Bittersweet Deceit

by Blakely Bennett

  I gathered all the red wine I still had in the apartment for Mason and brought it with me to the party along with my clutch. Cars lined either side of the street adjacent to my parent’s place.

  My father took the bag filled with wine bottles out of my hand and scooped me up into a big hug. “Hi, baby girl. Thank you so much for coming.”

  “Is Aunt Sue here yet?”

  “No but most of your mother’s friends are. A friend of yours is waiting in the den.”

  “Thanks, Dad,” I said, wondering why he didn’t just say Jacqs.

  The door to the den stood closed and I had to assume my mother didn’t want her friends going in there. My father mostly used the wood-paneled room anyway. I shoved open the door, which tended to get stuck on the thick carpet below. Stay sat on the couch and not Jacqs.

  “She’s not coming is she?” I asked, crossing my arms in front of me.

  “No.”

  “I’m going to kill her,” I said through gritted teeth. “Why are you here?”

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Phone, email, or coming by the store were all viable options and you chose this? It’s bad enough I have to contend with my mother,” I said, which made me think I should probably close the door. I pushed it shut behind me and locked it. I turned and placed my back against it. “Let’s get this over with and then you can go.”

  He stood and started toward me. His snug, black jeans and his white dress shirt clung to the firm planes of his physique.

  I held my palm out in a halting gesture. His sexual energy hit me like a battering ram and I felt his crystal clear intention. “Don’t,” I said.

  “I’m sorry, OC.”

  “Fine, I accept your apology. You can leave now.” I turned to open the door and he descended upon me.

  “No, Lainie. Please stop for a minute and listen.” He held my face in his hands and pressed his body into me.

  “Pushing your hard cock against me isn’t fighting fair.”

  With a devilish expression, he said, “I’ve never fought fair where you were concerned. I’m asking you to hear me out.”

  “I can’t think straight with you on top of me,” I said but didn’t struggle to get out from under him.

  “Then I’ll consider it an advantage. I’m not moving.”

  I crushed my palms against the door, not allowing myself to touch him back.

  “I’m sorry I spooked. Never in my life have I felt what I feel for you. How we are together, the connection we share. When I thought you went back to Mason, I realized how much I had been lying to myself. I had long since passed casual with you. You had my heart and it felt like you just dropped it on the ground and left it unguarded. And you were right that it trigger abandonment and being cast aside like I had been in the past.

  “I went to see my grandmother yesterday and she knocked some needed sense into me. She said I was treating myself just like my parents did. That it was me alone causing my pain. That if you loved me, why wasn’t I reaching out to you to help me through. That I was treating myself as if I didn’t deserve your love. That I wasn’t worth it.”

  “I know what that feels like.” I broke down and touched his cheek.

  “I love you so much that it’s hard to know what to do with all the emotion.” He started kissing up my neck and then said, “I promise, if you give me another chance, I’ll never walk away again.”

  “You really hurt me, Stay,” I said, still in pain.

  “I know I did. I will spend the rest of my days making it up to you.” He kissed my head and held me tight. “I love you.”

  “I hate you,” I said.

  Stay crowded me, his lips an inch from mine. “No you don’t, you’re just angry.”

  “I should to be angrier with you.” I felt myself giving in.

  “Yes, you should be. Lane, I was so dumb.” He nodded.

  “Yes you were. Dumb-ass dumb.”

  “You’re absolutely right.”

  “If we try again, I’m never letting you go,” I said, a sob catching in my throat.

  “Don’t cry, honey. I’ve got you.” He took me in his arms and carried me to the couch, rocking me in his lap.

  We sat that way for several minutes, not letting go of each other. I held on so tight as if he might be a dream that could go up in a cloud of smoke.

  “I’m here, Lainie,” he said as if he heard my thoughts. “Damn I missed you. Everything about you, but your smell especially.” He buried his nose in my hair and breathed. “Listen, OC, I want us to live together. I can move in with you or you can live with me. Either way.”

