Pieces of Him

by Alice Tribue

  “Hey, little man,” I call as I close the distance between us. When I make it to him, I reach down and scoop him up into my arms. He slaps my chest with elation as I kiss his little cheek. Once we’ve had our proper hello, I tuck him into my side and walk with him into the kitchen. Emelia’s eyes are on us, a smile on her face.

  “Hey, baby,” I greet. My lips find hers for a quick kiss, one that I hope to expand upon later tonight. She looks up at me with happy eyes, and instantly, my day is complete. A kid, a girlfriend—none of this was on my radar a few years ago, not even close. I would have told anyone that I didn’t want either of those things and they were crazy if they thought I eventually would want them. Funny how life has a way of working out sometimes. How it gives you exactly what you need even when you’re so resistant.

  “You hungry? I made burgers and fries,” she asks, giving my arm a squeeze.

  “Yeah, I can get it.”

  “No, I’ll get it. You put Xander down and I’ll bring you a plate.” I watch as she turns away knowing deep down that I don’t deserve a girl like this. After every bad thing I’ve ever done, the girls I hurt along the way … I shouldn’t have someone as good as Emelia, but I’m too selfish to give her up. I worry about how young she is at times; I worry that she might get tired of playing house and mom and want something more. No one has to tell me what normal twenty-four-year-olds are into. I’ve been there and could have written a book about it. She’s happy, though; she wants to be here now, and I’ll do whatever I can to keep her happy.

  Xander and I plop down on the ground in the living room. He plays with his toys while I watch and occasionally join in, showing him a new sound or song a particular toy will play. Emelia puts a plate of food and drink on the coffee table in front of me before sitting with us. I give her my thanks then scarf down my dinner as she engages Xander in her world, singing him songs and making silly faces. He eats every single second of it up.

  “You going to tell me what Jack wanted?”

  “I got fired,” I lie, schooling my features and trying to look serious.

  “What? Oh, my God, Max, why? You bust your ass working for him. I thought he was your friend? How could he do that to you?”

  God, I fucking love this girl. Yeah, I said it. I love her. Never had anybody given a shit about what happened to me. Never had anybody worried about me the way she does. Leaning forward, I wrap an arm around her and pull her to me. When my lips meet her neck, her entire body just melts into mine.

  “I’m just kidding, babe,” I tell her softly. “It’s actually good news.”

  She lets out an audible sigh of relief. “You think it’s funny to mess with me like that? You’re supposed to be working on NOT being an asshole all the time.”

  “I know,” I tell her with a grin, pushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “He offered to make me a partner. He wants to sell me twenty-five percent of the company.”

  “Holy crap,” she whispers, wrapping her arms around my neck.

  Her eyes dance with excitement, and I can’t help but chuckle.

  “You have such a way with words.”

  Her hold on me tightens as she shakes her head. “Holy crap, Max. That’s so good.”

  “It is kinda good, right?”

  “Yes. But why does he want to sell it to you?”

  “I’ve been working with him a long time, babe. It’s probably the only thing I ever did with any consistency and commitment.”

  She looks down at Xander, checking to make sure he’s okay before turning her attention back to me. It’s something a mom would do, something his mom would’ve likely done. “Why do you think you were so committed?”

  “Because Jack gave me a chance when no one else would have. He showed me his business, he trusted me to do the job, and I wasn’t going to piss away that opportunity. I liked it too, you know. Learning from the ground up how to build things and all the jobs that go into that process. When he made me project manager last year, I thought that was the best it would ever be. It’s a big deal, it meant that he trusted me, that he knew I could get the job done and do it right. Now this,” I say through narrowed eyes. “I never would have guessed it.”

  “It’s amazing.”

  “There’s more.”

  She looks at me with a hint of confusion. “More than owning a part of his company?”

  “Yeah, he says this is his way of slowly turning the entire company over to me. He wants someone he can trust to keep shit going when he retires and that’s me. This is… I can’t explain it, Em. I mean, this is something I’ll be able to leave to Xander one day if he wants it. This’ll make it so I can take care of him the way he deserves. It’s a fucking future for my family.”

