Distract Me

by M. J. Berterman

  “Hmmm...I have something you might like.” She ran to her room.

  I walked to the bathroom to finish my makeup. I never applied much but a nice glow for tonight would help. I moisturized and rubbed on some bronzer.

  “Ella, I can’t wear your clothes... I don’t have your, umm—” I shouted to her room.

  “My big tits, yes, I know. I noticed.” She interrupted with a laugh.

  I pulled my wavy hair into a loose side bun that rested at my shoulder.

  “Yes, that’s it... your ample breasts.” I was getting annoyed with my hair and time was not on my side.

  Mariella calmly walked over to me and took my hair into her hands.

  “You need to wear your hair down tonight. I have a dress that I bought, and it doesn’t fit me. It’s more petite for you, and it would look beautiful with your hair down.” She loosened my hair from the bobby pins and let it fall to my shoulder.

  She sprayed my hair and tasseled it with her fingers. It made me look elegant, but it was still perfect for my age. I didn’t want to look too stiff. I just wasn’t sure what his parents would be like. Truthfully, I just cared about what Ryder thought of me, and he loved my hair down, up, or even tangled up in his fingers. That brought me to my next thought of the lingerie to wear under my outfit. I walked to my dresser and pulled out the new black lace bra and thong with garter set that I splurged on at Amore Boutique during my lunch break earlier. I didn’t think I’d be using that rewards card much, but I am obsessed with that place now—an expensive obsession.

  “Ella, what color is the dress?” I yelled through the bathroom to her room.

  I thought about wearing a black pair of thigh high stockings under my dress for my garter. It would drive Ryder crazy all night, and I wanted to tease him.

  “It’s burgundy. It’s just beautiful!” she yelled from her room.

  I pulled out a pair and hooked them to the garter. Watching Curves I had never noticed before and I had a glow to my body. My breasts perked high, and my thong sat perfectly on my hips.

  “Woot Woot, sexy lady!” Mariella ran into my room with the dress draped over her arm.

  “Give me the dress!” I yelled as I crossed my arms over my chest.

  She walked behind me and placed a necklace around my neck that had rose gold charms hanging from it. I had grabbed my mother’s necklace before she unclasped the hook.

  “Ella, I want to wear my mother’s necklace if that’s okay?” My fingers played with the “L.”

  “Yes, of course, it looks perfect with the dress... Well, it looks perfect with everything.” She smiled.

  I played with the L charm as the new stone rested next to it now. The necklace had more meaning now that Ryder had added his touch. It was my comfort, which I knew I needed tonight. She unzipped the dress and told me to step in. Inching it up my hips and over my chest, it was a perfect fit as she zipped it up. The dress was a high halter top, and the bottom fell above my knees. It had one narrow slit down my back, which was elegant with a hint of playfulness that I knew Ryder would appreciate.

  “It’s perfect, Ella. I love it.” I twirled in the mirror.

  She smiled as she watched me.

  “It’s yours.” She took my arm and placed a rose gold bangle and a thumb ring on me. “Adi, this looks amazing on your skin tone. I’m so jealous!” She continued pulling at the dress to make sure it fit in all the right spots.

  “What shoes should I wear?” I asked.

  She walked over to my closet and pulled out a black bootie heel.

  “These would look perfect, especially with those thigh highs!” She smacked my ass.

  “Ella!” I screamed, and we laughed.

  Spraying on my perfume, I looked at the time, and it was almost six-thirty.

  “Ok, I’m ready. How do I look?” I spun around.

  “You’re gorgeous just like your mother.” She kissed my cheek.

  It made me think about everything Ryder had said to me last night. I wished I had been able to say I love you back to him but my fear of losing him just wouldn’t let me.

  “You have no idea what you, in that dress, are doing to me right now.” He rested his hand on my thigh as we pulled into his parents drive.

  Laying my hand on top of his, he pulled my dress up higher to see more of my thigh. His eyes lit up when he saw the lace hooked to the garter strap.

  “Are you serious? I can’t go in my parents’ house after seeing this.” He rubbed the lace.

