TAMING THE BEAST: An Alpha Male

by Olivia Cox

  At the reminder that Jake knew of her relationship to his counselor, Chanise leaned in close and whispered, “Don't mention anything about us to him. I don't want him to know we're seeing each other.”

  “Why?” Jake frowned. “What, you think he won't like you dating a white guy?”

  Chanise wasn't sure how her father would react to the news of her dating a white man. She doubted he would truly have a problem with it—her father was as progressive as it comes—but there were more important matters she was concerned with. “Because he might have to stop being your counselor if he knows you're dating his daughter. It would be a conflict of interest.”

  “Ahh.” Jake frowned and rubbed his chin. “Gotcha. I've only got a few weeks left before my mandatory time is up. Though...”

  “What?” Chanise frowned.

  “Well.” Jake shrugged, lowering his eyes. “I was thinking about keeping up with it. I mean, after coach doesn't need me to anymore. I think it's good for me.”

  “That's excellent,” Chanise said. “I'm really glad that you're getting something out of your counseling. Though you'll probably need to find a new counselor if we keep seeing each other.”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Jake's shoulders slumped. “You think maybe your dad will be able to recommend someone good?”

  “I'm sure he…”

  She cut off when her father came out of his office. Jake stood up straight, stepping away from the window. Dr. Johnson opened the door to the waiting room and waved Jake over. “Jake, it's good to see you again. I'm ready whenever you are.”

  Jake flashed Chanise a brief smile before heading down the hall to the counseling room. Chanise sighed and sat back in her chair. She felt like she was dancing a little too close to something potentially hazardous. Both for her relationship with her father, and for Jake's career and his chances of getting off his suspension.

  Chanise lost track of time while Jake was in his counseling session. She was busy going over scheduling and taking care of some other paperwork, so Jake's hour passed by before she even realized it.

  When Jake left the counseling room, he stood straight, his body unusually stiff. There was a strain clearly visible on his face, and his eyes were a bit red. Chanise could only assume that he had had another small emotional breakdown during the session.

  But after he took a few steps down the hall, it looked like this one had been worse than usual. His shoulders slumped and he leaned against the wall, trembling. Chanise got up from her chair and hurried down the hall, reaching up to touch his cheek.

  He looked at her, tears welling in his eyes. He sniffled and wiped the tears away, clearing his throat. “I'm fine,” he said.

  “No, you're not. Come here.”

  She took his hand and led him back to the break room. It was the only place that would really be private since there was another patient in the waiting room. She sat him down in one of the chairs and grabbed some tissues. Jake dabbed at his eyes, but there was a determined look in his eye. He held himself tense, trying to hold on. Like he was afraid to let his tears flow in front of her.

  Chanise sat next to Jake and took one of his hands in both of hers. She squeezed his hand and whispered softly, “Jake, it's okay. I've seen you cry before. You don't need to be ashamed.”

  “This is different,” he said.

  Chanise smiled sadly. “Why? Just because we're seeing each other now?”

  Jake sat up a bit straighter, but the strain behind his eyes only seemed to intensify. “I can't break down in front of you.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because that's not what men do.”

  Chanise sighed. She ran her fingers across the back of Jake's hand. “You think I won't see you as a man if you cry? Even after everything I've told you?”

  “I know you don't see it that way,” Jake said. “But you weren't raised the way I was. My dad never cried. I never for once in my life saw him cry. And even on his...” He choked back a sob. “On his death bed, he didn't cry. And didn't want me to. When it looked like I was going to break down, he just said, 'I don't see what everyone is making such a fuss about.'”

  He leaned forward as if the weight he was bearing was too much to carry any longer. “He had a stroke, and all he could think about was what a hassle everyone was being, getting all emotional over him.”

  Chanise moved closer and put an arm around Jake's shoulders. “I'm so sorry. I didn't know. When did he...?”

  “Just a few months ago,” Jake whispered.