  “I’m so happy for you, Max. I’m so proud of you.”

  “Be happy for us, baby. You’re a part of it too.”

  She buries her face in my neck, her hold on me firm. “I want to be a part of it,” she murmurs.

  “Why wouldn’t you be?”

  “I don’t know. You could get tired of me and leave me one day.”

  My entire frame moves as I break out into silent laughter. I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous in my entire life. This girl came out of nowhere during a time when I needed someone the most and made it possible for me to succeed as a father. She’s worried about me leaving her when really I’m the one who should be worried. She pulls back slightly and glares up at me.

  “Are you actually laughing at me? I just told you a legitimate fear, and you’re laughing.”

  “Baby, you’d leave me before I ever left you,” I say trying to calm her down.

  “Whatever.” She huffs. “Regardless, we need to celebrate. Maybe we can go out this weekend. We can ask Mrs. Park to watch Xander. Or maybe we can do something fun with him.”

  Leaning forward, I whisper into her ear, “I’d rather celebrate alone … tonight.”

  I watch with amusement as her cheeks flush. She likes the idea of a private celebration too.

  “I think I’ll go give Xander a bath and get him ready for bed,” she says through a little bit of a wicked grin. I’ve never seen this look on her before; it makes me want to throw her over my shoulder, throw her on my bed, and fuck the shit out of her … relentlessly. She’s up and has Xander in her arms before I can so much as get a word out. They disappear into his nursery, and I head into the kitchen to wash my plate loving every minute of domestic bliss.

  Max~

  After checking the locks and making sure that all the lights are off, Xander’s room is my last stop. I check on him; looking at his sleeping form, I revel in how peaceful he looks, how totally innocent he is. He has no idea he’s already been through so much in eight short months. He has no idea that he lost his mother or that he got stuck with a father who didn’t know up from down in the beginning. That pang in my chest that I felt right after Keri died comes back; it hits me every now and then when I remember how things have played out. How differently they turned out, how unexpected it all was. I don’t think the pain will ever truly go away because I know my son lost something important when she died. Then I think about what I have with Emelia and how with her I have a chance to give him something really fucking good. My mind goes back to earlier when she said she was afraid I’d eventually leave her. I’ve had that same fear since the moment I met her; maybe I’ve been worrying about nothing.

  When I make it back into the bedroom, Emelia is sitting with her legs crossed in the middle of the bed looking a little uneasy.

  “Xander okay?” she asks. I watch as she tugs at the hem of her shirt, and I know that’s one of her nervous quirks.

  “He’s fine.” I close the distance between us stopping just before I hit the bed. “What’s wrong?

  “Nothing.”

  “Emelia.”

  “No, really, I’m fine. It’s just … Okay, so I know we’ve never really talked about this, but we said we were going to celebrate tonight and I thought that maybe we could do someth
ing a little different.”

  I must admit that her stuttering and using the word different when it comes to our sex life has piqued my interest in a big way.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  “Well, I-”

  “Hey. Anything you ever want to do you can tell me. You’re safe to tell me anything. I would never judge you.”

  She scoots off the bed and heads to her bag on the floor, which she insists on keeping her stuff in.

  “I picked these up a few weeks ago,” she says pulling out a pair of handcuffs. “And I just thought maybe we could do something with them tonight.”

  Mind equals blown the fuck away. I’ve died and gone to girlfriend heaven. Just when I thought she couldn’t possibly get any better, she did. Awesome pornos are made of this stuff.

  “Okay,” I say trying to get my mind out of the gutter. “First, get the embarrassed look off your face.”

  Getting off the bed, I take a few steps closer to her, reach out, and grab the handcuffs from her. Instead of stopping, I keep moving on her, forcing her to retreat, making it so she has nowhere to go. By the time her back hits the wall, I’m on her, my hands on either side of her head, caging her in. I bring my head down so my lips are inches away from her ear.

  “Second. If you want to get creative, all you have to do is say it. I have no problem doing whatever you want me to do.”