  “Well, I guess it’s going to be a long... hard evening.” I smirked.

  “You smell so sweet. I want to taste you.” He leaned over and kissed my neck. “Let me have you here, before we go in.” He pulled my legs apart and slid his fingers inside my thong. “Open your legs more?” he asked.

  “Ryder, someone might see us.” I looked around.

  “I don’t care. All I want is to taste you right now.” He tugged harder at my thong.

  Caving to this man was too easy, but I was afraid my outfit would be ruined by the time we got inside the house and what a great first impression that would be. But I was also dripping wet from his touch and needed a release. I spread my legs further apart.

  “Lean your chair back so I can kiss you. I promise I’ll keep that pretty little dress of yours clean.” He licked his lips.

  Oh, my God. My body was on fire from his words. Leaning back in my seat, I pulled my dress higher up. He moaned when he saw more of my black lace garter.

  “I want to devour you.” His eyes were so focused on my body as he unhooked his seat belt.

  He only ever sees me, and it makes me want him more.

  “Ryder,” I said taking in a sharp breath.

  The tips of his fingers were playing inside me so quickly I couldn’t think straight. Arching my back against the seat, I pulled my knees up so he could get a better view.

  “That’s it, sweet Adi. Spread them further apart so my tongue can taste you.” His voice was so low and filled with lust.

  This man makes me weak, and I would have never done something like this right before meeting someone’s parents. He slid my thong to the side as his head went between my thighs.

  “Mmmm... Ryder.” Closing my eyes, I waited for his warm touch.

  His hot, wet tongue massaged against me. The fear of being caught was so far out of my mind. My back rested against the door, and I rested my head against the window.

  “That’s it, Adi. Rock your hips against my mouth.” He licked faster and sucked me harder.

  My head rocked against the window. He moved his hands to cup my ass and pull my sex deeper into his mouth as he moaned. The vibration sent me into my peak, and I knew I wouldn’t last much longer against his tongue.

  “Ryder, I can’t last any longer,” I mumbled.

  He moaned against me again, and that was all I needed to bring me to the top of my orgasm.

  “Oh, Ryder, baby, your tongue... mmm…” My words jumbled together into nonsense.

  He licked away my wetness as I came down from my orgasm. He slid his fingers inside me a couple more times and licked the wetness from them.

  “You taste amazing, Adi. I can’t get enough of you.” He squeezed my hips.

  Closing my eyes, I took at this moment. He just fucked me with his tongue right outside his parents’ house. This man was wild. He pulled my thong back over my exposed sex and helped to straighten out my dress.

  “Now those little cheeks will be flushed all night, and I’ll be the only one who knows why.” He grabbed my chin and pulled me in for a quick kiss.

  My adrenaline was still on such a high from the orgasm. I reached up and played with the mirror in the visor, checking my hair and makeup. I still looked good, and he was right, my cheeks were naturally blushed from him.

  “Ryder?” I asked when I realized he was adjusting himself uncomfortably in his seat.

  He had the biggest hard on.

  “Oh, baby, do you need me to help you with that?” I leaned over
and ran my hand up and down his shaft through his black dress pants.

  “No, this was just about you... but I can’t wait to take that dress off you later.” He smiled and grabbed my hand.

  I shyly smiled. The windows were steamed up. I had to wipe a clear spot to check his parents’ house again.

  “Well, it looks like most everyone is here now, so shall we?” he said as he grabbed my hand.

  White. White walls, white floors, white furniture. Clean, everything spotless. I had a familiar feeling when I walked into Ryder’s apartment, and I now knew where he got his tidiness. But I didn’t feel at home here. It felt too forced or pretend. We were greeted at the door by a butler and a cocktail. I chose a light champagne, and Ryder took a small glass of amber colored liquor on ice. He took a big gulp, and I knew he felt uncomfortable. The excitement I had earlier to meet Ryder’s parents diminished when they weren’t at the door to greet us. My parents would have never been that impersonal.

  “Where are your parents?” I asked as I took a sip of champagne. It was pleasantly sweet. He scanned the room and pointed to the large hallway that led into the great room.

