“Condom.” He pulls away and his toned muscular body reaches across the mattress into a drawer next to his bed.
A moment later, my hand is gripping his waist with my other hand reaching over my head, pressing against the wall as he presses into me slowly. His hips pull back and then forward slowly until my body relaxes to him.
From under him, I writhe and melt into the mattress. The sensations are unlike anything that I’ve felt in a long time. My toes curl when he thrusts, and my body feels absent when he pulls out for even just a second. And the patterns stay consistent while we make love into the night.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Devin
She’s sleeping in my arms and I’m not about to deny that the past twenty-four hours hasn’t been completely unexpected. I don’t want to move, but I want to jump on my bed in excitement for how I feel at the moment.
Something changed last night while we were talking, and that lead us to where we are now.
I want nothing more than to move her to her back, and slip into her warmth, but she looks so peaceful and I’m afraid that she will wake up then tell me that the night before was a mistake.
She makes a humming sound and then turns her body into me. She nuzzles her face against my chest.
That’s a good sign, right?
I wrap my arms around her tighter and move over to my side to face her.
“Good morning,” I say with a smile before kissing the top of her head.
“Hmmm,” she hums, the sound vibrating against my skin.
I run my hands across her bare back and smile while I relish in the feeling. It’s been awhile since I’ve woken up next to a woman in bed, it’s been even longer since I haven’t felt the need to leave once the deed is done.
No, in fact, I’m wanting more.
“I don’t want to get out of bed,” she groans.
“Technically, we don’t have to, we can stay in bed all day long.” I tell her happily.
“Speak for yourself, I’ve got a shift at the hospital.” She tells me deflating the bubble that I was so prepared to settle into.
“How long is your shift?” I ask.
“It’s a twelve hour one, one of the longer shifts. I’ve got them for a few days in a row.”
“So, that would explain why some days I don’t see you. I thought it was because you were ignoring me.” I tell her.
“Why would I be ignoring you?” She pulls back, alert and surprised.
“Well, I’ve never lived with another woman aside from my mother. When she was annoyed or pissed at my father, and sometimes it was more often or not, she would kind of avoid his side of the house.”
“I see. Well, I can understand that avoidance. But no, I have three twelve hours shifts a week, and then one standard eight-hour shift.” She explains.
“And that’s every week? Is it the same days each time?” I ask, kicking myself in the ass for not knowing these types of things from the onset of our agreement—of our relationship.
“Most of the time, yes. That way I can have a consistent schedule. But I’m still relatively new at General.”
“Is that how nursing schedules are usually?” I ask.
“Yes. For some it’s a lot shittier hours. I’m just thankful that I don’t have the overnight shift.”
“That sounds horrible,” I say staring at the ceiling.
She moves her hand across my stomach and up to draw circles around my nipple. I look down and grin at the closeness that I feel to her right now.
“What time do you have to go in?” I ask her.
She leans up and looks over my chest to the alarm clock at the side of the bed.
“Ugh, I have to be there in about an hour,” she throws herself back on the bed and throws a hand over her eyes, her hand connecting with the side of my face.
She jolts up and leans down with her hands surrounding my face.
“Oh shit, are you okay? I’m so sorry about that. Ugh, I’m a total klutz.” Her long hair is hanging around her beautiful morning fresh face. Worry evident in her features as she examines my face.
“Nurse Constance, I think I need some extra attention,” I say playfully holding my cheek.
“Okay, where?” She asks, not hearing my tone turn playful.
“All over. I feel this strange sensation all across my body. Starting at my lips and moving all the way down,” I wiggle my eyebrows as I wrap one hand around her.
She throws her head back and laughs.
“You’re insane. As nice as last night was and no matter how badly I want to stay in bed, I have to get ready for work.”
“But you just said that you had an hour.”
“Clean, coffee, and commute. The three C’s.”
“How about I join you on the cleaning part?” I tease.
“If you did that, it would leave me even more dirty than when I go in.”
“I think you doubt my efficiency.”
“I don’t, I just need to go to work.”
I do not want her to slip out of this bed without me. I do not want the memories of last night to fade and to be forgotten and I certainly do not want her to begin to second guess something between us.
She stands and looks back at me, reaches and runs her fingertips through my hair.
“What are you up to today?” she asks.
“I should probably go into the office. I have been working remotely, but it’s good to show my mug every now and then. Make the staff realize that I’m still alive and I’m not just fucking around like my father thinks I am.”
“Well, you do know that you’re newly married, so I’m pretty sure that the staff know.” She smirks as she walks away and out the bedroom to her room.
“I’ll see you in the shower in a few minutes.”
“Stay away from the shower!” She turns and points.
I move my comforter off of me, push out of bed, and sprint towards the shower. Except, I run to mine out of habit as she runs to the hallway bathroom.
Damnit!
