She sat down in her chair and let her head fall into her hands. They’d gone all year without needing any major repairs in the shop and now during the busiest time of the year, they faced the threat of having the shop flooded with sewer water. She was going to call one of the local plumbers. She knew that it wouldn’t be easy to find one available because of the time of year. As the holidays approached, a lot of the local artisans liked to take time off. Others even preferred to leave town to escape the hordes of tourists.
After calling a few plumbers in the area, she realized that it was going to be difficult to find anyone local for the next seventy-two hours. This is only going to get worse; she said to herself, barely fighting back the urge to cry. That wasn’t going to get her anywhere, and she knew it.
Her phone began ringing. Suddenly, her mood brightened. Maybe there was hope after all. Maybe it was one of the plumbing companies calling back to tell her that they would, in fact, be able to send someone to the shop in the next few hours.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t a plumbing company calling her. But it was the man that she was falling in love with for the second time. She smiled as she looked at his handsome face on the screen. She had that same nervous, tingly feeling she’d had so many years ago. One of the last times she’d felt it was right before the move to New York City. It was such a big time in both of their lives. Certain well-intentioned, but rather interested people had begun trying to dissuade them from moving all the way across the country to live together. It will be too much pressure on both of you; they’d been told. There’s no way you’ll make it more than a few months together. And when you finally break it off, the pain might end up derailing both of your careers.
Those were some of the wise words of caution that they’d been forced to endure before they finally hopped on the plane, brimming with hope and excitement, knowing that they were both poised for great success in their careers. But sadly, things hadn’t quite worked out like that.
“You sound a little stressed,” Wade said over the phone. “I don’t need to come down and cheer you up, do I?”
Before answering, Melanie sighed and almost let the phone drop from her hand.
“No, you definitely don’t want to come down here and help,” she replied. “We’ve got enough problems as it is.”
“Huh? I thought that this was the time of year when you made a killing.”
“There’s plenty of business but…” Melanie held back a minute before finishing.
She didn’t know whether it would be a good idea to let Wade know about the problems that she was having at the shop. He would, inevitably, want to help. He’d probably be willing to drop any and everything that he was doing to rush to her side to help. That was just his nature. She had no doubt that he loved her once again and would go the extra mile to prove his love.
That wasn’t the problem. The problem was her ego getting in the way of things. It was her pride that made her hesitate before asking for the help that she so clearly needed. She found it difficult to admit to him that she wasn’t capable of handling her own business without asking him for help.
“Tell me what’s wrong, babe,” Wade said. “I’m sure I could help somehow.”
There was something so warm and tender and genuine in his voice that Melanie nearly melted. She knew that it would be silly for her to hold back any longer. If she wanted him to be open and honest about the worries and insecurities that he faced in his career, then she would have to be the same way. And besides it was only a stupid, overflowing toilet!
When she finally finished explaining what was going on, there was a moment of silence. She waited for him to respond from the other end.
“That’s all it is?” He asked. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, why do you ask?” Melanie replied.
“I just thought that something terrible might have happened. I thought that I might have done something to piss you off.”
“Maybe you have,” Melanie said playfully. She was already feeling much better. She knew that they’d be able to find a way out of this situation.
“What?” Wade said.
“I’m just teasing,” Melanie said. “Do you know anybody that would be able to help me out ASAP? I need to get the flooding to stop, and then I need the water vacuumed up, and the kitchen cleaned.”
“It won‘t be easy, but I think I know someone who could help you out.”
While she waited for Wade to show up, Melanie was forced to close temporarily the shop. She hated to turn people away, but she didn’t see any other way to handle the situation at the time. She absolutely needed everyone in the shop to help out with the cleaning effort if they were going to save the store.
Fifteen minutes later, Wade arrived. Thankfully, he wasn’t alone. Walking right next to him was a short, pudgy man with a slightly balding head. Melanie recognized the man right away. The man wasn’t actually short. It was more that he walked with head lowered and had acquired stooped shoulders.
“Tommy, how are you?” Melanie said.
The blond man slowly lifted his eyes towards her and smiled shyly.
“I’m fine. But from what I’ve heard, you’ve got a little problem in the back there.”
“Yes, the toilet overflowed and I’m afraid that it’s going to flood the kitchen.”
“Well, then there’s no sense standing around here catching up on old times, is there?”
“No, I guess you’re right,” Melanie said turning and leading him to the problem.
The water had risen about two inches in the last hour. They needed to stop the flooding immediately, or thousands of dollars in merchandise would be lost, and Melanie would probably have to close the shop for several days, resulting in even bigger revenue losses. She couldn’t allow that to happen. She just couldn’t.
Melanie stood with hands across her chest in the front of the shop while the plumber went to work in the back of the shop. But that plumber wasn’t just anybody. He’d been a very good friend of Wade’s and Melanie’s, many years ago back in high school. His feelings for Melanie had been more than platonic. But she had only ever considered him a friend. He’d been heartbroken when she rejected his offer to be her date to the junior prom.
