Closing Time

by E. L. Todd

  “You feeling okay?” I asked. I asked her this question every hour. I knew it annoyed her but I couldn’t stop.

  “I’m fine. When I’m in pain, you’ll be the first one to know.”

  “Your feet hurt?”

  She shrugged. “They’re a little sore.”

  “I’ll give you a massage back at the room.”

  “I’m okay.”

  “And they have a spa here. You should pamper yourself.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t want to pay someone to give me a massage.”

  “I’ll do it for free.” I winked at her.

  “But it always turns into something more.” She gave me a knowing look.

  “Don’t judge me for it.”

  The waiter returned with the food, and Scarlet scarfed hers down like I hadn’t fed her in weeks. She cut into her steak and ate everything off her plate. The potatoes and veggies were demolished. After she wiped her plate clean, she still looked hungry. I cut a slice of my fish and put it on her plate.

  “Try it,” I said.

  She took a few bites then ate the whole thing.

  I gave her my potatoes and she ate that too. This girl could eat an entire buffet by herself. “Still hungry?”

  She touched her stomach. “No. I’m finally full.”

  I ate the rest of my food then wiped my mouth with a napkin. The best thing about being with Scarlet was the comfortable silence. We didn’t always need to say anything. Just being together was enough for us.

  The waiter placed the tab on the table then walked away.

  Scarlet grabbed it. “Let me pay.”

  Anger like I’ve never known flashed through me. “Excuse me?” She couldn’t insult me in a more obvious way.

  “You planned this whole trip and I wanted to do something for you…”

  I knew how I must have looked to her, like an insane criminal that just got out of prison. “Give me the tab.” I held back the venom in my voice but some of it still slipped through.

  “You never let me pay for anything,” she argued.

  “Knock it off,” I snapped.

  “I make money too.”

  “I’ll compromise with you on anything but this. I’m your husband and I provide for us. You don’t pay for meals, the house, clothes, and whatever. I pay for all of that. If there’s something else you want to do with your money, fine. But everything else is my territory.”

  Scarlet never backed down from me. She always hit back with a vengeance, but this time, she let me win. “Okay.” She handed me the tab and didn’t raise her voice.

  I slipped the cash inside, still slightly angry, then left it on the table. “Ready to go?” I couldn’t keep the annoyance out of my voice.

  “Yeah.” She stood up and pulled her purse with her.

  I grabbed the chair and pulled it out of her so she wouldn’t slip.

  “Sean?”

  I turned at the sound of my name, recognizing the identity of the voice immediately.

  This has to be a fucking joke.

  Penelope stood in front of us, her cheeks rounder than they used to be. She had the same dark brown hair and pale skin. Sometimes she reminded me of Scarlet. They looked similar in a few ways. In that moment it dawned on me why I was attracted to her to begin with. It was because she was the closest thing to Scarlet I could find, a poor replacement. Now I realized I’d always been in love with Scarlet. It was an unconscious act.

  Penelope glanced at Scarlet, scowling, and then turned back to me. “What are you doing here?”

  I was too speechless to say anything. What are the odds of this happening? And on my one-year anniversary?

  “It’s our anniversary,” Scarlet said coldly. “Or are you the only person allowed to come here?”

  Damn, my wife was pissed.

  Penelope looked at her again then ignored her. “How’s everything going at the company?”

  “Don’t speak to him.” Scarlet’s eyes were wide with anger. “My husband is off limits. Either walk away now or I’ll make you walk away.”

  I’m so turned on right now.

  Penelope gave her a smirk. “Someone’s insecure.”

  That just pissed off Scarlet even more. “Insecure? My husband only wants me. But that doesn’t mean I’ll put up with a lying whore who used him and cheated on him. Did you think that was water under the bridge? Think again, bitch.”

  Seriously, I’m about to blow my load right now. My wife is so fucking hot.

  “Go away, cow.” Penelope rolled her eyes.

  Now she crossed a line.

  “Cow?” Scarlet asked incredulously. “Now look who’s jealous. You’re upset that I’m carrying Sean’s baby, the rich zillionaire who buys me whatever I want and takes care of me. You were an idiot for leaving him. Now you have no one to help you take care of that bastard child of yours. What a pity.”

  Now Penelope looked like she might explode. “Shut up, cunt.”

  “I’d shut your mouth if you don’t want me to rip out all that pretty hair.”

  She eyed my stomach. “Hope you don’t have another miscarriage.” She raised her arm to strike Scarlet.

  Everything moved in slow motion for me. I didn’t hit women and I didn’t think there was any justification for it, but no one was going to hurt my wife or my baby. We’d already been through so much heartbreak after the loss of our first child. I moved in front of Scarlet, taking the punch directed at her stomach. She hit the concrete slab of my abs and I didn’t move. I bet it hurt her more than it hurt me.

  Penelope cursed in annoyance.

  Scarlet came around me then slapped her hard across the face.

  Damn.

  “You should be ashamed of yourself.” Scarlet gave her a look I didn’t recognize.

  Penelope rubbed her cheek, her eyes watering.

  A man came over, carrying a toddler in his arms. It wasn’t Bryan. “Babe, what’s going on?”

