
His lips cut off the beginning of my babble, only pulling back once I’ve thoroughly lost my train of thought. I’ve been kissed thoroughly and this man always leave me breathless. Adam grins at me once more.
“I said no such thing, nor will I. This seems fun and I can’t wait to try it. Give me a second to get the snacks and we’ll be ready to start.”
He doesn’t wait for me to answer before turning and strutting back to the kitchen with his normal swagger. My eyes drift down to watch his rear end as he leaves. It flexes and seems to be a marvel of nature.
Then, I turn my attention back to the pile of blankets. I have some construction work to do and besides, I’ll have time to turn my fantasies into reality with Adam later.
12
Adam
As I lean against the doorway and watch Kim putter around the living room, putting up the blankets for our fort, I can’t hold back a smile. She looks so excited now, and I’m happy to see the joy in her form.
Seeing that smile will be my new life purpose. While I’m not naïve enough to think our future will be all sunshine and daisies, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure she stays happy here with me.
Her voice breaks me from my thoughts.
“Alright, I think I have everything ready, if you’re ready?” Kim says from her spot sitting in the middle of the giant fort. Her proud smile reminds me of a child who was showing their parents something they had done in school.
“I tried to make it as big as possible so you’d be comfortable too. Is it alright?”