“Slade?”
I look at her face and she has her eyes shut. “Yes, Angel?”
“Thanks for a great day.”
I give her another kiss and hold her until she falls asleep. I look up to the ceiling and listen to the rain falling on the house. I can’t help but think what tomorrow will bring. Every day with her is a new adventure, and I fall deeper and deeper in love. Just when I think I can’t love her anymore, she does something to prove me wrong.
I smile when the room lights up from the lightning outside the window. Thunderstorms are my new favorite thing. Besides my Angel, of course.
*****
The next day, I’m sitting at my desk about to wrap up my day when my office phone rings.
“Long”
“Hey, Slade. It’s Holly.”
“Hey, Holly. What’s up?” I sit in my seat while I shut my computer down.
“I just want to give you a heads up.”
I frown as I wonder what kind of bad news she could possibly tell me. “About what?”
“This Friday is Sam’s birthday.”
“What?” I ask breathlessly. “How did I not know this? Why didn’t she tell me?”
“Well, that’s why I’m warning you. Sam doesn’t celebrate her birthday. That’s the day she first called her mom after she went off for college. I’ve obviously never been around her on this day, but she has told me all about it.”
“Yeah, I can see that being a problem.” I put my elbows on the table and let my head fall in my hand while I hold the phone with the other. “So…what were you thinking?”
“Uh, I don’t know. Maybe treat it as any other day?” She sounds unsure.
“No. I don’t want to not celebrate because it’s a bad day for her. That’s why we should celebrate it. Make it a better day for her.” I lean back in my chair as I run a hand over my face.
“Good idea,” she laughs happily. “What do you have in mind? We could have a family dinner at your parents? Vivian and Mark love her. Then we could go out afterwards, do some bar hopping?”
“That is a fantastic idea. I’ll invite Josh to join us. This will be good, she likes to go out. Is it a surprise? Or do we tell her?” I know she likes surprises, but I don’t know about a surprise this big.
“Well, that’s another problem. You know how she is when it comes to going out. I know she will want to dress up, but I’m afraid if we tell her the plan she will refuse to go.” She sounds frustrated.
“Why don’t you two have a girl’s day or whatever? Don’t you girls do that? Go to the mall and shop together for stuff?” I say as I laugh at myself. “Then you can decide to tell her what she needs to know about her birthday.”
“That’s a great idea. Are you going to call your mom, or do I need to do it?”
“I’ll do it. I’m about to leave work. I’ll call her and Josh on my way home.”
“Okay, sounds good.”
“Hey, Holly.”
“Yes?”
“I’m going to give Micah some money to give to you. I don’t want Angel to spend her money on a birthday outfit, but I know she won’t take my money. I’ll give it to Micah to give to you.”
“What?” She laughs. “You think she is going to let me buy her outfit? Do you even know her at all?” She laughs again.
“Yes. You just have to be as stubborn as her when it comes to getting what you want.”
“How is that working for you, Slade?” she asks sarcastically.
I laugh. “True. I wish you the best of luck.” She is going to need it.
We say our goodbyes and I close up my office. “Hey Rose.” I get her attention as I walk by her desk.
“Yes, Mr. Long?”
“Will you make sure to give this money to Micah? I think he is with a client right now. Tell him to give it to Holly. She knows what to do with it.” I pull out my wallet. I always carry a wad of cash with me. You never know when you will need it. I hand her three one hundred dollars bills. “Hope that’s enough.”
“May I ask what it’s for?” Rose eyes the money like she’s not sure what to do with it.
“Yeah. Holly is taking Angel shopping for her birthday this Friday. I don’t want her buying her own outfit, so I’m going to have Holly act like she’s buying it. Do you think that’s enough?” I ask, opening up my wallet again. “I don’t know where girls shop, or how much their clothes cost.”
“I would say it’s enough.” She eyes me like I’m crazy.
“Here.” I give her another hundred. “Four hundred should be enough. Have a good day, Rose.” I walk towards the elevator.
“You too, Mr. Long.”
*****
“Hello, Mom.” I say, pulling out of the parking garage.
“Hey, honey. What are you doing?”
“I just left work. I have a question to ask you. Friday is Angel’s birthday. Can we have a dinner at your house before we go out?”
“Absolutely!” she sounds excited. My mom loves to throw dinners. “I didn’t realize her birthday was Friday.”
“I didn’t either,” I say sadly. “It’s a hard day for her from what Holly said, so we are going to try to cheer her up. Have dinner at your house, then take her out to go to a few bars.” I hope it is drama free. The last time we went out was when I got in that fight with Matt.
“Well, I will plan a fantastic dinner for everyone. Who all is coming?”
“Holly, Micah, Josh, me and Angel,” I answer while pulling into my garage. I smile when I see that Angel’s car is back in the garage.
“Okay, let’s say seven thirty Friday night?” She is over the hill excited that she can do something for all of us.
“Sounds perfect, Mom. Thanks again.”
“No problem, honey. Love you.”
“Love you too, Mom. Talk to you later.”