  “Nothing.” She rubbed her cheek.

  “Mommy, are you okay?” the little boy asked.

  “Mommy’s fine,” Penelope said.

  I looked at the little boy, my mind racing. I could have ended up as Penelope’s husband, having children with a woman who never loved me. She would have used me for my money and my securities. God, I dodged a bullet. I leaned toward her ear. “Come near me and my wife again and I’ll slap you myself.” I stepped away then grabbed my wife by the hand. “Let’s get out of here.”

  “Please.”

  We walked to the room then barricaded ourselves inside.

  “Why does she keep showing up everywhere?” Scarlet asked. “And with a different guy every time.”

  “I don’t know,” I said as I shook my head. “I’ll never be free of her.”

  “If I weren’t pregnant, that whore would be on the floor.”

  I smirked. “I believe it.”

  She loosened her dress then dropped it to the floor. “I can’t believe she was going to hit me like that. How low can you be?” She shook her head incredulously.

  “I would never let that happen,” I said seriously. “You don’t have to worry about anyone hurting you or the baby.”

  “I know that,” she said quickly. “But the fact she would go that low is despicable.”

  “Well, she’s a despicable person.”

  She grabbed one of my t-shirts and pulled it on. Seeing her wear my clothes while her baby bump was noticeable got me even hotter.

  “I loved the way you talked to her. That was so hot.”

  “She deserved a lot worse.”

  “I wish I could have seen a lot worse.” I came to her, my hands moving for her ass. I knew I should resist her because I’d probably repeat the same show I had for the past two days, but I was so excited for her. I wanted to feel her now. My lips moved to her neck and I kissed her. “I love it when you’re angry.”

  “Not when I’m angry at you,” she said with a moan.

  “Even then it’s sexy.”

&
nbsp; I guided her to the bed and moved over her. I didn’t pull her clothes away. Perhaps if her stomach was hidden, it would help me last longer. I pulled her underwear aside and slipped inside her, moaning at how good she felt.

  But, it happened again.

  As soon as we began, I released inside her, moaning.

  Fuck.

  This was ridiculous. I averted my face because I didn’t want to look at her. I was a sad excuse for a husband. I got off her then headed to the shower, my escape route.

  “Sean.”

  Her voice steadied me. My back was to her, my face hidden.

  “Come here.”

  “I’m going to shower,” I said weakly.

  “I said come here.”

  I sighed then sat at the edge of the bed, looking at the floor.

  “Stop running away from me.”

  “Scarlet, I don’t want to talk about this.”

  “That’s too bad. I’m your wife. We’re going to talk about this.”

  My eyes concentrated on the ground.

  “Sean, a lot of guys go through the same thing.”

  I shook my head. “Not me. And don’t waste your time trying to make me feel better. I’m pathetic.”

  “No, you aren’t,” she said quickly. “Not at all.”

  “I can’t even please my wife.”

  “Sean, it’s been happening for two days. You’re obviously just stressed out. The baby will be here soon.”

  I ran my fingers through my hair. “You’re so hot when you’re pregnant…it’s just hard for me to control myself.”

  “Then that’s flattering.”

  “No, it isn’t. If I don’t satisfy you, you’ll find some other guy to do it.”

  “Excuse me?” she snapped.

  “I mean, you deserve someone better than me.”

  “Sean, you’re blowing this way out of proportion. Every guy has some sort of problem at least once in their life. It’s really not a big deal. But the more you stress about it, the more you’ll sabotage yourself.”

  “It’s just embarrassing…”

  “Don’t be embarrassed with me. I’m your wife. You can tell me anything.”

  “You’re just so damn gorgeous that I can’t control myself. I’m sorry.”

  She smiled. “That sounds like a compliment more than anything else.”

  Now I felt a little better. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to work on it.”

  “You don’t need to work on it. It’ll go away on it’s own. Don’t stress.”

  “Really?” I asked hopefully.

  “Of course.” She kissed my cheek. “If we were switched, I’d never last long enough to please you.” She gave me a mischievous grin.

  “Oh yeah?”

  She nodded. “Now, if you get in that shower, I’m coming with you.”

  I rubbed my nose against her. “Deal.”

  4

  Hazel

  Ever since I could remember, I craved my parents’ approval. But no matter what I did, I never got it. And if I did get their attention, it was in a negative way. Peter had always been the smart one of the family. Whenever I excelled at something, he always did it better. My parents always wanted me to be more like him.

  Well, you know what? Fuck them.

  Flynn loved me exactly as I was. He never asked me to change and he supported every decision I made. He even told me to quit my job just so I could dance while he supported me. I didn’t trust him for the longest time, but in the end, he was the only person I could ever really trust. He’d been Mr. Perfect from the beginning. I’m just grateful he put up with my bullshit for as long as he did.

  “How was work?” he asked when I walked inside.

  I kicked off my heels then dropped my purse. He was sitting on the couch so I moved into his lap. “It was work.”

  He smirked. “You could quit…”

  “I can’t do that to Sean.”

