She thinks I’m a cross-dresser?
“No. They’re for my...” I hesitated.
What the hell was Elodie to me? She wasn’t my girlfriend, but she was more than a friend or a casual fuck.
“They’re for my nanny.” I laughed at the word I’d ultimately settled on. Well, it was the truth, I suppose.
“Your nanny?”
“Yes.” I laughed. “A gift.”
“Well, she’s a very lucky girl. I used to nanny for a couple on the Upper West Side. I certainly never got fancy underwear.”
She put together a rainbow pile of thongs and carried them over to the register. She wrapped them in tissue paper and stuffed them into a pink bag.
Looking down at my credit card, she said, “Well, Mr. LaCroix, I hope your nanny enjoys her soft panties.”
“Oh, we will.” I smiled.
***
That afternoon, after I returned from my impromptu Sunday lingerie jaunt, Hailey called me from her neighbor friend’s apartment. She was supposed to be spending the day with Kelsie and sleeping over. It was the first time I’d ever specifically asked her to check with a friend to see if she could spend the night. What can I say? I was desperate to be with Elodie.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“Change of plans tonight. I can’t sleep over at Kelsie’s anymore.”
Shit. “Why not?”
“Kelsie’s aunt went into labor. They have to drive to New Jersey.”
Well, there goes my babysitting. I was supposed to pick Elodie up at seven. I’d made reservations at the restaurant she wanted to go to in the Mandarin Hotel and arranged for a carriage ride afterward. Hailey, of course, wasn’t supposed to know. Now what? I wasn’t going to be able to find a sitter on such short notice. I chuckled to myself. Maybe if you weren’t dating the damn sitter, Hollis, you wouldn’t have this problem. Anyway, I’d been looking forward to seeing Elodie all day. I didn’t want to have to wait till next weekend.
“What time are you coming back?”
“They’re leaving soon. Probably in about fifteen minutes.”
I sighed. “Okay, kiddo. See you soon.”
Letting out a frustrated breath, I picked up the phone and dialed Elodie.
She picked up. “Hey.”
My tone seemed less than happy. “Hey.”
She could sense something was off. “What’s wrong?”
“So…I have a little problem.”
“Are you standing me up?”
“Fuck, no.”
“What happened?”
“I have Hailey tonight. Her plans fell through.”
“I thought she was sleeping over at Kelsie’s.”
“She was. But they had a family emergency. So she’s on her way back in a few minutes.”
Elodie blew a breath into the phone. “Shit. Okay. Well, that sucks. But it is what it is.”
Think. “I know you said you didn’t want Hailey to know anything. I think that’s wise…but I still really want to see you.”
“Well, what choice do we have?” She sighed. “We can’t.”
I rubbed my chin. “Maybe we can.”
“How?”
“Can you come to the city?”
“Of course, but she’s going to suspect something if I come over on a Sunday.”
I wracked my brain for a solution. “I’ll take her out somewhere. You can show up and pretend you just happened to run into us. I’ll take her shopping to get stuff to make dinner here. We need to go shopping anyway. When she sees you, I know she’ll beg you to come back home with us.”
“I’ve been telling her I want to check out the new gourmet place downtown, Victor’s Market,” she said. “Maybe I can have an intense urge for pickled artichokes that prompted me to board a train to the city on a lazy Sunday?”
“Perfect. Whatever. She’ll buy it if we make it look coincidental. How soon can you be here?”
“Ninety minutes?”
***
I spotted her before Hailey did. Elodie had a shopping basket hanging from her wrist as she perused the bread aisle. Her long, blond hair was tied into a low ponytail. Her little ears were exposed, and they looked bitable.
I wanted to bite her fucking ears now? Jesus. This woman made me lose my mind.
Our eyes finally met. We shared a smile as Hailey continued to be distracted by a cheese sample.
Elodie approached and pretended to be shocked to see us. Her jaw dropped. “Hollis?”