  “Hosting their party.” He took a sip of his drink.

  I nodded. He grabbed my hand and led the way to the hallway.

  “Are you ready to meet the Mr. and Mrs. Bennett of Bennett Life Insurance?” he advertised sarcastically.

  “I can’t wait,” I said nervously.

  Gulping down my champagne a little too hard, Ryder gave me a look like he heard my exaggeration.

  “Relax. I love you and they will too.” He let out a loud belly laugh.

  There was that word and once again, I didn’t return it even though I felt it more with him than I’ve ever felt in my life. I wanted to say it, but it just wasn’t the right time now.

  “I hope so.” I squeezed his hand and smiled.

  The great room was filled with men in business suits and women in elegant dresses. Suddenly, I felt underdressed for this dinner.

  “Everything looks so nice,” I said adjusting my dress as we walked through the room.

  Ryder watched me.

  “Stop fidgeting. You look beautiful.” He winked.

  We passed through several large groups of people chatting with every other keyword being cost, life, and health. These people were here for business and nothing more. My presence here was more personal, and I felt the fluttering of nerves building up in my stomach. A large white-haired man stopped Ryder by grabbing his shoulder.

  “Ryder, how are you, son?” The older man smiled.

  He had a white beard and was dressed in a very expensive black suit with red suspenders showing under his jacket. He reminded me of Santa Claus.

  “Mr. Snow, I’m great. How are you and the family?” Ryder extended his hand to the Santa man.

  The irony of this man’s name brought a smile to my face.

  “We’re all just wonderful. Are you still working in law?” he asked. “You know I would love to have you on my team to help the legal side of our insurance policies,” he continued before Ryder could answer.

  Ryder smiled and shook his head. “I’m flattered and would love to work for such a successful man as yourself, but I’m very happy where I am.” He cleared his throat and turned back to look at me.

  “Mr. Snow, this is my girlfriend, Adilyn.” He scooted me closer to him, and I extended my hand to the rosy-cheeked man.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said.

  He shook my hand softly for such a big man.

  “What a beautiful woman to have by your side, Ryder. Every man needs to have a lady like that next to them.” He winked.

  “Yes, sir. I’m proud to have her next to me.” Ryder’s cheeks were flushed.

  “She’s an elementary school teacher in the city,” Ryder said proudly.

  I blushed as Mr. Snow nodded.

  “An educator to our future CEOs. I love it, and it takes a special kind of patience to work with kids. If you can do that, you can certainly put up with us business men.” He chuckled so hard it turned into a coughing fit.

  Ryder politely excused us through Mr. Snow’s exaggerated cough. As we walked away, my attention was pulled toward an older man who looked too familiar. I would never have crossed paths with any of these people, so I was puzzled. The man looked at Ryder with the biggest smile.

  “Ryder, you made it... and you brought a friend?” he said in a familiar tone.

  Suddenly, the familiarity hit me. He looked like an older version of Ryder. This must be his father. The same forehead crease when he spoke, and his hair had the same dark waves of Ryder’s hair, but it was grayed. He looked at me with a familiar glare too—it gave me chills. This was the same look Ryder gave me when we were intimate, and it made me uncomfortable coming from this man. His eyes pierced through me like he could see through my clothes. It felt creepy, and I think Ryder started to see the same thing I did.

  “This is Adilyn, my girlfriend.” He pulled me tighter to him, and his hands squeezed tighter at my waist. I could tell he was becoming territorial.

  “Adi, this is my dad’s best friend, John Deckland. He’s one of my dad’s partners at Bennett Insurance,” he said as he took a sip of his drink.

  Quickly, I shook his hand and gave him a small smile. I felt uneasy at the sight of him. The worst part was that he and Ryder shared so many facial characteristics that it made me now uncomfortable to meet his parents but more so, his mother. Turning my attention to others in the room, I thought maybe I was over thinking the similarities too much. It’s been proven that complete strangers could share the same facial features and that it’s just a coincidence. But your father’s best friend? That’s just too ironic. My stomach was doing back flips.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Mr. Deckland.” I rested my hand on Ryder’s arm and squeezed his bicep.

