Three Rivers (A Gateway to Love Novel)

by Barlow, Chloe T.

  "Don't you spoil me and do dirty things with me here?" she panted her breath quickening as she started to writhe and jerk beneath him.

  "Yes, but there I will have you all to myself as much as I want, as dirty as it can get in the city that never sleeps."

  "Hmm, that does sound promising, and things are pretty dead at the office Labor Day week," she thought out loud. Griffen looked into her eyes as he added a third finger and twisted gently. She moaned and said, "Throw in a Gray's Papaya dog and you got a deal."

  "Done and done. Now for some dirty things to tide me over..." Griffen slid down her body until his face was between her legs and licked and fingered her until she climaxed.

  Oh yeah, New York is a great idea, he thought.

  "I'm sorry, who's this?" Aubrey's voice said over the phone saucily.

  "Aubrey, you know it's me, Tea. Stop being a dumbass."

  "Who is it?" she heard Jenna ask in the background.

  "Someone named Tea," Aubrey responded to her.

  "Tea who?"

  "That's what I asked."

  Aubrey returned to the phone. "Hmm. I knew a Tea once. Sweet girl, but then she fell under this hot bad boy's sex spell. Never saw her again. Such a shame."

  "Ha, ha. Okay, point made. You do remember you guys masterminded all this mess, right?"

  "I do," Aubrey stated coolly. "And I take all credit for everything good that comes of it. And for that I reserve the right to torment you for disappearing like you're sixteen and just learned that a boy can make you feel funny. You know, down there," she said with a stage whisper.

  "I knew I should have called Jenna," Althea grumbled.

  "Probably right. Rookie mistake. Must be a side effect of the sex brain. That's potent stuff. But you called me — so time to spill about positions, girth, and what-not."

  "Keep your what-not questions to yourself, you perv. I'm too sober to discuss this right now. Besides, I need a favor."

  "Say no more. Jenna's off today, too. How about you meet us for some Labor Day cocktails? Favor will only be granted after drinks and much spilling about what-not."

  "Fine. Meet me at Viola in twenty minutes, but you better behave yourselves and keep your voices down there. Carol wants to spend the afternoon with Johnny, so she can pick him up first. And you're buying a round of dirty martinis."

  "Of course. What do you take me for, a heathen? Dirty martinis for our finally dirty girl, it is!"

  Althea waved to the girls as she walked into Viola while holding Johnny's hand.

  Frank Sinatra wafted through the dining room as she caught sight of them already slurping dirty martinis at their usual booth with one chilled and waiting invitingly for Althea.

  Viola hadn't changed much over the years, and it was still a classic choice for wedding receptions and graduation parties, even if it wasn't part of the ever-expanding, sophisticated cosmopolitan restaurant scene that was taking over the city below.

  The decor was old world Italian with a discreet bar and hidden kitchen, but the real draw was the wall of floor ceiling windows providing patrons an unrivaled view of Pittsburgh from the dramatic cliffs of Mt. Washington.

  Johnny pulled at her hand as Carol emerged from the kitchen and walked toward them.

  "Gwandma!" Johnny exclaimed, running into her outstretched arms.

  "Hi handsome! Oof, you are so heavy," Carol said.

  "I've been playing football with Uncle Gwiff. I'm getting huge!" Johnny assured her.

  Althea schooled her face at the mention of Griffen.

  "Is that right? That's very nice of him." Carol looked up to Althea. "Isn't it Tea?"

  "Yes, he's been making the most of his time in town. I think Johnny has really enjoyed being with him." Althea's palms started sweating as she prayed her voice was still neutral.

  "Good. It's important to include Jack in Johnny's life however possible."

  "Of course," Althea whispered, then squatted down to look in Johnny's eyes, "hey honey, why don't you go over and say hi to Aunt Brey and Aunt Jenna while Grandma and I talk real quick?"

  "Okay, Mommy." He immediately sprinted off to high five the girls.

  "When will you be picking Johnny up tonight?" Carol asked. "I feel like I haven't seen you for ages. I thought I could take the night off and we could pull out Jack's old football videos to watch with Johnny, since he's really getting into it these days."