I acted surprised. “Elodie? What are you doing in the city on a Sunday?”
Hailey’s head whipped around. “Oh my God! What?” She ran to Elodie and gave her a hug.
“Hey, Hailey! What a surprise to run into you guys.”
“Why are you here?” Hailey asked.
“Well, I had the worst craving for pickled artichokes and warm brie. So, since I had nothing better to do today, I decided to come into the city and stock up on my favorite things.”
“You’re gonna carry all that food home on the train?”
“Well, I limit myself to one big bag.”
Hailey looked up at me. “Uncle Hollis is going to make homemade Margherita pizza for us tonight. We came to get dough, and fresh basil and stuff.”
Elodie gave me a look like she was impressed.
I shrugged. “I’m not the greatest cook. But pizza I can handle.”
“Then we’re gonna watch the new Marvel movie after.”
“That sounds like so much fun.” Elodie grinned.
Hailey bounced up and down. “You should come have dinner with us and watch the movie.”
Bingo. Thank you, dear niece.
Elodie feigned hesitance. “Oh, I don’t know. It might be too late for me to get home at a decent time if I come over. It’s a work night, after all. I have to be ready for you bright and early in the morning.”
Hailey sulked. “I guess that’s true.”
Elodie and I shared a knowing look. Neither of us had been expecting Hailey to give up so easily.
What now? “I’d be happy to drive you back after dinner,” I said. “I’m sure Hailey wouldn’t mind the ride.”
“Great idea, Uncle Hollis.” She turned to Elodie. “See? Now you have to come.”
“Well, how can I say no to dinner, a movie, and door-to-door chauffeur service?”
A woman near us was eating something chocolatey on a stick.
Hailey fixated on it. “Where did you get that?” she asked.
The lady pointed. “Sample table in that corner.”
“Be right back!” Hailey said, booking it over there.
Elodie shook her head. “She’s got a one-track mind.”
“I can certainly relate to that.”
She blushed. “You were very determined to see me. “
“You look beautiful.”
“Well, I thought I had a date with a very handsome, sometimes obnoxious man tonight. I’d gotten myself all dolled up.”
“I hope you know he had big plans for you…the Mandarin Hotel restaurant, a carriage ride, the whole nine.”
“I might have gotten a little carried away with my requests. I hope you don’t think I truly care where you take me. I’m thrilled just to be with you. Hanging out at home is great.”
Her use of the word home made me a tad uneasy. It was a reminder that I needed to think before I entered into something serious. But right now, I couldn’t think of much else besides her lips. My eyes were glued to them.
“You want to get a sample?” she asked.
“All I want to fucking taste are those lips.” Checking to make sure Hailey wasn’t looking, I leaned in and attempted to do just that, keeping my eyes in my niece’s direction the entire time.
When Hailey suddenly turned around, I pushed back and muttered, “Shit.”
“It’s gonna be a long night.” Elodie smiled.
***
The kitchen was covered in flour. We’d opted to wait to clean up the mess until after we ate. Elodi
e cleaned the counter while I hand-washed a few dishes.
Hailey dried each plate as I handed it to her. “When are we starting the movie?”
“Probably in about ten minutes.”
When she finished the last one, she said, “Can I go to my room until then?”
“Yeah. Sure.”
Elodie was still wiping the counter down when Hailey’s door slammed shut.
I waited a few seconds, then came up behind Elodie, pulling her into the small utility closet off the kitchen.
It was nearly dark in there, but just enough light from the kitchen seeped in through the slats in the door.
She panted as she looked up into my eyes.
I lowered my mouth to hers and emptied all of my breath into her. We kissed as if we were both starved. She pulled my hair as I grabbed her ass. Tasting the hint of wine on her, I moved my tongue harder and faster to taste everything else. Lowering my head to her neck, I sunk my teeth into her flesh.
That’s when she knocked me out of my trance, pulling back. “We’d better go back out.”