Chapter Twenty-Three
Connie
“Nurse Richards, there’s a call for you on line one,” a small voice says from beside me.
I’m charting my patient’s codes into the system and hold up my hand. “One moment,” I say quickly to not forget the regimen that I would like administered. One flaw in my work can be detrimental to someone’s health.
I type up the last of my thoughts and turn to the direction of the voice.
“Sorry about that, what’s going on?” I offer her a smile.
“There’s a call for you, line one.” She points to the phone in front of me, with the blinking light.
I turn to the phone and hesitantly pick up the line. I don’t get many calls while at work, but when I do, there’s generally a reason for the interruption.
“Hello? Nurse Richards speaking.” I scrunch my nose as I say my new married name, still not used to saying it.
“Ah Constance, darling. I was hoping that I was able to track you down.”
“May I ask who I’m speaking with?”
“Oh dear, my manners. I’m sorry, this is Madeline, Devin’s mother. I do hope that I’m not catching you at a bad time?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, Mrs. Richards. Your voice sounds so different on the phone. No bother, how are you? Is everything okay? Is Devin alright?” I ask, suddenly thinking the worst has happened to Devin.
“Oh, Dev’s good. I think, I haven’t spoken with him today. I was calling to see if you would be available to go to lunch?” she asks.
My heart rate slows, knowing that there is no issue. Then it picks up again, when I think about having a meal, alone with her. Shit. What if I say something that I shouldn’t? What if I make a complete fool of myself? What if?
“Hello?” Her voice rings in my ears.
“I’m sorry. I had someone put a file in front of me. Yes, lunch would be great. When would you like to get together?” I ask pulling out my cell phone and opening my calendar.
“How would today at one work?”
“Give me a second, I need to see my schedule for today and see where my lunch would fall.”
I wasn’t expecting this short of a notice, what the hell?
“Oh, is it a busy day?” She asks.
“It’s never a dull moment around here, but give me a second let me bring up my calendar.” I look at my day. “It looks like I have an hour open at one-thirty today.”
“That is brilliant. Are there any good restaurants by you?”
“Depends on what you’re interested in. Thai, Latin or American?”
“Thai would be fantastic.” She gushes.
“Perfect. Farmhouse Kitchen is on 19th and Alabama. I’ll see you there?”
“Of course. I’ll see that we have a table ready for us. It will be under Mrs. Richards. Which is perfect, because it works for the both of us.” I hear the laughter in her tone. But something sounds off.
“See you soon,” I say.
“Soon, dear.”
We hang up and I place my head in my hands and take a deep breath.
I sit back in my chair and call Devin.
“My darling wife, how are you doing?” He croons into the phone.
“I am having lunch with your mother.”
“Ah cool, tell her I said ‘Hi.’” He replies.
“Not right now, but in a few hours. What if I say something wrong? What if I out us? What if—”
“Calm down. Just be as you normally are. There’s nothing to divulge.”
“I’m a nervous wreck,” I admit.
“Don’t be. It will be a good bonding moment.”
“Can you come with me?” I plead.
“I would, but I wasn’t invited.” I can hear the teasing tone in his voice.
“You can sit a few tables away, and text me some replies, so I don’t fuck up anything.” I suggest as he laughs. “You’re not going to help me, are you?”
“I can’t. Being here at the office today, my assistant managed to book me with conference calls and a few meetings.”
“Call in sick.”
“I’m already here.”
“Fake a stomach bug, or diarrhea.”
“We should never talk about diarrhea, that’s a no touch topic.” He says quickly. “You’ll be fine. Look I’ll see you tonight, I’ve got to get back to my meeting.”
“Shit, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in a meeting. My bad.”
“Don’t worry about it. Never worry about calling me while at work.”
We hang up and I look at the clock. I have an hour and half until lunch and no time to think about what will happen. I have patients to tend to, and that’s where my attention needs to be right now.
The time goes too quick and I’m not entirely sure how my feet got me to the Farmhouse Kitchen, but I’m sitting at the reserved table when Devin’s mom and two men in suits flanking her walk toward me. I stand up to shake her hand as she walks into my arms and embraces me.
“So good to see you,” she says into my hair.
The tone of her voice doesn’t scream welcoming or like she’s happy to see me. There’s something off, but I force myself to not worry and try to relax instead.
“Same to you,” I reply.
We sit across from one another and pick up our menus.
“So, what’s good here?” she asks.
‘I’ve never been here before, so your guess is as good as mine.” I shrug.
“Well, we’ll be adventurous, yes?” She leans forward and says.
“Let’s.” I reply.
We order our meals and as I’m sipping on my ice water she leans forward. She has a smile on her face and her eyes are bright with her hands crossed in front of her.
“So, what are you doing with my son?”
“Pardon me?” I ask confused, setting down my drink.
“My son. What are you really doing with him?”