  “Ahh.” It suddenly made sense to Chanise. Why Jake had suddenly started lashing out. Why he'd gotten suspended. From what she had read in the news, he had previously had a perfect record. The incident that had gotten him suspended was, apparently, the only time he had ever acted out or broken the rules. She would read comments online from his teammates, who had all said he wasn't a violent guy. That he was a leader, that he kept the team together. They all wanted him back, even the ones who had been involved in the brawl.

  She had read one comment by a player who had been directly involved in the fighting, and he had said, “Sometimes things get tense, and then it gets rough. Nobody holds a grudge. You brush it off, you shake hands, and you get back to the game. Because we're teammates.”

  She tried to imagine Jake letting himself cry in front of his teammates. He would never be able to—she was sure. They were the ones that insisted he be macho, that he act like a beast, like the alpha dog. Even when, deep inside, he was just a scared boy who had lost his father.

  “Come here, baby,” Chanise whispered.

  She took Jake's face in both hands and gently pulled him closer, pressing her lips against his. She tasted the saltiness of his tears on his lips. He kissed her tenderly at first, timidly. As if he were afraid to touch her. But she pulled him closer, letting him know with her touch and with her kiss that it was okay. When his hands gently touched her sides, uncertain what was and wasn't okay, she reached up and took hold of his hands, moving them to her hips. He squeezed her tight, massaging her ample curves with his strong, muscular hands.

  His hands started to roam higher, caressing her full, firm breasts. Chanise pulled back from the kiss with a gasp, closing her eyes. Jake leaned closer and kissed her neck, nibbling at her soft, caramel skin. She bit her lip, holding back a moan. Her mind shouted at her to stop. She couldn't do this. Not here. Not at her father's office. Her dad was right down the hall, and he could walk in on her at any moment.

  Another part of her said that he was probably already speaking with his next patient. He would be busy for the next hour or more.

  “Chanise,” Jake whispered. He kissed her ear. She ran her fingers through his silky hair. He leaned lower, planting a trail of kisses down her neck to her chest. He started pulling at her blouse, undoing the top button.

  Chanise opened her mouth to protest, but the words wouldn't come out. She wanted this. Needed it. And she knew it had to be now. If she waited, it could be days before she felt Jake's touch again. She couldn't bring him home to her apartment when she had her daughter there. Not yet, anyway.

  “Hold on, baby,” Chanise whispered. She got up and peeked out the door. There was no one in the hall.

  She pulled the door shut and locked it. The only other person who might try to get in was her father, and he rarely came into the break room after lunch, even when he wasn't with a patient.

  She turned back to Jake. He looked at her with eagerness, his eyes roaming over her generous curves.

  She licked her lips, savoring the moment. Then she started to unbutton her blouse slowly.

  Jake smiled. The tension and sadness were gone from his eyes, replaced with eager lust. He rubbed himself through his pants while she slipped off her blouse, exposing herself.

  “God, Chanise,” he said.

  She moved forward, lowering herself to her knees. “Shh, baby. We need to be quiet.”

  Jake just grinned. He unzipped his pants while she took off her bra. She put her hands on h
is knees, looking at his crotch, waiting for him to show her what she had been waiting for.

  He pulled it out and reached out, caressing her dark black curls. He pressed a hand against the back of her head and pulled her forward. She looked up into her eyes and opened her mouth, taking him in. He threw his head back, groaning through clenched teeth.

  She reached up and took him in her hand, working him hard and fast. She didn't know how much time they had, and this wasn't the moment for slow, intimate lovemaking. There would be time for that later, when they were alone in Jake's apartment, with no restraints and no limitations. But now, there in her father's office, all she wanted was to get fucked.

  Once she had him hard enough and worked up enough, she pulled back. Jake pushed her down onto the ground, unzipping her pants and pulling them off faster than she ever could have herself. She had worked him up into a frenzy, which was exactly what she wanted. What she needed. He knelt between her legs and leaned forward, then he thrust himself inside of her.