  “Max.”

  “Now, do you want to use these on me, baby, or do you want me to use them on you?”

  “I …”

  “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you to use them on me.”

  “That’s what I thought.” I tuck the cuffs into the waist of my jeans, and without any words, I grab her shirt and lift it up and over her head. Her bra is next to go, and when it hits the floor, her first reaction is to cover her breasts.

  “Don’t,” I command with a shake of my head. “Don’t hide from me. I like you just like this.”

  Her hands fall to her sides, her breath coming in quicker, shorter puffs. For some reason, I get off on the fact that she’s nervous. I can tell she’s never done this before and what it cost her to initiate this. She trusted me with this, and I’m going to enjoy every single minute of it.

  “Get on the bed, Emelia, hands up and over your head.” She nods, hesitantly then does as I ask, getting in position for me. While she does that, I take care of removing my own shirt then I head to my dresser opening the drawer where I keep all my junk and find what I’m looking for. She looks beautiful splayed out on my bed, her naked chest heaving up and down. The anticipation is starting to get to her so she closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Without a word, I pull the cuffs out and make quick work of securing them on her wrists.

  “Keep your hands up here,” I tell her, watching how her chest expands at my command. I know she enjoys when I take control, but I’m beginning to think she actually loves it. I use the small rope I pulled out of my drawer to tie a knot around the cuffs then I tie the other end to one of the slats on my headboard. Standing up, I take her in, admiring my handiwork, the sight of her completely at my mercy.

  “Fuck. I like you like this,” I half growl.

  She squirms a bit, and I watch with fascination as she tries to get some relief by squeezing her thighs together.

  She wanted different, so I’m going to give it to her. I’m about to introduce her to a whole other side of me. With just the tip of my finger, I glide my way down from her collarbone to her bellybutton.

  “Are you nice and wet for me, baby?” Her whimper makes my already stiff cock rock hard. “We might have to invest in some more toys. I’d like to do a lot of things to you when you’re all tied up like this for me.”

  Moving to the foot of the bed, I put one knee on the mattress and with a tug pull off both her jeans and panties. Once I’ve thrown them on the floor, I spread her legs wide open and absorb the sight of her very wet pussy.

  “Oh yeah, you’re soaked.” I throw in commentary because I’m an asshole, and I’m enjoying this a little too much. She moans as I run my finger up and down then circle her swollen clit.

  “Oh, God.” She whimpers, her hips begin to move, riding my finger as I rub, circle, and tease her there. I get off on watching her, seeing how with just one finger I can drive her wild. With a little more pressure, she’s calling my name and riding out her first orgasm of the night. I keep circling as she begins to come down, and when my touch becomes too much, she closes her thighs around my hand in an attempt to make me stop.

  “Max. Please, please stop. I can’t,” she cries.

  I stop but only to force her legs open for me again.

  “You can.” I groan right before I start all over again, this time using my mouth on her already sensitive pussy. She fights it at first, but it doesn’t take long before it starts to build up again.

  “Oh, my god, Max … too much.”

  She’s close, and I know just by the movement of her hips that it’s going to be big. I speed up my rhythm and use my hands to pin her hips to the bed. She begins to chant some variation of oh god, oh god, oh god. This tells me that I’m doing my job and she’s feeling this everywhere. With one final tug of my lips, she explodes; it’s wild, uninhibited, her body writhing through it, her sounds frantic. Fucking beautiful.

  Undoing the button on my jeans, I let them fall to the ground and stroke my cock as I watch her still trying to breathe through her climax. I should give her time to recover, but I don’t. Instead, I grip her legs roughly and flip her over onto her stomach. She releases a gasp of surprise, but again, giving her no recovery time, I pull her up to her knees, head down on the mattress, and slam into her hard.

  “Oh god, Max.” Her cries fuel me and motivate me to keep at her. I have no idea if this is what she had in mind when she introduced the handcuffs, but I hope to god she doesn’t think I’m a freak of nature when I’ve finished with her. I slap her ass for good measure, and I figure I’m not far off the mark when she cries out her confirmation of such.