I rested my mouth on her skin then grunted. I peeked out before opening the door to make sure the coast was clear.
She followed and then went back to nonchalantly wiping the counter.
She glanced over at me and blushed. That made me want to kiss her all over again.
“It’s kind of fun sneaking around,” she said.
“I feel like a fucking kid.” I laughed. “I’ve been waiting to do that all freaking night.”
“I made sure not to wear lipstick, hoping you would.” She winked.
“Well, your lips are pretty damn red right now. I did a number on them.”
We continued to stare at each other, wanting more than we could have right now, knowing Hailey could come out at any minute.
Her soft, fair skin was begging to be bitten again. My inability to focus on anything tonight besides touching and kissing her was eye opening. It was like now that I’d given myself permission to touch her, I couldn’t keep my hands off. Maybe it was a good thing Hailey was with us tonight. We might have taken things too far. Or at least I would have tried to.
I was just about to steal one more kiss when Hailey’s bedroom door opened, demonstrating that we were only ever just seconds away from getting caught.
Chapter 28
* * *
Elodie
My lips were still sore from our closet kiss. Hollis was so hot for me tonight—it was driving me absolutely insane.
“Can we make popcorn?” Hailey asked.
“What’s a movie without popcorn?” I smiled. “I’ll get it started.”
A few minutes later, Hailey shut off the lights in the living room. I placed the gigantic bowl of popcorn in my lap. Hailey sat on one side of me. It surprised me that Hollis chose to sit on the other side of me rather than next to Hailey. That might have made her suspicious. But honestly, I was glad he’d taken the risk. If I couldn’t touch him and kiss him tonight, I at least wanted to be near him.
The side of his leg was right up against mine. The heat from his body penetrated my clothing. I could feel his desire without him having to say or do anything beyond this subtle contact.
I was dying inside, wishing he could just take me to his room and ravage me. I tried to focus on the movie, but it was hard when all I could think about was when I’d get to feel his mouth on me again.
Our hands brushed against each other in the popcorn bowl. From time to time, I’d catch him looking at me instead of the movie. And I could feel him slowly inching closer to me, if that was even possible. I knew neither of us was really focused on the television.
Hailey suddenly stood up. “Can you pause it so I can go pee?”
“Sure,” Hollis said as he grabbed the remote. His eyes followed her down the hall.
When the bathroom door shut, Hollis placed his hand on my thigh and nudged me toward him as he enveloped my mouth in his. He groaned into my lips, the sound of starvation satisfied. His tongue against mine made the muscles between my legs contract.
In the distance, the toilet flushed. He ripped himself away from me before grabbing a throw pillow and placing it over his crotch. He laid his head back as if nothing had happened and tried to act casual as Hailey returned to her spot.
She plopped down on the couch. “Okay. Press play.”
Hollis did as she asked. We went back to watching the movie as if he hadn’t just rocked my world with those ten seconds of fucking my mouth with his tongue. I seriously wanted to escape to the bathroom and relieve the ache between my legs. It wasn’t going to be satisfied any other way tonight, because as soon as this movie ended, Hollis would have to drive me home. I wondered if the batteries in my vibrator still worked. I hadn’t used my little friend for some time, but tonight I might need it.
When the movie ended, Hailey turned to me.
“It’s kind of dumb for us to take you all the way home when you have to come back early in the morning. Why don’t you just spend the night?”
I turned to Hollis. “I’m not sure your uncle is comfortable with that.”
“I’m happy to drive you home if you’d prefer to sleep in your own bed, but we do have a guest room. You’re welcome to stay.”
Hailey got up to grab a drink and Hollis mouthed, “Say yes.”
I chuckled.
When Hailey returned, I said, “You know what? It’s late. I think I’ll take you up on your offer. I’ll just wear the same clothes tomorrow.”
“I’m sure Uncle Hollis has a T-shirt you can sleep in.” Hailey bounced. “This is so cool. We’re having a sleepover with Elodie!”
