That's a Lie

by Victoria Klahr

  “Yeah I know, so we gotta be quiet. We’re gonna sneak in.”

  He gets out of the truck before I can tell him that he’s crazy, and comes over to my side to help me out. “Don’t look so scared, Pussy Cat. No one’s checking to see if people are coming here after the park closes.”

  What the hell… Seth makes me feel alive again, so I shrug and get out of the truck. He takes my hand and grins roguishly as we walk quickly and quietly to the fence. He lets go of my hand and jumps over it easily. I climb up and Seth grabs my waist to help me get down. He grins when my feet hit the ground and pushes my errant hair out of my face.

  “Look at you. Sexiest criminal I know.” I flick my hair off my shoulder and flutter my eyelashes. He grins wider and pulls me in for a kiss. When he pulls away, I’m left breathless while he looks unaffected. I turn and look at the playground, and am shocked.

  “Wow,” I breathe out. It’s huge! There’s a pirate and skull theme, but it really looks like it was made for adults. There are slides, monkey bars, jungle gyms, a rock climbing wall, a dirt pit with pretend pirate ships inside of it, and tunnels running throughout the space. “This really is badass.”

  “Told you… I’ll race you down those slides.” He gives me a challenging look, and I meet it with one of my own.

  “You’re on.” They’re are really high up, and I don’t know how little kids can even play on it. There are two slides at the very top that are meant for racing, so we both rush up the steps to get to the top.

  “Okay. On three,” Seth says, sitting at the top of the slide. I sit down, pull my hair up, and tie it in a messy bun.

  “Okay.”

  “One. Two-,” I shoot down the slide as soon as “two” leaves his mouth, laughing as he calls me a cheater. He still almost beats me to the bottom, but I make it first and run away as soon as I get off. He chases me, grabbing the back of my hoodie to stop me.

  “You are such a cheater!”

  “I wasn’t sure if you meant on three or after three,” I say innocently. He leans his head back and lets out a loud laugh.

  “And you’re a liar! You’re on a role, Jos…. Rematch, and no cheating this time.” I laugh the whole way up the stairs while Seth smacks my butt on each step.

  We sit down and Seth starts his countdown again.

  “One. Two-,” I push myself down on “two” again, cracking up laughing as I go, but Seth must have known I was going to do it again because he shoots off at the same moment. He beats me to the bottom this time, so as soon as I stop sliding, I turn around and try to climb back up the slide.

  “No way, pretty girl,” Seth say, climbing up behind me and pulling me back.

  “You left at two, too!” I squeal. He throws me over his shoulder and squeezes my butt.

  “Yeah, because I knew you were a liar and cheater. I saw your hand twitching as soon as I said one.’”

  “Damn my hands,” I mutter. I reach down Seth’s back as he carries me to the other side of the playground and try to reach into his pants. I get a hold on his boxers and start pulling them up, giggling as he flings me off of him.

  “Oh my fucking god, Jos. You are asking for it.” I widen my eyes and pretend to look terrified. He narrows his eyes, and I’m off running in a flash. I swerve through the large playground, but Seth’s too quick for me. I’m almost trapped, so I start for the rock climbing wall. I try to climb up, and I notice that Seth slows his pace and crosses his arms to watch me. There’s a sexy little grin on his face, so I stick my tongue out at him and keep trying to climb over the wall. I lose my footing on the second rock up, and fall one foot back to the ground.

  I look up to a laughing Seth and pout. “That didn’t work at all.”

  “I know, Pussy Cat. It’s okay,” he says, comforting me by wrapping an arm around me. “I think it’s safe to say that bringing you here to try and redeem yourself on those monkey bars is useless.”

  “I wanna see you do them,” I say bumping my hip into his side.

  “You think I can’t?”

  “I think you’re a pussy,” I say indifferently, with a shrug.

  “I’m not the sissy who fell off the monkey bars halfway across.”

  “Remember the last time you called me a sissy, Seth?”

  “Yeah, you punched me.”

  “Don’t think I won’t do it again.”