  “When?” I asked, brushing my hand over his head.

  “Oh, don’t stop,” he said, closing his eyes. “We can start packing up tomorrow.”

  “Your place definitely,” I said, holding his head in my hands.

  “You’re saying yes?”

  “Yes, Stay. I love you and I can’t wait to wake up with you every day.”

  “And make love to me every night?”

  “Yes, that too. What are we going to do about that?” I asked, pointed down at his erection.

  “I have an idea.” He lowered me down in front of him.

  Kneeling, I unbuttoned his pants and freed his cock, tasting the wet tip. “Hmmmm,” I moaned. I opened my mouth and took him in a deep as I could. I wanted my nose buried against the base of his shaft but I couldn’t manage it on my own. Tilting my head up, I said, “Help me.”

  And he did. He shifted to the edge of the couch and thrust down into my throat, riding in and out. “Lainie,” he called out. “Oh, you’re taking more ... Jesus ... it feels...” He withdrew and said, “That feels incredible.”

  “More.”

  He penetrated several more times and said, “As amazing as that feels, I need to be inside you.” He helped me up to my feet. “Have you ever done it in your parent’s house?”

  “No, never.” I shimmed up my dress and removed my silk panties.

  Over his lap, he guided my hips down. Then our frantic quest for fulfillment raged and with our mouths locked in a steamy kiss, our hips collided into one another.

  So lost in our coupling, it took me a moment to recognize the sound of a knock on the door.

  “Lainie, is everything okay?” my father asked. “Your mother keeps asking for you.”

  I giggled against Stay’s mouth, trying to hold in the sound. “Just another minute or two and we’ll be out.”

  Stay continued to grind his hard cock into my pussy and I continued to silently laugh until we both quietly uttered our release, lips still pressed together.

  Every muscle in my body contracted and convulsed in the ecstasy of our reunion. I wanted to languish in the bliss but knew we had to get moving. I held out my hand and he placed a handkerchief in it. As I wiped up our come, I asked, “Did you tell Granny that I love your hankies?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did. She wants to meet you. What she really said was, when you get off your ass and win her back, come bring her to me.”

  “I think I’m going to like her,” I said as I pulled on my panties.

  “I know she’s going to love you.” He zipped up his pants.

  “How deep in my throat this time?” I asked, straightening the bottom of my dress.

  “This far,” he said, holding his fingers about two and a half inches apart.

  “Well that’s progress I guess.”

  “We’ll keep practicing.” He winked and said, “You look amazing in that dress, Lane. I really loved the green one too, and you weren’t wearing a bra.”

  “I didn’t think you noticed,” I said, handing him back the cloth.

  “How could I not? Please wear it on our next date. No panties either,” he said, smoothing his black jeans.

  “Damn you for making me hot again.”

  “Let’s meet your people and then get out of here. I already need you again.” He held my hand as we walked to the door.

  “Is my hair okay?”
I said, smoothing down the sides.

  “You look positively radiant.” His quick, carnal kiss stole my breath again.

  “Enough or we’ll never get home,” I said, backing away and unlocking the door.

  My father hovered a few feet away.

  “Dad, I’m assuming you’ve met Stayman?” I said, walking forward.

  “Briefly. Thank you for putting a smile on Lainie’s face. She, more than anyone, deserves it.”

  “Sir, it’s my goal in life to keep it there.” Stay kissed the top of my hand.

  “Then I like you already.”

  “Dad, before we go in, I wanted to tell you, I’m moving in with Stay.”

  He patted Stay’s back and said, “You’re a lucky man, although she’s not much of a cook.”

  “Daddy!” I groaned.

  “I’ve got it covered,” Stay said. “She makes up for it in so many other ways.”

  My father actually winked at Stay and I almost died of embarrassment. “He’s a keeper,” my dad whispered into my ear.

  We found my mother in the kitchen, checking on the progress of the help she hired.