  She grabbed Jake's shoulders and pulled him down on top of her. He thrust into her in quick, hard movements, burying his face in her neck to stifle his moans. She held him close, closing her eyes and focusing on the sensations pouring through her. It had been such a long time since she'd had a man inside of her. Years. And as much as she had loved her husband, he had never taken her this hard or this fast. He had never been so powerful, so in control. It thrilled her and drove her to the edge.

  Jake's movements started to become more erratic as he neared his climax. He leaned back, propping her legs on his shoulders, so he could reach between her legs with his fingers and push her over the edge. She grabbed her blouse and bit down on the fabric hard to quiet her moans as he pushed her past the point of no return.

  When it was finished, Chanise laid there for a moment, clinging to Jake. Then she heard voices in the hall. She didn't know how long they'd been in the break room, between talking earlier and then fucking. She suddenly worried that her father's session had finished earlier than she had expected.

  She pushed Jake off her and whispered, “Get dressed!”

  They hurried to pull on their clothes. Chanise didn't even bother with her bra, instead tucking it into one of the break room's cabinets to get it out of sight. She straightened her clothes and patted her hair, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself. Then she peeked out into the hall.

  Her father stood down by her desk. Chanise gestured for Jake to stay put as she left the break room and headed down the hall.

  “Chanise, there you are,” her father said. “Mrs. Williams needs to reschedule next week's appointment. Can you take care of that for her?”

  “Sure thing.” Chanise sat down at her desk, smiling at Mrs. Williams, who stood in the waiting room, looking at her through the window.

  She got the appointment booked as quickly as she could, glancing over her shoulder every few moments to see where her father was. She thought he had gone into the office, but just as she was finishing up with Mrs. Williams, she saw him walking down the hall towards the break room, his coffee mug in his hand.

  She quickly handed Mrs. Williams her appointment slip, then hurried down the hall, trying to beat her father to the break room. “Dad, wait!”

  He paused, standing in the doorway to the break room. “What is it?”

  She looked past him through the open door. There was no sign of Jake.

  “N-nothing,” she said. “Never mind, I got it.”

  “You okay, Chanise? You look all sweaty.”

  Chanise glanced past her father, down the hall. She saw Jake peeking out of the employee restroom.

  “I'm fine, Dad. Just a bit worn out, that’s all.”

  “Well, Mrs. Johnson was the last patient of the day. Go on home. You need some rest.”

  “Yeah, I think I'll do that.”

  She waited until her dad was in the break room getting his coffee, and then waved for Jake to hurry. He left the restroom and hurried down the hall, pausing only long enough to give her a quick kiss.

  “I'll see you this weekend,” he whispered.

  She nodded, then shooed him away. He headed down the hall and out through the waiting room, then left the office.

  Chanise was about to return to her desk when her father came out of the break room. He was holding her bra in one hand.

  “Chanise?” he asked. “What was this doing in with the coffee sweetener?”

  Chanise laughed, her face heating up. She snatched the bra away. “Sorry about that. I had a spill and had to wash my blouse and bra in the sink. I didn't know if it was dried yet.”

  He frowned at her, and she was almost certain he didn't believe her. “Well,” he said, “do me a favor, and keep your underthings away from my coffee, please?”

  “Sure thing, Dad.”

  She hurried back to her desk and tucked her bra into her purse, then gathered her things and headed out to pick up Deena from the daycare. The entire drive, all she could think about was Jake's touch and the way he had felt when he was inside her.

  * * *

  Chanise didn't mention anything about Jake to her daughter that night, but the next night, she decided she needed to bring the subject up. She and Jake had talked on the phone during her Friday lunch break, and they had made plans for Chanise to come to Jake's apartment for dinner Saturday night. Dinner alone, just the two of them. And Chanise wanted to be able to spend the night, without having to worry about rushing home to a waiting daughter.

