The Do Over

by A. L. Zaun

  Suddenly, I had a crazy idea. I glanced over my shoulder once more to see Liam looking over at me. When our eyes locked, I smiled, wrinkling my nose. He shook his head in amusement before he continued with his tasks. I threw caution to the wind and my clothes to the sand as I inched my way into the cove. When I was waist deep, I kicked and splashed around me.

  "Hey, Lieutenant."

  He looked up, and his jaw fell. He started stripping off his clothes as he made his way to the shore. "Baby, you've got to be the hottest, most fucking incredible woman on the planet."

  "I have to tell you something, and I think I'll chicken out if I'm too close to you."

  "This is your brilliant plan to keep me away? You naked in the water? Talk fast." He stood on the beach, pulling off his boxer briefs.

  I laughed. I quickly summoned up my courage since the sight of him naked had me flustered. "Your key freaked me out."

  He rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm coming in." He waded over to me. "I'm sorry for freaking you out." He trailed kisses along my neck. "Tell me what's wrong," he whispered.

  I leaned my head back, elongating my neck. When his stubble tickled behind my ear, I quivered at the sensation. "When you do this, I forget what I'm going to say."

  As he stopped, I pouted.

  "The key. Talk to me."

  "What does it mean?" I wanted him to give me a quick explanation because my resolve to stay focused was coming to an abrupt end.

  He leaned in and grazed my lips. "It's a key. It was there. I wanted you to sleep in."

  "Come on, it has to mean more than that if you wanted me to keep it."

  "Honestly, it was a spontaneous decision. It felt right. If I think about it…" He looked up and then back at me. "If it has to mean something, it means that I trust you."

  I nodded. "I'll accept that."

  As I wrapped myself around him, his hand traveled up my leg. I ran my fingers through his hair.

  "Thank you for this wonderful evening…and thank you for loving me and everything that entails."

  We frolicked in the water. Between splashing and laughing, we kissed and teased each other. I'd never felt so alive.

  Liam carried me out of the water and then wrapped us in the tablecloth. Standing this close to him in our makeshift towel, I craved him. My longing was so intense that I could barely stand it.

  "Liam, I need you to make love to me now," I murmured. My hands traced up and down his back as I rubbed myself up against him.

  He kissed my forehead, and our breathing became labored.

  "My wallet…is…in…the boat."

  I threw on his shirt while he pulled on his boxers. The rest of our clothes were left in a jumbled heap. The short walk to the boat was eternal. I decided that I was getting on the pill as soon as possible.

  After we were on the boat, he found his wallet and pulled out the coveted condom. I took it from his hands and ripped open the wrapper. His eyes were hooded as he moaned when I slipped the condom over him. I led him to the front of the boat and sat him back on the seat.

  As I unbuttoned my shirt, his hands reached for my breasts. I climbed on top of him and slowly lowered myself. I stretched as he filled me. My head fell back, and I moaned in pleasure.

  The boat rocked to our rhythm as we made love.

  I felt the pressure mounting.

  "Baby, I want to watch you."

  When the convulsions started rippling through me, I gripped his shoulders, digging my nails into him. "Liam…oh…yes…yes…ahhh…love you so much," I panted in complete and total ecstasy.

  He lowered me down and then began to thrust fast and hard. The pressure began building again, and then we found pleasure together.

  Burying his head in my neck, he traced kisses along the shell of my ear. "I love you, baby."

  "I love you, too."

  Under the starlit night, we navigated back to port. My heart overflowed with love for him. I had something else to talk to him about, but I honestly couldn't remember what it was.

  "Good morning, Walter," I greeted with a wave as I walked into the lobby of Madison's condo at six in the fucking morning. "And happy Thanksgiving." I smiled. It wasn't his fault that Madison was a lunatic.

  Walter was a good family man. I guessed he was in his mid-forties. When Madison had decided that waiting for her in my car was no longer acceptable, I had the pleasure of getting to know him. It was part of her wax-on/wax-off bullshit. I was over trying to figure her out. It was wasted energy. I needed to focus on learning these fucking stupid lessons, so I could pass to the next level. Whoever said it got easier was a motherfucking liar.