  “I have no doubt that you would, Jos.” He laughs, and goes to the monkey bars to show me that he can do it easily, and within a couple of seconds.

  “Go again,” I tell him. As soon as he starts his way across, I lift up my hoodie and shirt, exposing my stomach, stopping right before I reach my boobs. He stops halfway across, gets off, and grabs me. He pulls my shirt back down, but keeps his hands on my bare skin.

  “What the hell are you doin’?” he asks, eyes tracing my lips. “What if someone’s around watching you?”

  “You suck at the monkey bars…. Couldn’t even make it halfway,” I say breathlessly. I was trying to tease him, but the hungry look in his eyes is making my insides greedy for him.

  “What the fuck do I care about monkey bars when my girl is getting naked in front of me?” he asks huskily, sliding his hand under my sports bra. His thumb grazes my nipple and then he pinches it. I moan, and lean into him. He smiles at my reaction, but he pulls away too quickly. He grabs my hand and pulls me to the swings. We swing in silence for a couple of minutes, enjoying the moments that we can pretend like there are no other concerns in the world.

  “I talked to Blake today,” he says finally, getting off the swing and standing behind me to push me. My heart squeezes, worried about how that must have went down.

  “What happened?” Did you get in a fight, is what I really want to ask.

  “I told him about how happy you are with me.” I smile and shake my head.

  “Trying to stir the pot?”

  “Jos, he’s an asshole. I wasn’t stirring shit, he needed to know you’re not going to let him affect you.”

  “Why do you hate him so much? And I don’t just mean because of what he said to me last time. I mean, you’ve always hated him.”

  Seth grabs the chains on my swing and stops it, then moves in front of me and kneels.

  “Blake’s always been an asshole, he just never showed his true colors to you until the party. And as much as he wanted to make it look like he was drunk as hell that night, I saw it in his eyes when I was beating him, he knew exactly what he was doing. He’s manipulative, and I hate him. A part of my initial distaste for him was the fact that he wanted you- the one girl I wanted. But then I found out how much of a dick he is, and it made it impossible to ever get on good terms with him.” He takes some hair that’s fallen out of my bun and pushes it behind my ear.

  “But most of all, I hate him for trying to get back with you. Your dad died a week before he came back, and he tried to convince you to get back together with him hours after his funeral. That’s fucking bullshit. He knew you’d be vulnerable the most at that time, probably starving for someone to hold you, and he used that to his advantage. I don’t know how it all went down, but I have no doubt he already had plans made to stay here and try to get you back. It’s disrespectful and disgusting.”

  I never looked at it like that. I was deprived for attention. Seth was gone. Daddy died and he was the one who usually comforted me when I was sad. Dad was lost in a dark world I didn’t want to get involved in. And then Blake came around, offering to love me when I felt my loneliest.

  “Wow…” I say quietly. I don’t think Seth’s telling me every reason why he hates Blake, but his answer is good enough for me. “How did I never see that before?” Seth’s hand cups my cheek and he kisses the corner of my mouth.

  “You just wanted someone to love you, Jos. I shouldn’t have hidden what I felt for so long, and then we wouldn’t have to be going through these problems with him.” I love how the simple word “we” comforts me on so many levels. He sits down in the mulch and pushes on my knees
to rock me on the swing. “Anyway… there’s something I wanted to tell you about what he said. I don’t want him to bring it up to you, and have you think I wasn’t honest with you… I knew Blake would recognize you in those pictures I showed at the gallery. I mean, I didn’t know about the ring, but if he was having sex with you as much as he hinted, then I knew he would know it was your body I was loving on.”

  I stare at him for a few seconds, then crack a smile.

  “You’re such a cocky bastard, Seth.”

  He laughs lightly and relaxes at my reaction. “I thought if he got pissed about it then I would be forced to let you in on how I was feeling about you. I thought if you saw how good we looked in the pictures and then heard how I feel about you, then you would want me…” There’s a pain in my heart at his words because that’s not how it worked at all. He continues, “I shouldn’t have left you with him, and I sure as hell shouldn’t have given him the opportunity to be the one to take care of you. He ever tell you why he came back that night?”