  “Hi, Mom,” I said, getting her attention.

  She scanned me up and down and said, “That’s a gorgeous dress but you cheapen it with your hair down.”

  Stay didn’t give me a chance to respond. He held out his hand and said, “Stayman Stills, Lainie’s boyfriend.”

  She looked up in shock.

  “Boyfriend?” she muttered.

  “Yes, and she is wearing her hair my favorite way. Wearing her hair up with that dress would just prematurely age her. She has beautiful waves she should be proud of, which I’m sure you agree?”

  “Well ... I ... you’re really her boyfriend?”

  I rolled my eyes and said, “Yes, Mother and we’re moving in together.”

  “Well, I don’t know what to say. It’s surprising.”

  “Do you need any assistance?” Stay asked her. “I used to help my grandmother in the kitchen a lot.”

  “Lainie’s useless in the kitchen,” she said.

  “That hasn’t been my experience,” Stay said and winked at me.

  Sex on the dinner table flashed in my mind and I could have sworn Stay sent the image to my brain.

  “Did you know I used to have a dancer’s figure until I had Lainie?” My mother said.

  “You’re still a very shapely and attractive woman, Mrs. Simmons,” he said.

  I rolled my eyes and on the way out of the kitchen I heard her say, “You’re a very nice young man. I hope Lainie can hold on to you.” I wandered over to my Dad who was perched on the sideline watching the gathering. “Stay’s busy schmoozing Mother.”

  He held my hand and said, “I’m happy for you, baby girl. Does he rock your world like Mason did?”

  “Better, much better.” I snuggled against his arm and listened to him make up stories of what the people around us were saying.

  When Stay finally made his way back to me, Dad and I were hysterically laughing.

  “I think I missed the fun part,” Stay said. “You were right, Lane, your mother is not a fan.”

  “Fortunately her father is,” Dad said.

  “Yes it is,” I said, reaching up for a hug. “I love you, Dad. We’re going to head out.”

  “I understand. I love you more, baby girl.”

  “Bye-bye, daddio.”

  He held out his hand to Stay and said, “It’s been a pleasure meeting you, son. I do hope to see a lot more of you. Baby, drag him along on one of our walks.”

  “I will.”

  Outside, I said, “We both have our cars, but I don’t want to be apart for a second.”

  “Neither do I. I can drive you back here on Monday morning before work.” Stay and I strolled to his car down the street.

  “Did you park this far so I wouldn’t see your Corvette?”

  “Yes. Lainie?”

  “Yes, love?” I said, hugging his arm to me as we walked.

  “I love you so much.”

  We stopped moving and I said, “I love you too, Stay. When I was with Mason, I realized that I had started loving you the night you took care of me.”

  “So did I. That mother of yours,” he said, shaking his head. “Phew, I know you warned me but she is—”

  “A bitch. Did she try to change your mind?”

  “She actually said I must be blind or stupid.”

  I cracked up, I couldn’t help myself.

  We continued down the sidewalk to Stay’s car.

  He opened the door for me and said, “You father on the other hand is great. I would love to spend more time with him.”

  “We will. Now take me to your place and take me hard and fast.”

  “It’s our place now,” he said as he started the engine.

  “Damn that sounds good.”

  CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

  Lifetime

  by Maxwell

  When Wednesday rolled around, I couldn’t wait for our get together at Red’s. No one knew of our plans to move in together, which was a minor miracle amongst our chatty group. I was excited to let them know. Stay seemed to be up to something and I could sense another surprise on the horizon.

  I left work early to go with Stay to visit his grandmother.

  Once in the Prius, I said, “Let’s stop and get some flowers. You said she has her own apartment, right?”

  “Yes. That’s a great idea.” He made a right turn onto the main drag.

  “Do you know her favorites?”

  “Roses and lilies.”

  “That just reminded me of the card you left for me at work. I laughed so hard.”