  “Yes.”

  “Yeah? You like that? You like being bad for me,” I say with another smack of her ass. This is by far the hottest sex of my life; nothing has ever compared to how I’m getting off on this with her. That familiar welling of pressure begins to rise, and I know I’m fucking close. Too close, but I need to get her off one more time. Reaching around her waist, I slide my hand over her pussy and start to finger her clit … hard. Her oh god chant starts up again, her cuffed hands grab the sheet below her, and in moments, she’s there. Her pussy contracts, choking the life out of my cock and sending me over the edge right along with her. Good god, if I had the energy I’d do that again, I think as I collapse on top of her, careful not to give her too much of my weight.

  “Holy shit,” Emelia slurs into the mattress, and I can’t help but chuckle as I slowly slide out of her and roll onto my back. Reaching over, I slide her hair from the mattress and onto her back so that I can see her face.

  “You okay?”

  “Mmmhmm.”

  “You got keys for those cuffs, baby? I want to let you go before your hands go numb.”

  What sounds like more slurring comes from the mattress again. “In my bag.”

  “All right.” I get up, smacking her ass as I go. She lets out an exhausted mew. “Don’t go anywhere,” I tell her, being a smartass because we both know she can’t move. Bending down, I rifle through her bag until I find the key and release her. Wrapping an arm around her middle, I pull her to me and bring her to her feet.

  “Come on, lazy bones, let’s take a shower.” She clings to me as I lead her into the bathroom. Maybe I should have just let her sleep it off, but I thought the shower would help loosen up her muscles in case she gets sore. Turning on the water, I let it run for a moment to adjust the temperature before I drag her in there with me.

  “Was that enough of a celebration for you?” she asks as we lather each other up with soap. Leaning down, I place a kiss on her
forehead.

  “That was perfect, baby. You did well.”

  Her arms wrap around me, and she leans into me as if she wants to melt into me, become one person.

  “Hey,” I call, tipping her chin up so that our gazes lock.

  “Yeah?”

  Something comes over me, a moment of clarity maybe. I know how I feel about her, I know what having her means to me, and I need her to know it. I decide to throw caution to the wind and fuck it all.

  “I love you,” I tell her feeling my stomach drop as the words leave my mouth.

  “You do?” She beams at me, looking both happy and surprised.

  “I fucking do.”

  “I fucking love you too,” she replies, and I can’t help but laugh at how adorable she is. But when I’m through with the humor, I realize the intensity of the moment; it begins to sink in that this is probably the first time I’ve ever heard anyone tell me that they loved me. And besides Xander, it’s the first time I’ve ever felt the emotion… really felt it. Not like it was with Keri, like the fondness I had for her—this is completely different.

  With a stroke to her cheek and another kiss on the forehead, I give her the simple version of how I feel. “I’m glad you love me.”

  “Prove it.”

  “How can I prove it to you?”

  “Take me to bed and let me sleep for at least five hours,” she says with a grin. With that, I turn the water off, grab a towel, and wrap it around her after helping her out of the shower. I wrap a towel around my waist and pull her into the bedroom. Stopping at my dresser, I pull out a t-shirt for her and help her get it over her head. She walks to the bed, pulling her arms through the sleeves, and crawls onto the mattress. By the time I have my boxers on and get in with her, I think she’s already out of it. I realize I’m wrong when she slides over and curls into me; her arm goes around me and one of her legs intertwines with mine.

  “I’m so glad you love me too,” she mumbles before she drifts off. It seems that in the course of one day, I’ve managed to secure a future for myself. I’ve obtained what I hope to be financial security, a woman who loves me, and the most amazing son. What more could I possibly ask for, when all of a sudden I’ve gone from having nothing meaningful to having everything. For a man like me who grew up the way I did to have achieved this much is not a normal outcome. When I finally fall asleep, I do it thinking that I’ll never take any of this for granted. I’ll never forget just how lucky I am and what I had to go through to get here.