Okay, time to worry.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Devin
“Mr. Richards, there is someone here to see you. He doesn’t have an appointment, but he says that you’ll see him anyways,” my assistant nervously says from the doorway of my office.
I lean back in my chair and swivel away from my monitor to look at her.
“Did he leave a name?” I ask.
“He says that his name is Pete and that’s he’s an old friend of yours,” she hesitates in answering.
I take a deep breath, “you can walk him back, thank you.”
A moment later, my assistant walks Pete into my office.
I stand up, button my suit jacket and round my desk. I lean on the edge of my desk and cross my arms in front of me.
“Please close the door on your way out.” I direct to her, then glare at Pete.
“You don’t look so pleased to see me,” he says with a grin that I once thought was attractive, only now repulses me as he walks to stand in front of me.
“What are you doing here?” I ask after a moment.
“I was in the neighborhood, and I thought that I would come and see you.”
“How would you be in the neighborhood? This is the financial district; your neighborhood is clear on the other side of the city.”
“I wanted to see you.”
“You saw me the other day at my parents’ house, if you don’t remember.”
“Oh, I remember. I saw the lust in your eyes, I figured that we could fulfill that lust properly.”
“I think you’re mistaken about who that lust was directed towards.” I tell him.
“You can’t be telling me that it was directed to your beard?”
“She isn’t a beard. She’s my wife.”
“Does your wife know about you and me?” he asks.
“There’s nothing about you and me that I would need to divulge. She knows about my history, she told you that the other night.”
“You’re history? You mean she knows about who you fuck? Who you prefer?”
“The only person that I fuck now is her. The other person that I prefer is her. I am not fucking anyone other than my wife.”
“Bullshit.” He spits out.
“Listen, I’m not sure what you’re gaining out of being here, but I think that you need to go.”
“Ah, you see, but that’s not going to happen. I want something and I’m not going to leave until I get it.” Pete pulls the chair out from in front of me and then slinks into it and spreads his legs.
“What do you want?” I ask.
“I want your cock.”
“Not going to happen.” I shake my head.
“If I want it to happen, it will.”
“What do you get out of this?” I ask him.
“I will bring you to your knees with my mouth. I will let you fuck me and use me as your toy and make me feel full. I get you to own up to who you really are.”
“Pete. I’m not ashamed of who I am, neither past nor future. But now, I’m married and that’s who I am. I’m not ashamed that I’ve been with men. And I’m not ashamed that I’m married to a woman, I’m not hiding anything right now.”
“I think that you’re mistaken, you don’t just turn that part of you off. I don’t believe that your family truly knew who you are. But that’s neither here nor there, I will get what I came here for.”
“And if you don’t?” I continue.
“You don’t want to know what will happen if I don’t get my way.” Pete stands and growls pointing at me.
I laugh. “I think that you’re mistaken. Bullying me into sex isn’t going to work. And if you thought that coming here would then you don’t know me.” I push off my desk and return to stand behind it.
“I realize that in the middle of the day may not be an opportune time to fuck and you likely have work to do. So, let’s just plan to meet up later. I’ll be at your house tonight at eight. Make sure that your little lady is out of the house, unless she wants to watch.”
“Listen Pete, I think that the few time
s that we hooked up was fun. But it was nothing more than that. I never promised you anything, we had a good time and that’s that. I’m a changed man and I’m married now.”
“A tiger can’t change his stripes overnight. Everyone knows that. Don’t try to hide behind a mask, be true to yourself.”
A knock interrupts the conversation and my door opens ajar. My assistant sticks her head in.
“I’m sorry if I’m interrupting, but your next meeting is here.”
“Perfect. Can you see Pete out, please?”
“Eight.” Pete says before leaving the room.
“Don’t you dare show up at my home!” I spit out as the door closes behind him.
I take a deep breath and fall into my chair.
Fuck!
Chapter Twenty-Five
Connie
I worked half of my shift, then drove around the city for a few hours.
After my conversation at lunch, I was reeling in what felt like a million secrets and lies. I went back to work the remainder of my shift and I was so discombobulated that I was fearful of not being able to perform at my full capacity, that I faked a stomach bug and left.
How do people keep lies straight?
How can someone have so many secrets?
I walk in the front door and see Devin standing in the living room pointing the remote at the television and viciously pushing the buttons, but the television isn’t doing anything.
He swings his head toward me and then drops the remote to rush to me.
His hands move to my arms as he looks me over.
“Are you okay? I thought you had a long shift?” he asks.
“I had, um, a long day and needed to talk to you.”
“Is everything okay? What happened?” he asks.
“I need some water and to change to get the day off of me and then I’ll tell you everything,” I tell him breaking away from him and rushing to my bedroom.
I take my time undressing and getting into something comfortable, make my way to the kitchen and grab a water bottle out of the fridge. I turn and see Devin looming behind me.
“Can we please talk? I’m worried about you.” He steps forward as I take a drink from the glass.
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