  "Oh, Carol, that sounds, uh, really nice, but I have to leave town today for a business trip. Last minute thing." The lie fell awkwardly off her tongue. That combined with the mention of Jack, made Althea feel like she was drowning in shame.

  "Oh, that's too bad. Do you need me to watch Johnny?"

  "I think the girls will watch him, since the restaurant will probably be busy this week. I don't want to put you out."

  "I guess you're right. I've just been pretty overworked and lonely these days, but I know your work is important. Maybe Johnny and I will watch those videos just us two this afternoon then." She turned and said loudly, "Johnny, come on over honey, let's get going."

  Johnny leapt up from Aubrey's lap and shouted, "Sure Gwandma," then ran to her, displaying his limitless energy.

  Carol took Johnny's hand and said, "You're such a good boy. I don't know what I'd do without you. Well, Tea, I hope you and the girls have a nice lunch. Johnny and I are going to head out."

  "Okay, thanks." Althea reached down and kissed Johnny. "I'm going to see you in two sleeps, okay honey?"

  "Sure Mommy. Love you."

  "Love you, too."

  Johnny followed Carol as she grabbed her purse and headed out. Althea breathed a sigh of relief as she walked over to Aubrey and Jenna.

  "Everything okay, Tea?" Jenna asked.

  "Fine," Althea sighed. "I've honestly been kind of avoiding Carol since this whole Griffen thing started and now I know I made the right call. I feel so bad keeping this from her, but I know she'd never understand. I'm not sure if I do." Althea sighed again and took a sip of her sweating martini.

  "Tea, aren't you being a bit dramatic?"

  "No, Jenna, I don't think so."

  "Chill out you two. You aren't avoiding us too, are you Tea?" Aubrey asked with a grin.

  "Oh come on, you know I'm not. I've just been...busy."

  "Getting busy," Aubrey said with a chuckle.

  "Real clever, Aubrey. I don't know what the big deal is. You guys just saw me yesterday."

  "Saw being the operative word. If you remember correctly, you almost immediately ran off with your sexy boy toy."

  Althea rolled her eyes and bit into a blue cheese stuffed olive. "Did Carol notice?"

  "Nah. Don't worry, Griffen's mom covered for you with her," Aubrey assured her.

  "Griffen's mom? Does she know about us? Would she tell Carol?"

  "I don't know," Aubrey said suddenly sounding slightly annoyed. "And so what if she does? You're so fixated on keeping all this a secret when you're doing nothing wrong."

  "Come on, Brey. You know how Carol is. She'd go into a total tailspin if I fell for someone else."

  "Are you falling for Griffen?" Jenna asked eyes wide.

  "No, he's leaving in a week and that's final. What did Val tell Carol?"

  "I don't know. I think she said you two went off to reminisce about Jack, you know, you're getting to know each other, blah, blah, blah," Aubrey said with a wave of her hand.

  "Thanks for thoughtful summary," Althea said sarcastically.

  "Was there anything else you two were doing?" Aubrey said, waggling her eyebrows.

  "There may have been a hot and sweaty part, too..."

  "I knew you two got busy in the park. You're a bad girl Tea!" Aubrey looked beside herself with excitement, splashing some of her martini onto the table in her glee. "So, was it good?"

  "Ahh. Yeah, it was good. Everything he does is good. So good."

  "That a girl!" Aubrey chimed out. "Now we're talking."
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  "By the way, Griffen looked pretty pissed there for a bit," Jenna piped in finally.

  "Way to be a buzzkill Jenna. I was hoping for at least some details on positions. I guess we've moved onto the serious part of the discussion. Tea, Jenna's right. We talked to him after you came back from your, uh, walk, and he was pretty worked up, for sure."

  "Yeah, I know. He's getting a little sick of the secrecy, but that's just the way it has to be," Althea said.

  "I had your back, even though I still think all this cloak-and-dagger shit is silly. I told him to stop being such a typical male," Aubrey declared. "You know, thinking he can swoop in for two weeks and act like he owns the place. Then get all caveman just because you set some rules."