I want to talk to Angel about her birthday. Ask why she hasn’t mentioned it, but I won’t. I know how hard it is for her to talk about hurtful things, and I don’t want her mad at Holly for telling me, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut and play it safe for now.
I walk in the house and past the kitchen to the bedroom. I get sight of something, though, and slowly take a few steps back while looking into the kitchen. I see Angel sitting on the kitchen island with one leg stretched out in front of her, the other bent. She’s leaning back, resting on one hand. Her other arm is hanging over the knee that is propped up. She is wearing black tights that come up to her thighs with the tiniest little lace black skirt. Her black bra is also black lace with a silk black ribbon tied in a bow which sits between her breasts and hangs down her stomach. My eyes start at her big curly dark hair, and work their way down to her sexy black high heels.
“Hi, baby,” she says happily.
“Hi,” I croak. I clear my throat and walk over to her. I am so fucking turned on. She always does things that make my mouth water while making my cock beg to be released from my pants.
“You look so sexy in that suit.” She bites on her lower lip as I come to stand at the end of the island, looking down at her. My eyes go big as she lies down on her back and bends her legs at her knees, spreading them for me, showing me she also has a black lace thong on.
“I wanted to give you a treat when you came home from a long hard day at work.” She reaches her hands above her head as she arches her back. My eyes are glued to her. I can’t look away. They continue to look up and down her perfect body in astonishment.
“Slade,” she says in that sexy way that makes me weak in the knees, “I’ve been waiting for you all day.”
I reach forward and wrap a hand around each dainty ankle, pulling her slowly to the end of the island so that her hot sex behind that black lace touches my bulging zipper.
“Oh, you’re ready for me as well.” She sits up and wraps those sexy legs around me. I let go of her ankles, and let my hands run up over her stockings. “How about we get you undressed.” She undoes my tie and slowly wraps each end around her hands. She pull
s on them, bringing my face to hers. I close my eyes as my lips brush hers. Her tongue licks my lips, moving tantalizingly slow before she explores my mouth. I grip my fingers onto her hips as she moans.
She lets go of the tie and pulls her lips from mine. Her hands move to my top button, and she undoes the first, then the second. She goes to undo the third button and looks up at me. “Are you going to speak, baby?”
I let go of her hips and grab hold of her hands as she undoes the last button. I look in those intoxicating green eyes, and watch a slow smile spread across that beautiful face. “What do you want, baby?”
I let go of her wrists and let my hands journey up her stomach over her small ribcage. I come to her breasts and let them linger for a few moments. She whimpers when my thumb brushes a nipple over the lace. I continue upwards, and my hands go around her neck. She arches her back and puts her head back. I can feel her erratic pulse under my hands, and it makes me smile. I love driving her crazy. They travel up the side of her face, and I grab a hold of her hair roughly on both sides as her breath catches.
I find the will to speak, but all I can do is whisper. “You...are...so...fucking...sexy. I want you tied to my bed, helpless, so I can do whatever I want. And Angel...” I pull her head to where she looks me in the eye. “Right now I want my cock buried in you so deep, fucking you so hard until you are begging me to stop.”
She places a hand over my erection and slowly brings her face to mine, never taking her eyes away from me. Her tongue comes out to lick my bottom lip again, sending a shiver down my spine. Then she takes my upper lip into her mouth, lightly nibbling on it.
“Well, you know how I love to beg,” she whispers.
I pick her up off the island and carry her to the bedroom, not wasting any time. It’s going to be a long ass night, and she is going to keep those stockings and high heels on.
*****
SAMANTHA
I wake up and can barely move. My body is so sore. Geez, he was on a mission last night; a mission to break me in half.
And I think he succeeded.
I crawl out of bed while I moan in agony. Am I going to be able to walk today? I sure hope so. I think a hot shower will wake me up and help my muscles. I accomplished what I wanted to, though. I wanted to get my mind off of things.
I’m trying to stay happy, but it’s so hard. My birthday is coming up, and I get so depressed, so I’m going to continue having the hot and crazy sex with him. It makes me feel like a different person. Awake. Plus, he has lit me on fire. I can’t get enough of him. The sex is amazing. He makes me feel sexy and wanted. If I had the choice, I would never get out of bed with him. I would spend every waking moment naked underneath him, letting him have his way with me.
It takes me longer than usual to get ready. My entire body is sore! But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
As I’m drying my hair, I realize I’m just going to have to work through it. I was hoping the hot shower would have helped, but no. My body is stiff and sore as hell.
I turn the hair dryer off, thinking I heard something. I listen quietly as I hear it again. Someone is knocking on the front door, so I run to answer it.
“Hey, Holly. What are you up to today?”
She walks in with a big smile on her face. Great! She’s up to something.
“We are going shopping.”
I nod my head. That actually sounds good. “Okay. Let me finish getting ready. I’m almost done.”
She follows me to the bathroom so that I can finish getting ready.
“So…” Holly trails off as I put the finishing touches on my makeup.
I turn to face her. “I know there is something going on, so whatever it is, you better tell me.”
“You can’t say anything, okay? This is important to Slade.” I just give her a dirty look. This cannot be good.