Hollis flashed me a quick, mischievous smile.
Excited about my spending the night, Hailey insisted we paint our nails before bed. She also asked Hollis again for a T-shirt I could borrow. When I put it on, it went to the middle of my thighs. It was basically a dress.
I didn’t want her to sense anything strange—namely that I was anxious to get back to Hollis—so I took my time hanging out with her and acted as normal as possible. She finally yawned and announced she was turning in.
I gave her a hug. “I’ll see you in the morning, kiddo.”
I’m sure Hailey assumed I was walking down the hall to the guest bedroom. Instead, in my long T-shirt and bare feet, I searched the apartment for Hollis. The kitchen was empty, and he wasn’t in the living room.
I peeked into his bedroom and saw he was just emerging from the bathroom. He’d changed into a fitted, white T-shirt and sleep pants. His feet were bare.
He spotted me in the doorway.
Wiping the moisture out of his hair with a towel, he said, “Come here, you.”
Hollis took me into his arms, and I became completely lost in him. Straight out of the shower with a fresh coating of aftershave, he smelled so damn good. That was to be expected. What wasn’t to be expected was the rampant beat of his heart.
I still wasn’t sure what Hollis was doing with me, what his intentions were. But his heartbeat may have been my first real clue that this wasn’t a game to him anymore.
“How come you showered? I feel dirty now.”
“I had to...relieve some tension. But to be honest, I don’t feel like it did much.”
Hollis definitely still seemed tense. We both clearly wanted the same thing on a physical level, but we couldn’t go there tonight.
That left us not really knowing what to do with each other.
“I love you in my shirt,” he said.
I rubbed my arms. “Thank you for letting me borrow it. It’s so soft.”
He stepped back. “That reminds me. I bought you something.”
My brow lifted. “Yeah?”
He reached under his bed and took out a pink bag. I recognized that it was from La Vivienne, a pricey lingerie store. He looked uncharacteristically shy as he watched me open it.
Inside were silk thongs in a rainbow of colors.
“Hollis, these are so...expensive.
”
“The woman at the store swore they were the softest.”
“Yeah, but you must’ve paid three hundred dollars for undies you’re just gonna end up wrecking.”
“It’ll be worth it.” He winked.
“Want me to try one of them on?”
“You don’t have to.”
“But do you want me to?”
“Fuck, yes,” he said immediately.
I slipped out of the red lace ones I was wearing, leaving them on the floor. Hollis stared down at them.
Then I carefully ripped the tag off a pair of cream-colored panties and slipped them on.
“These feel amazing.”
Hollis’s pupils were dilating. I knew he wanted to see them on me, but his long T-shirt was covering my bum.
“You wanna see?”
His chest rose and fell. “Yes.”
I slowly lifted the T-shirt and turned around, exposing my backside. “How do they look?”
He didn’t say anything. I couldn’t see his face, but I could hear his breathing become even more labored.
He cleared his throat. “Worth every penny.”
“You like them?”
“Like? Like is not a strong enough word, Elodie.”
I turned around to the sight of him with an erection. I inched closer and wrapped my arms around him, pressing my abdomen against the hot bulge in his pants.
Running my fingers through his damp, lustrous hair, I said, “You’re a beautiful man.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
“I’ve always thought so.”
I loved being able to touch him like this. I knew there was so much more to Hollis than his physical beauty. He was complex. I so wanted to know more about his past but was always afraid to broach that subject for fear of upsetting him.
Still, a huge part of me was terrified to take the next step without knowing the story of what had made him so guarded when it came to love. It seemed like necessary information at this point.
I took a chance and asked, “Will you tell me what happened with Anna?”
Hollis’s jaw flexed. Our eyes met, and he seemed to be searching for the answer to my question.
Eventually, he nodded. “Why don’t we go out to the living room? If we stay in here, I won’t be able to focus on anything but your ass in that underwear.”
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