  "And I told Aubrey to stop being so hard on him," Jenna said. Then her voice dropped and her eyes fell. "No one wants to feel like the person they’re with is ashamed of them."

  "Jenna, I’m not ashamed of him, you know that."

  Jenna straightened up and became her usual steady self again. "Point is, you know you can't hide your life from Carol forever, right?" Jenna asked. "If this really is even about Carol."

  "What do you mean?" Althea bristled.

  "Maybe you think keeping it secret will make it hurt less when he leaves," Jenna responded.

  Althea took another big gulp. "I really don't want to talk about that. He's leaving and that's final, so being public with him for a few days doesn't make any sense."

  "Fine. So, what's the favor then?" Aubrey asked.

  "Griffen wants to take me to New York for a couple of nights when he goes to meet with his publisher tomorrow and..." She looked up and couldn't miss their meaningful glances at each other.

  "A trip together. That's a big deal," Jenna said.

  "No, it's not. We don't have many days together so this makes sense. Will you watch Johnny while we're in New York, or not?"

  "Of course, jeez, calm down," Aubrey said.

  "Thanks. You can pick him up from Carol's later. If anyone asks, I'm on a business trip. That's what I just told Carol."

  "Mmm, the gettin' busy kind of business," Jenna teased. Althea smirked and took another sip of her martini as she allowed herself to get excited about a getaway with Griffen.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Althea walked through the door to Griffen's two-story penthouse apartment and gasped. It was stunning and spacious, with pre-war era details and high ceilings. What was almost as surprising as the fact that Griffen didn't live in some ultra-modern bachelor pad, was that it was in the lower Fifth Avenue part of Greenwich Village.

  She turned to him as he was returning from dropping their luggage in the bedroom and asked, "I thought you cocky multi-millionaires all lived in the Upper West Side."

  "Hmm, we do now, do we? You know, if you're going to make me a cliché I'd prefer you go with Bond villain," he joked as he stalked over to her, grabbing her hand as he pulled her to the bedroom.

  "Ooh, good idea," she said as she let him drag her along the parquet floor, illuminated by the light coming through massive windows overlooking the bustle of the vibrant city below. "Though you'll need to redecorate. I suggest a shark tank over there," she pointed by the open fully equipped kitchen she doubted he ever used, "and a hidden command center over there by your fancy sofas and such, so you can video chat with the other mega villains around the world. Though you need a very fluffy white cat with a pissed off expression. Do you know where you can get one of those?"

  "Oh, I know a guy," he smirked as he led her to the bed and began taking her clothes off. She smiled and quickly made work of removing his shirt. "Despite my secret Bond villain identity, you forget that I also happen to be a down-to-earth multi-millionaire, and an artistic one at that. This area is definitely more my speed."

  "That's true. You are a writer, after all. You need to have the full experience, right? I'm glad you live here. I love this part of Manhattan. Not sure if I would have liked it as much up there with all those other muckety-mucks." She slipped his shirt off and ran her fingers down his chest. She tried to take in how perfect his bedroom was, right down to what looked like the biggest bathroom she'd ever seen, but he'd stripped her down to the new bra, panties and garters she'd snuck away to buy for this trip and he was touching her so slowly that it was hard to focus on anything other than getting him naked and on top of her. Althea put her fingers to work and took off his pants and boxer briefs so fast she heard the fabric ripping.

  "Griffen, I love looking at you so much." He was hard everywhere and clearly beyond aroused. He'd touched her surreptitiously during the entire flight, but the journey between Pittsburgh and New York was very short, leaving little time to do anything but get insanely turned on.

  "The feeling is mutual, gorgeous," he whispered into her cleavage, licking across her breasts until the wetness and warmth felt so good she thought she might explode right there.

  She stroked his length up and down, loving how velvety soft and hot it was under her hand. "Come here," she said and smiled at him wickedly. "I want to make the most of all this hard goodness." She lay down on the bed and pulled on his hand and positioned him to straddle her chest. She placed his hard cock between her breasts and squeezed the soft flesh around him.