  "Good morning and happy Thanksgiving to you, Mr. Marin. Ms. Stuart will be down any moment now."

  Walter gave me hope that the service in this town hadn't gone to shit. I couldn't think of a morning when he wasn't here, and each time I saw him, he was polite. I had to give it to him. He had good manners. Madison should hire him and fire that prick Bruce. I didn't know if Walter could mix a drink, but I had no reservations that he could bring me a fucking bottle of water.

  I leaned up against the granite counter, tapping my fingers, while I waited for Madison. Making me wait was her favorite part of training. At this point, I decided I would let her think she had me under some mind-fuck trance. It was bullshit.

  "You know how women are, Walter. Madison insists I be here on time, but she makes me wait." I shook my head.

  As Walter snickered, the elevator doors opened. Dressed in a sports bra and running shorts, Madison walked out like she was the fucking Queen of England.

  She glanced over at Walter and shot him a sweet smile. "Good morning, Walter. Happy Thanksgiving."

  Then, she shot me a seething glare. This was an act I saw through. She loved the attention. I had to admit that her attitude was fun when it wasn't irritating as hell. This morning, she was being a pain in the ass.

  Walter said, "Same to you, Ms. Stuart. Let me get the door for you." He rushed over and opened the door for us.

  She turned to look at me. "Rick, are you taking notes?"

  When she walked outside, I raced around her to open the car door for her.

  She smiled, impressed. "You're such a quick learner."

  I passed her fucking test. As I strutted around the car to my side, I couldn't help but feel a huge sense of accomplishment. She gave me a fucking compliment.

  I settled into the driver's seat. When I looked over at her before turning on the car, she glanced in my direction.

  Rubbing my chin, I decided Madison needed to be schooled in the art of treating a man with respect. "You're fucking enjoying this a little too much. And how about a 'good morning, Rick, happy Thanksgiving' to me? Where are your manners?"

  "Rick, you're so damn cute when you get irritated. You do this little thing with your mouth that's adorable." She rolled her eyes. "I said good morning when I woke your sorry ass up. Did you forget that? You're so high maintenance. I'm going to have to cure you of that." She crossed her arms and pursed her lips.

  At first, I'd thought that Madison wanted to fuck me. If it wasn't for my plan to win Daniela back, I might have. Madison had a sweet ass, and she knew how to move it. I tried not to think about her ass too much, but it was hard to ignore when she brushed it up against me. Of course, she did that accidentally—yeah right. Now, I wasn't sure what she wanted.

  "Madison, for your information, I have a dick, and I like it. Why the hell are you trying to fucking cut it off?"

  "I'm not doing anything of the sort. I'm working very hard on getting your dick back in commission. It's a shame that it's on the sidelines. Tell me, has anything that I've done not worked for you? Before you know it, that dick of yours will be fucking like there's no tomorrow." She caressed my face with her hand. "Team Rick all the way."

  She had a point. All was well in the universe. For a minute there, I thought she hated men and was doing a figurative Lorena Bobbitt.

  "It's driving you crazy, isn't it?" I asked.
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  "What is?" She lowered the visor to straighten her ponytail in the mirror.

  The ponytail actually looked nice on her. I preferred women to wear their hair down, but Madison was able to pull off the look.

  "You're dying to fuck me, aren't you?" I raised my eyebrow and shot her my dimpled smile.

  She always denied it, but I knew the truth. She'd wanted to fuck me since the day she'd first laid eyes on me. I should've let it go, but I didn't.

  I turned on the car and then pulled out of the parking lot.

  "You're an asshole. Do you really think every woman wants to fuck you?"

  "Without a doubt. Just like every man falls under your spell and wants to taste your pussy."

  "I won't argue with that last part. However, if I wanted to fuck you, I would have. Obviously, I don't. Now, do you mind not being such an arrogant motherfucker? It's a turn-off."

  Damn, she wants me bad. "Whatever you say, love. Now, what the fuck is a Turkey Trot?"