“He wants to surprise you with a birthday dinner at his parents’ house and then we are all going out.” She takes in a deep breath. “Okay. That was partly a lie. He asked me what I thought, and that was the idea I came up with.”
I feel like the air has been sucked out of me. A surprise birthday dinner? Going out with everyone? I haven’t celebrated my birthday in four years; waking up first thing in the morning to call your estranged mother who never answers and then having to send her money, kind of puts a damper on things. Why would he want to throw me a birthday surprise?
My head snaps to hers and she squirms. “How does he know Friday is my birthday, Holly?” I ask evenly.
She looks to the floor. “I told him.”
I throw my hands up in the air. “Why would you do that, Holls?”
She shrugs. “He would have found out eventually, and then he’d be pissed you never told him.”
She has a point.
I nod my head in agreement. “Is that why we are going shopping? So I can buy a birthday outfit?”
“You know me all too well,” she sighs, looking down at the floor.
I walk out of the bathroom and into the closet to grab my heels. I sit on the bed and look at her, but she is still looking down at the floor.
“What else is there, Holls?”
“Well...” she looks up at me. “Slade gave me money to take you shopping. He wants to buy you your birthday outfit.”
“What?” I bark as she flinches. Why in the hell would he want to buy my birthday outfit? I don’t need him buying me anything.
“He just wants to buy you your outfit,” she defends him.
“I got that. Keep the money and give it back to him. I don’t want him buying me an outfit.” I go to put my heels on.
“Sam!” she says harshly, making me look back to her. “He just wants to do something nice. I could tell on the phone that his feelings were hurt that you hadn’t told him Friday was your birthday. Don’t make me give the money back to him. Take it, and buy yourself something with it.” She looks at me, daring me to argue.
I sigh. I do feel bad for not telling him. I just wanted to avoid that conversation if at all possible. “Come on. I want something extra sexy.”
She starts clapping her hands. “That was easier than I thought it would be.”
“What are you talking about?” I question.
“Nothing.”
“I plan on drinking Friday night. A lot!” I put on my heels and grab my purse. I plan on knocking his socks off with one hell of an outfit.
“Of course! You’re supposed to get drunk on your birthday,” she laughs as I lock up the front door.
“How are you two getting along?” she questions as soon as we get in her car.
“Good.” I want to keep this conversation short.
“That’s good. No more fights?”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “We get along really well when he’s not trying to tell me what I can and can’t do.” Which is the truth.
“Are you going to tell me why you stayed away from him for two days and called in sick to work?”
I can tell she’s mad that I haven’t already filled her in. I just didn’t think I should tell her anything. How can I confess something to her that I’m trying to deny to myself?
I take a deep breath. “Holly, I didn’t want to tell you. He scared me was all.”
“Like you were afraid he was going to hurt you?” she asks, shocked. “Slade would never lay a hand on you, no matter how mad he gets.”
“That’s not it, Holls.” I’m getting frustrated. “He told me he loved me!”
“What?” she gasps. “He actually said he loved you?”
“Well not exactly in those words, but yes.” I clarify.
“That is so sweet.”
I watch her smile as she gives a little laugh.
“Wait. Why would that make you scared of him?”
“I couldn’t say it back,” I say, looking down at my hands. A silence settles in the car, making me wish I could delete this entire conversation.
“I know you love him,” she says softly, finally breaking the
silence while pulling into the mall.
I look over at her somewhat nervous as she parks the car.
“I know it, Sam.” She shuts off the engine and turns to face me. “You do love him.” She grabs her purse and exits the car, so I grab mine and follow after her. “Do you have an idea what kind of dress you want to get?” she asks as she opens the door for me to enter the mall.
I smile, thanking God that conversation is over.
Holly and I spend three hours at the mall. I’m pretty sure we try on every dress, but eventually we both find a dress, a purse to match and, of course, a new pair of high heels.
My cell phone rings as we are getting back into her car.
“Hello, baby.”
“Hey, Angel. Are you busy right now?” He sounds stressed.
“No, why?”
“Well I just got a phone call and the truck is ready. I’m afraid I have to work late tonight, and by the time I get off they will be closed. Can you see if Holly can come get you at the house and take you to go get it? I’ve already paid for it. Just needs to be picked up.”
“Yeah, I’m actually with her right now. We went shopping, but are just leaving the mall. I will have her swing me by there.” I look over to Holly as she nods her head in agreement.
“Oh, you’re out shopping.” He sounds happy. He will be happy after he sees the dress he bought me.
“Yep. I bought a new dress, purse and heels.” I smile to myself.
“That’s great, Angel. I can’t wait to see them.” I bet you can’t.
“What time will you get home tonight?”
“It will be late, probably after ten. I was given a new case today, and he already has a court date scheduled for next week. He just fired his lawyer yesterday which means I have a shit ton of stuff to do so that I’m ready by next week.” I can almost hear him running is hands through his hair. “What I don’t finish, I will have to bring back home and work on because I don’t plan on staying here all fucking night.”
“Should I stay at my place tonight so I won’t be in the way?”
“No! Are you fucking serious? Why the fuck would I want you to go home?”
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