  He rolled his eyes. “The guy is a CEO of a company and he has a pregnant wife. Believe me, he doesn’t care if you quit. It’s no stress on him. One of his ants will find a replacement for you.”

  “I still feel bad. Not very many people have been nice to me or stuck their neck out for me, and Sean has been wonderful. The last thing I want to do is hurt my friend.”

  He sighed. “I’ll talk to him then.”

  “No, let it be.”

  “Let it be?” He smiled. “You quoting the Beatles?”

  “In times of distress, it’s always appropriate to quote the Beatles.”

  “You’re cute.”

  “I’m cute?”

  “Yep.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t say that about yourself.”

  “Oh, I am. But you’re cuter.” He kissed me on the cheek then gripped my ass. “What are we doing tonight?”

  “I have plans. I don’t know what you’re doing.”

  His eyes fell. “What plans?”

  “I’m seeing Peter.”

  “Can I come?” he asked. “That guy is a cool dude.”

  “We’re having dinner.”

  “I eat. And I’ll even pay for it.” He winked at me.

  “I don’t know…”

  “Come on, babe. You were at work all day and I missed you.”

  I liked teasing him. “Okay. You can come.”

  “Yes!”

  “Wow, you’re excited.”

  “This guy could be my brother-in-law someday.”

  “Could?”

  “I mean, he will,” he said quickly. “And I want to make a good impression.”

  “You already made an amazing impression.”

  “I just think he’s a cool dude and I’d like to get to know him better. We can drink together and watch sports. It’ll be like having a better, smarter, and cooler brother.”

  “Thanks,” Cade said from down the hall.

  Flynn laughed. “That guy has ears like a fox.”

  “You just have a big mouth,” he shouted back.

  “So, what time are we going?” Flynn asked.

  “In an hour.”

  “Black tie?”

  “No.” I cocked an eyebrow. “More like jeans and a sweater.”

  “Good. I hate dressing up.”

  We arrived at the restaurant first and got a table.

  “I love Italian food,” Flynn said as he put his arm over the back of my chair.

  “I know.”

  “And I love you.” He leaned toward me and rubbed his nose against mine.

  “I love you too.”

  “I’m grateful you have one family member that isn’t a complete dickhead. Peter is welcome to come over whenever he wants.”

  “I’m starting to think you like my brother more than you like me.”

  “Well…”

  I hit him playfully.

  “Baby, you know I’m kidding. And he doesn’t have a nice pussy like you do, so there really is no competition.”

  I hit his arm again. “We’re in a restaurant. Keep it down.”

  “What? What’s wrong with having a nice pussy?”

  I rolled my eyes and looked away, knowing if I kept talking I’d antagonize him.

  He smirked then kissed me on the cheek. “Okay. I’ll be good.”

  “Thanks.”

  “But when we get home…different story.”

  “Of course it is.”

  My brother walked into the restaurant then spotted our table. He waved and smiled then approached us. “Wow. Hazel is on time for once.”

  Flynn laughed. “It’s a rare occurrence.”

  This wasn’t starting off well. I got up and hugged my brother. “How’s the city so far?”

  “Awesome.” He patted my back then shook Flynn’s hand. “I saw a hooker with one leg.” He said it like it was the coolest thing in the world.

  “On fifth?” Flynn asked.

  I narrowed my eyes at him.

  “She’s pretty cool,” Flynn said. “She plays the harmonica.”

  “
How the hell do you know that?” I snapped.

  He shrugged. “Well, I’ve been around…”

  I wanted to hurl.

  He laughed while he watched my face. “Baby, I’m kidding. I usually bring her clothes and food during the winter months.”

  Oh, the relief.

  Peter sat down. “I want to see her make that sweet music.”

  “She’s on the corner around five,” Flynn said.

  “I’m so there.” Peter picked up his menu then browsed through the selections.

  “So, how’s work?” I asked.

  “Awesome.” He was the most enthusiastic person I knew. “I can’t believe I have a job straight out of college.”

  “Well, you’re really smart, Peter.” I decided on the chicken masala.

  “Wow…my sister said something nice about me.” He gave me a knowing look.

  “I always say nice things about you,” I countered.

  “Flynn, what do you do?” Peter asked. “I forgot to ask.”

  “I’m a writer.”

  “Cool,” he said. “Are you a journalist?”

  “No, I write plays and TV shows,” Flynn said in a humble tone.

  “Cooler.” He grabbed a piece of bread from the basket and dipped it in the oil.

  “If you need a tour guide to the city, let me know,” Flynn offered. “I’ve lived here my entire life.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Peter said. “But I have a few friends here that know their way around.”

  “Do you live alone?” I asked.

  “No, I have a roommate.” He didn’t look at me when he said it.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t get a place by yourself. You can afford it,” I said.

  He shrugged. “Student loans.”

  His response was odd but I didn’t question him.

  The waiter came over and took our order. Flynn was much more polite in public compared to being alone in our apartment. But I wouldn’t change him for anything. His cockiness and care-free attitude was a breath of fresh air a majority of the time.

  I asked my brother about work and how things were going. He seemed to love his job even though he didn’t have any serious cases. The features between us were pretty similar. There was no doubt we were related.