Everything in his life seemed to come apart after that rejection. Before that event, he’d been one of the stars on the local hockey team along with Wade. His play fell off dramatically after he realized that his love would be left unrequited. Within weeks, he stopped showing up at practices. And it wasn’t long before he stopped showing up for the games, choosing instead to spend his time getting drunk and getting into fights.
Melanie knew that she’d made the right decision between the two guys. There could be no question about that. But it did hurt her to see how low Tommy had fallen. He’d had such a promising career in front of him. But he’d ended up a pudgy, prematurely balding plumber who looked like he’d really been kicked around by life in the last couple years.
Within twenty minutes, Tommy stopped the leak. And it didn’t take him that long to get the water vacuumed out of the kitchen.
Melanie was so relieved. She was willing to pay him whatever he wanted. And he certainly looked like he could use some extra cash.
“Tommy, thank you so much. How much do I owe?”
Tommy wiped sweat from his brow. He had an awkward smile on his face as he stared back at her.
Melanie glanced towards Wade. She was unsure what Tommy’s enigmatic expression meant. Wade didn’t seem to know either. All he could offer was a shrug of the shoulders.
“I’m really happy that you’ve got such a nice shop,” Tommy said. “I hope you two have a very Merry Christmas.”
He turned his back as if to leave. Melanie stood for a moment staring at him in shock. She was about to take her pocketbook out of her purse.
“Should I send the check through the mail?” She asked. “Would that be more convenient?”
Tommy turned around slowly and looked at both Wade and Melanie. Then a
slight smile crossed his face. “ I don’t like charging folks around the holiday times. It just doesn’t seem like the right thing to do.”
“But Tommy, that work you did should cost at least a couple hundred bucks. Couldn't you use that money yourself? Or maybe your wife or children?” Melanie said.
Right when the words came out, she regretted them. The expression on Tommy’s face darkened considerably. He seemed to be on the verge of crying, but he just managed to hold it together
“My wife took my only son and left me five years ago, right around Christmas time. Doing work for folks free of charge makes me feel a lot less lonely.”
In that case, Melanie was happy to accept the work without payment. She opened her arms wide, and she gave Tommy a big hug. She felt the wetness of a tear drop on her shoulder.
Wade and Melanie walked through the snow-covered streets hand in hand, not saying a word, but every few minutes they would turn to each other and smile. Melanie had never felt more loved and protected. Each day they spent with each other increased the amount of love and trust that she felt for Wade.
They weren’t the same people that they had been all those years before when the relationship began. But she still felt extremely close to him. When he squeezed her in his strong arms, she felt like he was the father figure that she had been missing for the last several years. But despite how good she felt about reuniting with Wade, she still had some reservations. And before they went any further she wanted to make sure that he understood exactly where she was coming from.
It had taken her many years to get him out of her daily thoughts. Those had been tough years for her. If she didn’t share that with him, if she couldn’t bring herself to be honest and vulnerable, then this relationship would not feel real.
“It really hurt me that you would run out on me at such a difficult time.”
Wade hung his head. He seemed to be genuinely sorry for the way he had conducted himself during their final month. It was right around this time of year, and he had gotten completely wrapped up in the New York hype that surrounded his hockey career.
“I’m very ashamed of how I acted,” he said. “I’ve never forgiven myself for running out on you at such at such a hard time for you.”
Melanie went on to explain just how difficult that Christmas had been for her. A week before Christmas, her father had died of a massive stroke. And just a few hours later her mother had died in the same hospital room of a heart attack.
When she had finished expressing her pain, they walked for a few minutes in silence. This silence was filled with tension. Melanie feared that she might have gone too far. She feared that she might be scaring him away with all this talk of painful memories.
But just when she was about to apologize for being so emotional, Wade turned to her with an understanding smile.
“Thank you for sharing that with me,” he said. “Really, I mean that. I think it takes a lot of courage for someone to be so honest about their pain. That’s a quality that I’ve always admired in you.”
Melanie smiled and brushed a tangle of blond hair from her eyes. She felt a warm, loving sensation flooding her entire body. Wade was the only man who could makes her feel like this. There was no denying that. And she was sure that she was finally ready to be intimate. Her body had been calling out for his ever since she found out that he was coming back to town. It had taken all of her willpower to resist this long. But she knew that she wouldn’t be able to hold out much longer. She was ready to give in. She was ready to be taken in his strong, powerful arms.
The kissing had begun before they made it back to the privacy of Melanie’s house.
“I’ve been waiting so long for this,” Wade said as his lips brushed against her ear. Melanie’s entire body trembled with desire. She could feel the dampness between her legs.
Wade gave her two, soft, wet kisses on her neck. She smiled, and her body grew warm with desire. This is what she had dreamed about for so long. This is what she had fantasized about while touching herself and quickly bringing herself to orgasm, screaming out her first love’s name for all to hear. That was how she had remained loyal to him all these years, almost three, without having sex with another man.
“You’re the only man that I’ve ever had sex with,” she said staring him directly in the eyes.