  “Deena, baby,” Chanise said, calling her daughter into the living room after dinner. “Come here. Momma needs to talk to you.”

  “Am I in trouble?” Deena asked, her eyes wide.

  “No.” Chanise laughed. “No, baby, you're not in trouble. I just want to talk to you about this weekend.”

  Deena walked into the room and sat down in her favorite little rocking chair. She looked up at her mother, wide-eyed and innocent.

  “How would you feel about spending the weekend at Grandpa's?” Chanise asked.

  “The whole weekend?”

  “That's right.”

  “I guess,” Deena said. She shrugged. She had never been away from her mother for a full weekend since she was born, but Chanise was glad that she seemed to be taking it in stride.

  “When are we going?” Deena asked.

  “Well, baby, that's the other part of what I wanted to talk to you about.” Chanise folded her hands in her lap and leaned forward, hoping she could explain this right without her daughter asking too many awkward questions. “I'm not going to stay at Grandpa's place over the weekend. It'll just be you and Grandpa together, okay?”

  “You're not coming?” Deena pouted.

  “No, baby. But you and Grandpa will get to spend lots of time together.”

  “Why aren't you coming?”

  “Well...” Chanise took a deep breath. “Because, baby, I'm going to go see Jake.”

  “Oh.” Deena thought about that for a moment. “Are you having a sleepover?”

  “That's right, baby. Jake and I are having a grown-up sleepover.”

  “Oh. Okay.”

  Deena frowned slightly, and Chanise wondered what she was thinking about. Deena was far too young to really know anything about sex, and Chanise was hoping to have quite a few years before she had to have that awkward conversation with her daughter. But if Deena thought anything was strange about her mother spending the night at a man's house, she didn't say so.

  The next morning, Chanise packed two overnight bags, one for herself, and one for Deena. Deena's bag had a change of clothes and some of her favorite coloring books and dolls, along with a couple of videos. Chanise's bag, in addition to a change of clothes, had something special that she would picked up for her night with Jake. Something she made sure not to let Deena see while she was packing.

  Chanise arrived at Jake's house in the late afternoon. He had dinner warming on the stove, though she suspected it was catered food again. She didn't care. As long
as they had the night to share together alone.

  They enjoyed a quiet meal together, and then Jake opened a bottle of wine. They sat on the couch together, watching the sun set over the city. The view from Jake's high-rise apartment was breathtaking, and for a moment, Chanise wondered what it would be like to live in such a place. She had never been a city girl, but the luxurious apartment was the sort of place she could get used to.

  Sitting with Jake that night was a very different experience than their wild, passionate afternoon at the counseling office. Gone was the vulnerable, crying man who had needed her comfort. He was back to his usual flirtatious, confident self. But as much as she missed seeing Jake's vulnerable side, she found herself drawn to his cocky, confident side as well. Throughout the night he made her laugh, he made her smile, and he made her blush. And with a couple of glasses of wine in her, she felt more and more relaxed around him. Enough so that she started developing some confidence of her own.

  When Jake set down his wine glass and put his hand on her hip, she smiled and touched a finger to his lips. “Give me a minute, dear.”

  “Just a minute?” he asked, smirking.

  “Maybe two.” She set down her wine glass and got up, grabbing her bag. She headed into the bathroom and stripped down, then slipped into the nightie she had bought just for that night. It had been a long time since she had worn such a thing, and she had put on some pounds since the last time, early in her marriage. Bearing a child and the stresses of life that had come after her husband's death had rounded out her hips a bit more, though she knew she still had a good figure, extra pounds or not.

  She adjusted the silken black negligee over her thighs, admiring herself in the mirror. The nightie lifted her full breasts, making them even more eye-catching than usual.

  She took a deep breath to steady herself before she headed back out into the living room. She wasn't sure why she was so nervous. She had already had sex with Jake, and under much more vulnerable circumstances than these. She should have been confident and ready to go. Yet somehow, this was different.