  I shake my head confused. “We never talked about that night. We never talked about you at all.”

  “I told him to go get you and make sure you were okay. I told him that I was stepping back, and would let you be happy. That he won. Biggest fucking mistake of my life. I should have come back for you.”

  “Really?” I ask, shocked. I thought Blake never brought it up because he was being respectful of my pain. I thought he came back because he realized he shouldn’t have walked away. I hold onto the hand Seth has on my knee. “You’re back now, that’s all that matters. And I’ve never been happier.”

  He smiles broadly. “Right! That’s what I told him, too. And I may have mentioned that you think I’m much better in bed than him.”

  “Look at you being all mature and shit,” I say with a sarcastic smile. “You even made love to me in my bed.”

  “What can I say? You’re making an honest man outta me.”

  “You really are the best… in bed that is.”

  He winks at me, and leans up to grab my hips. “I’m the best at a lot of things.”

  “I know you are… Best friend,” I kiss his cheek. “Best kisser.” I kiss his lips. “Best boyfriend.” I slip my tongue in his mouth. “Best listener and comforter.” I pull his top lip into my mouth. “Best looking.” I suck on his lip. “Best at monkey bars.” I nibble on it. “Best lover.” I move to his bottom lip. “You’re the best person I will ever know,” I whisper. I kiss him hard, loving the moan he releases and the way his hands grip my waist firmly.

  He pulls me off the swing and makes me straddle him on the ground. One of his hands has a good grip in my hair, and the other slides under my shirt. I hold onto the back of his neck, keeping him against me. I don’t know how long we make out, but it’s long- or short- enough for me to get wet and needy for him.

  We hear something zooming toward the park, and we both break apart, looking for the source of the sound.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” he whispers, surprise in his voice. He looks at me with a devil-may-care grin and breathes out a laugh. Quietly he tells me, “Don’t freak, but someone is seriously patrolling in a golf cart.”

  “What?!” I blurt loudly, looking for the cart to see how much time we have to get out of here.

  “Shhh… Come on.” He gets up and pulls me up. He zig zags through the fixture in the middle of the playground, weaving around in the dark so we don’t get caught. “I don’t want him to see the truck…” He looks at me seriously. “Okay, Jos, this is a real life mission. No more practicing, this is the real deal. We need to run back to the truck, but we can’t get caught. Do you accept this mission? Or do you want to sleep in this tube for the rest of the night?”

  “I can do it… but if you get me fired for getting arrested, I’m gonna kill you.”

  “Don’t worry, baby. We can change our names and run away together, and you can be whatever you want. I have connections.” I cover my mouth to hold in my laugh and squeeze my eyes shut. He’s crazy. He kisses my forehead, and takes me to the back corner of the playground.

  “Ok… see those trees. We’re gonna run through them and go to the truck.”

  “Easy as pie,” I say, nodding my head.

  “Try not to fall though.” He laughs at my glare and helps lift me up and over the fence. He hops over after me, and we dart through the trees. We run for a minute until the guard starts in our direction, and Seth quickly grabs me and pulls me under the dark shadows behind a tree. We both stare at each other while we wait for him to pass, knowing looks on our faces. The last time we were up against the tree, Seth made me feel things I’d never experienced before. The security guard turns around and heads to opposite side of the playground, so we’re able to run to the truck in the back of the parking lot without being seen.

  “Get in,” Seth says, opening my door quickly and picking me up to sit me in the truck. He hops in on his side and starts the engine, roaring out of the parking lot before the person in the golf cart can see his license plate. I look behind us, and notice the security guard in the middle of the parking lot, giving up on chasing us. I let out a relieved breath, and lean back in my seat. That was fun.

  “See, told you it wouldn’t be romantic… but it was fun though, right?” he says, grinning and glancing over at me.

  “I love you so fucking much, Seth.”