  Leave it to Madison to drag me to Tropical Park on Thanksgiving morning to run with literally a thousand other people. This was payback for every fucking bad thing I'd done in my life. After this, my debt was definitely paid in full with interest. Who the hell is crazy enough to want to sign up for this shit? Madison Fucking Stuart, that's who.

  I couldn't believe she actually tried to beat me. Fuck that shit! I was competitive. The kicker was that she had gotten pissed and said I was supposed to let her win. Apparently, she didn't get the memo that clearly stated I didn't lose to anyone.

  "On top of being the world's biggest asshole, you cheat," Madison huffed as we walked back to my car.

  "I won fair and square. Maddy, I'm bigger, stronger, and faster. Deal with it."

  I smacked her ass and then jogged ahead of her. With laughter, I sang my own version of "We Are the Champions."

  "I am the champion, no time for losers, 'cause I am the champion of the world."

  Apparently, those were fighting words. In the middle of my revelry, Madison ran up behind me and jumped on my back, practically knocking me down.

  "You're such a dick."

  I regained my balance while she clung to me. As she tightened her legs around my midsection, she put me into a headlock.

  I replied, "Yes, I am, and I know how to use it."

  I ran the rest of the way to the car with Madison riding piggyback. All the while, she was making a sound I didn't know she was capable of—laughter.

  After I dropped Madison off at her condo, I went shopping. In a couple of hours, I'd pick her up again, so we could make our way to the homeless shelter. This would be a first. When I'd told my mother that I was volunteering, she had not believed me. That hurt. Daniela had laughed when I'd told her. That stung. They knew me well. Madison was the only one with the balls to tell me that I was going to do it. When I'd agreed to it, I'd been in a state of desperation, and she had taken full advantage of me.

  It was not that I had an aversion to charity. My family was very philanthropic. We participated in events all the time, but they were the black-tie kind. At those, I was in the zone, wearing a custom-tailored Armani tuxedo. Now, I was staring at a fucking blue bag with white lettering that said GAP.

  After feeding the homeless, I had plans to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I hadn't been attentive to my mother lately. This quest to win Daniela back and the work that it involved had taken the place of certain family responsibilities, like doting on my mother. She wasn't taking it well. I shook my head and sighed. On top of dealing with Madison's School of Castrating Rick and Daniela's slow seduction, I now had my mother to contend with. I was going to need large doses of alcohol tonight.

  But, one thing at a time. Now, I was subjecting myself to the next level of punishment by Madison. Wearing a pair of jeans and a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up, I walked into the lobby of her building. I figured I would be safe wearing Liam-type clothes. To my surprise, Madison was already waiting for me downstairs and Walter was not sitting behind the counter. That was a first for both of them.

  "Wow, Rick, I'm impressed. You look like a regular person and not a pompous son of a bitch. You're maturing. I like it."

  When I refused to drive my car to the shelter, Madison's praises were soon replaced with a promotion to Supreme Asshole of the World. There was no way I was going to drive my BMW 640i Coupe. I wasn't about to risk getting it vandalized or stolen when I was doing a good deed. It was a decision I regretted when we got into her tiny red Audi TTS Roadster, which she drove like it was a fucking go-cart.

  "I think you're overreacting. I wasn't being an asshole. I was being a smart man," I said, gripping the door handle. I felt like I was riding a fucking roller coaster.

  "You're probably right, but I'm having fun with you now." She laughed and continued to drive like a maniac.

  We pulled into a tan building that looked like a typical apartment complex. As we parked in the gated lot, I realized that my car would've been safe, and I could have avoided that near death experience. We got out of the car and made our way to the building.

  As we were walking inside, Madison reached over, slid off my sunglasses, and put them in her purse. "I'm proud of you. You've come a long way in a short while." She winked and led me to the kitchen, waving and greeting people as we went.

  "Maddy, you walk around this place like you own it."

  "Apparently, you think I'm shallow and petty. I do believe in giving back to the community."