  “I love making you laugh. Do you still have it?”

  “I do.”

  “We should frame it.”

  “That’s a great idea.” I loved that we were creating memories together. “I’ll search for a flower shop along the way,” I said, waking up my phone.

  After we picked up a bouquet with a vase, Stay drove us to meet Granny.

  “I’m a bit nervous,” I said to him when he opened the door to the assisted living complex.

  “I understand. I’m sure you’ll hit it off with her.”

  He knocked on her apartment door and she let us in. I stood in shock for a minute. For some reason I had envisioned a tiny, elderly woman with white hair, maybe even stooped over a bit. Granny was a vital woman, life brimming in her blue eyes just like Stay. She stood almost as tall as me and hugged me immediately.

  “Gorgeous, just like I imagined,” she said to me as she accepted the flowers. “Very nice bouquet.”

  “Thank you. You’re nothing like I expected,” I said with a laugh. “The name Granny threw me off.”

  She laughed with me. “You can call me Edith.”

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Edith. I hear I owe you a huge debt of thanks.”

  “I think it’s the other way around, honey. My Stayman is happier than I have ever seen him.” She patted his leg.

  Edith showed us around the complex and I understood why she chose to live there. It was like a vacation resort with apartments.

  Both Edith and Stay went into the back bedroom for a bit, leaving me to look at all the pictures on the wall. Some were photographs that Stay had taken and many were pictures of him as a kid. I didn’t see any pictures of his parents or baby pictures of him.

  We had a wonderful visit, and while spending time with Edith it was easy to see how Stay turned out to be the wonderful man I knew.

  “Please come back and see me again,” she said as we hugged goodbye.

  “You can count on it.” Once we were back in the car I said, “I had no idea.”

  “She’s amazing, right?” he said as he drove out of the complex parking lot.

  “Totally. A force of nature.”

  “Like you.” He glanced at me and smiled.

  “Like me? You’re crazy.”

  “Not at all. You’ll make a great mom, just lik
e her.”

  I shook my head and asked, “Do you think of her as your mother?”

  “I do.”

  By the time we made it to Red’s I was busting out with excitement.

  “What is it?” Jacqs said as soon as she saw me.

  “We are going to move in together. We’re telling the gang tonight.”

  “Whoop, whoop,” she shouted, dancing around. “I hate to gloat but I knew it. You guys are perfect for each other.” She patted her own back.

  “You told her,” Stay said as he joined us outside.

  “I couldn’t keep it from her.”

  Jacqs jumped up and hugged Stay. “I’m so happy for you guys.”

  After hugging Jacqs, he straightened up, “Is everyone here yet?”

  “I’m not sure about Bond,” she started.

  “I’m here,” he said, “So is the rest of the group.” He picked up Jacqs and gave her a quick kiss.

  Stay threw his arm over Bond’s shoulder and led him back inside.

  “Jacqs, I’m so in love,” I said. “It’s feels completely different than my love for Mason did.”

  “I can tell. You look really happy.”

  “I am.”

  Bond returned a moment later and asked us to come back in.

  Everyone had gathered on the couches in the front sitting area. Sam, Cat, and I sat on the right couch, Red, Jacqs, and Bond sat on the left. Kev and Blue sat in the loveseat, and Stay stood before us.

  “Lainie and I have some news,” Stay said.

  Sam clapped before he even finished.

  “Lainie and I are moving into my place together.”

  Everyone cheered and my silly eyes watered over their support.

  Bond rose and slid the coffee table away from the couch I sat upon and sat back down.

  I looked up and Stay caught my eyes. “You’re everything and so much more than I ever hoped to find in a lover, a friend, and soul mate. There is no doubt in my mind that I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He knelt down before me and opened up a box. Inside nestled an oval opal ring with ruby petals lining the perimeter. “Lainie, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife.”

  I scanned his face and the smiles of my friends, and I knew there would never be another man for me. “Yes, definitely, but on one condition.”