  I go to bed feeling refreshed and rejuvenated, wrapped in the arms of the man I trust and love with every thread of my being. I work on what Seth told me to, and I change the pictures of my nightmares into something I love more. I keep Seth and me under the stars, kissing and vowing to love each other for the rest of our lives. I change Michael choking me into Daddy giving me a hug. And instead of Blake looking at me angrily in the middle of the cemetery, I’m standing across from Brooke and Brandon and their newborn baby who I love so much my chest tightens with affection.

  And I don’t scream in my sleep tonight… I smile, calling to Seth in love instead of fear.

  * * *

  I let out a long sigh, lean back in my chair at my desk, and open my Kindle so I can start reading.

  The kids are extra crazy this month since winter break is in a little over a week, so I take every free period I have to read. I can’t wait until break either, because Seth and I will finally start looking for our first home together. I could also use some relaxation…. And a twenty four hour day in bed with my man.

  I finally get into the book, when I hear my classroom door open. I groan in my head before looking up from my reading. Forty five minutes. That’s all I get alone, and these people always want to chit chat. I plaster a smile on my face and look up to see Seth leaning against the wall and smiling at me.

  “Hey! What are you doing here?” I ask, getting excited immediately. Three months we’ve been together officially, and I’m still thrilled every time I see him.

  “I have a reason, but I forgot.” I feel my body heat under his gaze, and I squeeze my legs together in an attempt to calm the passion he makes me feel.

  He stalks to my desk, placing both hands on it and leans forward. “Open your legs,” he whispers. I glance at the door to make sure it’s closed, and spread my legs open for him, loving the dark look in his blue green eyes. I’m wearing a knee length black skirt, and a navy blue sweater. He moans, eyes gliding up my thighs and to the pink panties I know he sees. He grabs an extra chair and pulls it up to me.

  He touches my reading glasses and his lips quirk slightly. “It’s these glasses, I’m telling you, Jos. I get a hard on every single time you wear them.”

  “You get a hard on every time we’re in the same room,” I tease.

  “True… but there’s still something so sexy about these glasses. I mean, I’m in a fucking elementary school and all I can think of is fucking the hell out of you across this desk.” His hand slides up my thigh and plays with the fabric of my panties. He slips them under the cloth and inside of my already wet pussy.

  “
Holy fuck,” I breathe out, closing my eyes. I need to stop him. Everything in my mind is telling me to stop him. I’m in school, where I work with kids, and I’m letting my boyfriend finger me behind my desk. I lean my head against his shoulder and bite him when his thumb presses on my clit.

  “You gotta stop, Seth…” I say raggedly.

  “No,” he says huskily, face in my neck and licking me. “Come for me.” Oh my god… sexiest man on earth!

  I tighten my grip on his arms as he speeds up his movements inside of me. “Ride my fingers, Jos.” I listen and start moving my hips against his hand, the pressure on my clit getting more intense and making me throb harder. I let out a small cry, shocked, thrilled, and beyond turned on by what he’s doing. He moans when he sees the goose bumps on my collar bone, and his tongue follows them across my chest. His hot tongue on my skin makes me grind harder on his fingers.

  “That’s it, baby… let go.” I hear lust strong in his voice, and see the outline of his hard cock through his jeans. I put my palm over it and rub him while I get off on his fingers. My thighs snap together quickly when the throbbing reaches its ultimate limit, and I shudder and groan as I come. I bite his shoulder, trying to hold back the moans I want to let out.

  I can’t believe he just finger fucked me in school.

  When I finally calm down, I relax against him. “If you gripped my dick any harder, I think it would have exploded,” he quips, kissing the top of my head.

  “I can’t believe you just did that. What if someone walked in?” He gets up and pulls me up with him.

  “I locked the door when I shut it, and you have those posters over the window. We were good. I’ve always got you, Pussy Cat.” He kisses me passionately, breathing roughly when we finally pull apart. I touch my lips and savor the tingling sensations that he leaves behind.

  “So what’s up… why are you here?” I ask, leaning against my desk.

  “Oh, shit! We have to go.” He tugs on my arms and heads toward the door. I pull away and put my hand on my hip.

  “I can’t just leave, what’s going on?”