  "Did I say you were shallow and petty? I had no doubt about your generosity. I figured it was just for keeping men happy, but I'm very impressed with your community service."

  "I take back everything I said about being proud of you. You have retained your title of Asshole Extraordinaire."

  Fuck. I hated when she twisted my words. I ran my hands through my hair as I tried to find the right thing to say.

  "Come here." I grabbed her hand and looked at her with the most sincere look I could muster. "You've been great to me. It's Thanksgiving, so I'm going to tell you what I'm thankful for." As I tapped her nose with my other hand, I winked. "You're a pain in the ass and the biggest bitch I know, but you not only put up with me, you also help me."

  I looked away, searching the stained ceiling tiles for inspiration. I didn't do this nice shit unless I was working the pussy angle, and I hardly ever meant it. Madison was different though. She wasn't a hook up. She was growing on me, and in a sadistic way, I kind of liked her. She wasn't half bad, and she could actually be fun.

  "You're my friend, maybe even my best friend," I admitted.

  She smiled. "Rick, I'm not Daniela. You don't need to lay it on thick. I'm in it for the long haul until I'm not in it anymore."

  She might as well have kicked me in the balls.

  "What?" she asked, confused.

  "Nothing, Maddy, forget it. I'm an asshole, and you're a bitch."

  So much for the cool Maddy from this morning. This fucking Maddy was a royal pain in the motherfucking ass, and I hated her guts. I couldn't wait to get the hell out of here.

  "Let's do this. I have people to see and places to go," I said impassively, staring over her.

  She pulled something out of a box and sighed deeply. "Stop it. I don't want you to be mad, not today. Tomorrow, you can be, and then I'll whip your ass into shape." She tugged on my shirt and reached over for my arm. "Not today, Rick."

  Looking down at her, I thought for a second that she might actually be human. It was that split second that always got me. I caved.

  It was short-lived. She quickly pulled out a shower cap made out of some shit and told me I had to wear it. My feelings for her grew from hatred to full-blooded loathing. She was doing this on purpose.

  "There's no fucking way I am putting that shit on my head," I said.

  "You have to. We're serving food. Look, I'm going to do it, too."

  People started pulling out large trays of food. What on earth are they serving here?

  "I'm not
wearing that shit. What the fuck is that?"

  "Stop being so difficult. Wear the damn thing. And that's stuffing. Haven't you ever seen stuffing before?" She stood with one hand on her hip while the other twirled that fake shower cap thing. "Trust me, Rick. Wax on, wax off."

  "You first." Standing there with my arms crossed, I shot lethal daggers at her.

  Without hesitation, she put on the cap. She looked like a fucking moron. I couldn't keep a straight face as I tried to stifle my laughter. She handed me the other cap, and I put it on, joining the ranks of the moron-looking idiots that started circling around us.

  "What do you think? Do I look as certifiably ridiculous as you do?" I asked.

  Madison whipped out her phone and took a picture of me. "I love it!" Twirling around, she laughed her ass off.

  I was insulted, but there was something about her laughter that almost made it bearable.

  "Give me that."

  When I reached for her phone, she pulled it away. Turning her back to me, she tucked the phone in her bra.

  "Do you really think that it's safe there?" With her back pressed into my chest, I reached around. "I have no problem digging around for my treasure."

  She leaned back into me, her ass pressing up against my dick. My left hand circled her waist as I buried my head in her neck. She smelled so much better than whatever they were cooking here. My dick was in fucking heaven.

  I whispered in her ear, "This is your last chance, or I'm coming in."

  Her hand rested on my arm. "It's mine. You need to trust me."

  Her head reclined on my chest. She moved against my body with such ease and confidence. It was a fucking turn-on, and she could feel it. She loved having power and control over me.

  "You two should get a room."

  We both quickly straightened, startled out of whatever the hell that was. Where the fuck was my head?

  "Alex, it's been a while," Madison said. "Rick, this is Alex, an, um…old friend."

  Old friend, my ass. He was a fuck buddy. That son of a bitch was salivating as he eyed her from head to toe.