  “John, how are the numbers looking?” Ryder asked him as his face turned to a more serious one.

  “Numbers are good, Ryder, but we could still use you to run our legal end, you know?” He took a sip of his cup that resembled Ryder’s same amber liquor.

  “Yeah... Yeah, you and my dad always fighting for me to join your business ventures... Maybe one day, but right now, I’m happy.” He shook his head.

  “I know, I know. Well, maybe when that pro bono battered women’s work you do slows down, you can pick up some work at Bennett Life.” Mr. Deckland smirked.

  Battered women, I repeated in my head twice. Where did that come from? That information hit me like a ton of bricks. How could he not have mentioned that before—especially, after telling me about his sister? I felt uncomfortable that maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought I did. Ryder squeezed my sides as he felt me slightly pull away from him.

  “Yes, I’ll keep you in mind.” He smiled and shook Mr. Deckland’s hand.

  I took a big drink of champagne. This night was going to get messy. As we walked away, Ryder didn’t say a word. I couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

  “Why didn’t you tell me you do work for abused women?” I pulled Ryder into a small cove of the hallway.

  I wanted to know, and I didn’t want to wait until later to find out. Why did he have to hide it from me? The Piper Harlow name still bothered me, and I wanted to ask him about that too. He took another drink from his glass.

  “It’s not that big of a deal, but once a month, I meet with women in low economic cities to help them make decisions regarding their legal and housing options.” He paused to take another drink. “To get them out of abusive marriages or relationships,” he said it in a matter of fact way that it felt disconnected.

  “I don’t see why you felt like you couldn’t tell me about that?” I asked.

  “It’s not like that, Adi. I’m just used to keeping it confidential. I have to protect these women and what we discuss.” He shook his head.

  I nodded. “I understand that, but I’m not just anyone, Ryder. I’m your girlfriend, and if anyone sh
ould know where you’re spending your extra time, it’s me.” I looked away from him. “I would never jeopardize that type of information,” I continued.

  Taking my hand from his, I walked a few steps in front of him. I had no idea where I was going, but I needed to make space between us.

  “Adi, don’t do this... I made a mistake. I should have talked to you about the women and where I was on my last trip, but it’s just that you didn’t ask.” He grabbed my arm to stop me.

  I turned to look at him, and I felt my cheeks turning red.

  “I didn’t ask because I thought you would tell me, but it never came up... It never does. You’re private with your work and that’s fine, but you need to tell me things if you want this to keep growing between us.” I waved my hand in the air between Ryder and myself.

  He lunged forward and grabbed me.

  “Adi, I’m sorry. I should have told you about my program. I wanted to, but I just wasn’t sure how to bring it up.” He kissed my forehead.

  I suddenly felt bad for getting mad at him so quickly. After all, he was doing something amazing for women who truly needed his resources. Liv flashed in my mind, and I knew it was his way of feeling close to her again. Collecting my nerves, I took a slow breath in.

  “I just want to be in the loop in the future.” I grabbed my necklace.

  “Of course. Adi, this is all new to me, and I’m used to keeping things locked away. My program is not something I’m used to discussing with anyone, but I want to tell you more later. I would love for you to help me with these women, and maybe one day, you can go with me to visit some of the amazing families that come from abusive relationships. The kids would love you.” His eyes pierced through me.

  “I would love that.”

  He nodded. He took my empty glass and sat it down on an end table.

  “Come on. Let’s go meet my parents before dinner.” Ryder led the way through the huge white kitchen.

  No shock it lacked color, just like every room in this house. Next, we entered the large outdoor patio that was decorated with white lights and crystal chandeliers. We made our way to the entrance of the huge white party tent. Entering was breathtaking. Tables were decorated with white linens and beautiful tall flower centerpieces. Candles and low lighting created a more elegant room. It was beautiful. I felt like I was at a wedding and not just a business dinner. As I looked up at Ryder to see his reactions to the amazing party room, he was already staring at me. I wasn’t sure how long he had been gazing at me, but the room didn’t pull his attention from me as I took it all in.