  He smiled and groaned, quickly taking over and thrusting through her breasts. She sucked and licked at his full, hard head every time it peeked up through the channel between her breasts. The action looked so erotic, she could barely stand it.

  Griffen quickened his pace across her silky soft chest and Althea rocked with the movement, squeezing herself around him, loving how aroused he looked — his eyes hooded as he bit his lower lip. She sucked his tip longer with each thrust, twirling her tongue around it in circles that had him shaking above her. He pulled back and thrust forward quickly and repeatedly, until he came in warm, silky streams across her breasts.

  "Holy shit, I loved that," he said slowly, his voice breaking, as he rolled over to lay alongside of her.

  "I'm so glad. I loved it too." She smiled again and rubbed his come over her nipples and licked her finger, "Mmm," she moaned looking in his eyes.

  "Jesus woman, you keep doing that and I'm going to need to go again."

  "I'm okay with that. Though I am a little dirty."

  "Yes, my good girl has definitely gotten herself all dirty and I like that very much, but I promised you a fancy night on the town and I intend to deliver." He looked into her eyes as he began reaching down to stroke her slit, which was incredibly wet from the erotic pleasure she'd received from making him go so crazy. "But I can tell you really enjoyed what you just did for me. So, come on, let's take a shower. I want to take care of you, too, then I'll clean you up, dirty girl." He stood and held out his hand to her.

  Griffen was certainly making the most of his newfound ability to touch Althea in public. He hadn't released her hand once since they'd left his apartment, unless it was to stroke her back, touch her hair, or whisper naughty things in her ear.

  "So, where are you taking me for dinner, stud?"

  "To school, my sweet bookworm."

  "Huh?"

  They walked up to the restaurant and Althea's jaw dropped. "It is a school!"

  "Yup."

  They entered the stately building, passing a proud plaque naming it a New York City Public School.

  "They turned this defunct school into a restaurant. Its got everything a studious good girl like you would love, right down to the individually wrapped school soap in the bathroom. Oh, and the food rocks, too," he said with a proud grin. He then looked to her with a little worry in his eyes. "Like it?" He looked so nervous and eager for her approval that she couldn't help but feel worrisome butterflies take flight in her stomach.

  "I love it! It's nerd heaven! You’ve done good, Griffen."

  He smiled so brightly she thought she would need sunglasses. She leaned forward and kissed him passionately. "Thank you."

  "Seriously. I
t's my pleasure."

  After a fabulous dinner with menus printed on old card catalog inserts, Griffen held her hand and they walked along the streets of the West Village, ending up curled in each other arms on a bench in Washington Square Park. As they watched rowdy NYU students and hippies wander under the beautiful replica of the Arc de Triomphe Griffen stroked her back lazily with one hand as she sat on his lap. He looked in her eyes and asked, "Where to now? Your wish is my command."

  "Anything I want?"

  "Anything. Drinks, dancing, we can even do one of those touristy carriage rides."

  "Wow, won't that destroy your tough guy writer cred?"

  "For you, my dear, I'll embarrass myself for a night — and a day — if you like."

  "Hmm, intriguing offer," she said as she snuggled deeper into his arms. "But I'm happy here, just being with you."

  "Happy, huh?"

  "Yes, so happy."

  "That's wonderful, gorgeous."

  Yeah, it kind of is, she thought to herself.

  Griffen awoke to the sound of running water and smiled into his pillow. He had showered with Althea before in his hotel suite, but the idea of joining her there in his own apartment sounded so domestic and wonderful that he couldn't help but jump out of bed and rush to meet her.

  The bathroom was foggy but he could make out the outline of her beautiful wet body under the multiple jets, glowing against the white and gray marble. He opened the glass doors, stepped in and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

  She jumped a little and spun her head around so quickly that she slapped him in the face with a massive head of soapy wet hair.

  "Ow!" he said through laughter.

  "Oops, sorry! You surprised me," she said, whacking him again when she turned to apologize.

  "Sorry gorgeous," he chuckled, wiping the soap from his eyes, "but I can't watch you in here covered in soap, water pouring down these beautiful breasts without getting a taste of you."