Wade stopped kissing her neck and stared at her intensely. He seemed to be searching her eyes, trying to determine whether she was telling the truth or merely attempting to flatter him. But it was clear from the intensity and the sincerity in her eyes that she was telling the truth. There was no denying that.
“I don’t know how to respond to that,” Wade said.
Melanie smiled and pressed her index finger to his lips. “Just keep holding me in these strong arms of yours and don’t ever let go of me.”
“I’ll never let you get away from me ever again,” Wade said.
He took her face in her hands and kissed her gently on the lips. But that’s not what Melanie wanted at that moment. She wanted to feel his strength and desire. She wanted to feel his hard cock pumping in and out of her wet pussy.
It was going to be such a tight fit! She couldn’t wait!
Their tongues darted in and out of each other’s mouths. Melanie reached down and squeezed the hard bulge in Wade’s pants. Shivers of pleasure rippled throughout her body.
Wade closed his eyes and moaned. And within seconds, he was picking Melanie up off her feet and carrying her into her bedroom. She was a big girl and there weren’t many men who would be capable of scooping her off her feet like that, but Wade made her feel like a little girl. He made her feel loved and protected. It was a feeling that had been missing from her life for so long.
Wade placed her down on the bed. Melanie was dying to feel his cock inside of her. Her wet, swollen pussy was calling out for him. His was the only cock that she had ever known. She was experiencing a desire more intense than anything she had ever known. And she knew that things were only going to get more intense.
Wade pushed her damp panties all the way down her fleshy legs. He smiled hungrily; then he began kissing the insides of her thighs. After each kiss, Melanie moaned with pleasure and trembled in nervous anticipation of the next one. She felt so good for not allowing any other man to take her over the last several years. She knew that she had finally been reunited with her one true love.
She quivered with delight as she felt Wade’s tongue lightly brushing up against her pussy lips. For several minutes, he licked her up and down and from side to side. Then he took her swollen clit head into his mouth and sucked on it. She had never felt anything like that before. She was being pushed to the edge. Her legs began to quiver. His skillful tongue was exactly what she wanted. It was exactly what she needed. But she wasn’t going to be able to handle much more foreplay. She needed, desperately needed, to feel his thick, hard cock filling her up, touching all her walls, and going deep inside of her.
She could tell by looking at his throbbing member that he was ready. She had waited so long to experience his great cock once again and there it was right in front of her. She couldn’t hold back any longer.
She put her hand on Wade’s chin and gently lifted his head. She smiled at him lovingly. His face was covered with her juices.
“Come closer to me,” she said. “I want to feel you inside of me.”
Wade pulled his head out from between her legs, licking his lips and smiling with satisfaction.
“You taste so good,” he said.
They both giggled. Then they kissed on the mouth. Melanie enjoyed the taste of herself mingled with Wade’s saliva. She would've never imagined herself doing something quite so naughty with a man, not even in her wildest dreams. But that’s the effect that Wade had on her. When she was with him, she was able to relax completely and let her guard down. His presence made her feel safe and loved. It also made her feel uninhibited as if she would be willing to do anything that he asked of her.
She reac
hed out and grabbed his dick. It was so hard! Thick veins ran up and down the shaft. It was the most beautiful cock that she had ever seen. Then she began stroking it up and down.
“That feels so good,” Wade said. “So good.”
Melanie smiled with satisfaction. She was glad that she was able to please him. But she wanted to take things further. She wanted to give him the best blowjob of his life. It’s what a magnificent cock like his deserved. She felt a bit insecure about putting his beautiful male member in her mouth.
Sure, she had done this for him before. But that was so long ago. What if she didn’t do it right? What if he was disappointed?
But she quickly brushed those thoughts out of her mind. She continued stroking up and down the hard shaft while sucking on Wade’s nipples. She nibbled on them lightly. He closed his eyes and moaned. Then he reached out and started playing with her full breasts.
Her nipples were erect and extremely sensitive. It had been so long since they’d been touched in a loving way.
She pressed Wade’s large cock against her lips. Then she swirled her tongue around the bulbous head and licked from the top of the shaft down to the bottom. She could feel Wade’s body quivering with pleasure. She had no idea how she could have gone so long without experiencing this sort of intense intimacy.
While she licked up and down his cock, she rubbed her hands over his muscular chest and abs. Everything about Wade signaled a very powerful, masculine man, an alpha. That was the only type of man that she had ever wanted. It was the only kind of man that she would ever be able to submit to.
“I want you inside of me,” she said pulling the head in and out of her mouth.
“That feels so good. Don’t stop,” Wade replied.
They looked into each other’s eyes and smiled. Melanie had only ever fantasized about this kind of dirty talk. It was something that she would not have thought herself capable of. But here she was with Wade, feeling safe and free to say whatever it was that was on her horny little mind. It was such a liberating feeling to be with him. This was definitely something that she didn’t want to let go of. It was something that she wanted to experience again and again.
What the Heart Desires Page 49