In Need of a Tow

by Vivian Vincent

"He doesn't want rent?" This sounded too good to be true.

  "No. He said it’d be sitting there unoccupied anyway so why not put it to good use."

  "Okay, I get that, but what happens when he comes back to visit or whatever. Will he kick us out? Is this definite or will we eventually end up back here?" I watched the look of excitement creep out of his face.

  "Why are you being so negative about this, Kathy?"

  "How many times are we going to move, Brian?"

  "Ya know what? Just never mind. Forget I mentioned it," he said angrily. "I'll call Nick and tell him we aren't takin' the house." He got up and walked toward the bed.

  "Now you're just being silly, Brian. I didn't mean I didn't want to move, I only wanted to know if this was going to be a more permanent thing or if we’ll be moving again in another few months. It seems as soon as we get settled in one place, we're moving again.” I walked over to the bed and sat down next to him. He got up from the bed and took a few steps away. It was as if he didn't want to be in the same space with me.

  "No. We were happy in Michigan. I told you I didn't want to move to Texas but you pushed me away, remember? No one told you that you had to come here, Kathy." He didn't turn to face me. His words hit me like an anvil.

  "You knew it was the best thing for you and Adam. Why are you bringing this up again? We're together and happy." I was crying now. "Isn't that what matters?" I wiped the tears from my eyes, refusing to let him see how much he'd hurt me.

  "Apparently, it doesn't matter to you.” He walked back to the table and sat down, still refusing to face me. "If it did matter to you, then you'd have no problem moving into Nick's house with me." He paused to collect his thoughts. "And you'd have no problem with us getting married either." I watched as he turned his head and wiped his tears away.

  "I can't do this!" I got up and found my purse.

  "Do what?"

  "I can't sit here and let you think I don't love you. I can't sit here and hold you back from the things you want. I knew this would happen. I’ll go back to Michigan and resume my life there." I fought back more tears as I looked for my suitcase.

  "Wait. What are you doing?" he asked as he saw me starting to pack my suitcase.

  "What's it look like I'm doing?" Now I was the one who was refusing to look at him. "We've had this conversation before, Brian. I don't want to get married again. You obviously do since you keep bringing it up. I can't give you a happy life with a house full of kids."

  "You are giving me a happy life! I want us to have our own place and not rely on anyone else. Is that so much to ask?"

  "I'm not giving you a happy life, Brian. I’m holding you back from everything you want."

  "So, that's it then? You're just leaving?"

  "Yeah, that's pretty much it. You deserve a woman who can give you all the things I can't. We haven't made love in three months now and I know that's gotta be killing you. I see how you look at Adam. I can see it in your eyes you want more kids. I can't give them to you. You deserve better than me, Brian."

  "Will you stop?" He walked over to me and took the clothes out of my hands. "Do you think I would’ve stuck around this long if I wanted more kids? Do you think I would’ve held your hand every single night since that bastard Gary tried to rape you if I didn't want to spend the rest of my life with you? Do you honestly believe any of those things you just said to me?" He reached out to hold me. "I don't care if we never have kids, Kathy. How many times do I have to say that?"

  "Why do you keep bringing up marriage, then?" I pulled away and wiped the tears from my eyes.

  "I keep hoping one day you'll change your mind is all. I don't want to force you to do anything you don't want and I'm sorry I brought it up the way I did." He kissed my forehead. "And as far as not making love in three months, I understand you needed time to heal. I’ll wait as long as it takes. I love you."

  I knew Brian hated living over Gordon's garage and he wanted a place of his own close by so he could still spend time with Adam. He wanted Nick's house and I was being selfish again. He put his arm around me and we walked over to the bed and sat down.

  "Call Nick. Tell him you want the house."

  "Are you sure?"

  "Yes. Call him. I don't care where we live as long as we're together, Brian. I was being selfish again. I pushed you away once because of my selfishness and it killed me. I won’t do that again. I don't want to lose you."

  He went to the phone and called Nick while I unpacked my suitcase. I watched him as he spoke on the phone and I longed to feel him again. I decided I was ready, I wanted him in our bed. I couldn't stand not having him anymore.

  As he hung up the phone, I flung myself at him and started kissing him. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him across the room to the bed. I turned him around with his back to the bed while we were still kissing and he pulled me down to the mattress with him. I felt the heat from his body as I pulled his shirt off. He stopped, held my face gently in his hands and looked at me.

  "Are you sure you're ready for this, Katherine?"

  "Yes, Brian. I want you. I want you now."

  He sat up and undressed me, then pulled me back down with him. I positioned myself over him, my knees straddling his face. My hips gyrated with his every movement and I could feel his breath on my wet pussy lips then he plunged his tongue in as deep as it could go. A tingling sensation flooded my entire body as he continued to lick and suck on my clit.

  I felt him stop as he brought me to the edge of climax and I reached back and started undoing his jeans. I moved down to position myself between his legs and finished getting his jeans off. His rigid cock was pointing straight at me. I closed my whole mouth around his shaft. I felt it get even harder between my lips. He put his hands on the back of my head and he let out a deep grunt when I teased the head with my tongue. I reached down with one hand and caressed his balls. I brought him to the brink of orgasm, released his cock from my mouth, straddled him, and brought my hips down slowly.

  He guided his throbbing cock into my willing pussy. I felt his entire body shudder when I pushed myself deeper onto him. I put my hands on his shoulders, pulled him to me and kissed him. I felt his body against mine and his arms draped around my waist. I could feel his pace quicken and knew he was getting closer to orgasm, then he'd slow down again, trying to make the sensation last. He hit the spot he knew made my whole body quiver. His pace quickened again then our eyes locked briefly. After a few seconds he closed his eyes and let himself go.

  He grunted loud while he emptied himself inside me. I shouted his name as I let myself go and came around his cock still buried inside me. I collapsed on top of him, completely breathless. As the tremors slowed in our bodies, I rolled on to the bed. I turned to kiss him, got up and went into the bathroom to clean myself up. I had to pause for a moment, my knees were weak and trembling.

  When I returned, he was still lying on the bed, eyes closed, his breathing still staggered. I lay on the bed next to him, he turned to his side and pulled me against him. He kissed my neck before getting up to clean himself off, also trying to get his balance as he walked. I dozed off waiting for him to return, but soon felt him get back into bed beside me. He put his arm around my waist. I nestled myself closer to him and we slept until morning.

  * * * *

  "You wore me out, woman!”

  "Yeah, and to think, we only did it once."

  "But we had to wait three months, so we had all that pent up passion." He tickled me, causing me to move closer to him.

  "Don't get me started again, Brian. We've got a lot to do today." I giggled while trying to get away from his playful teasing.

  Since Nick told Brian we could move in immediately, we started packing. Gordon told us we could have all the furniture from the room over the garage. Jennifer took Adam out to the backyard to keep him out of the way. Annie and I talked while Gordon and Brian loaded the furniture into a small rented moving van. She brought me a glass of iced tea then sat down a
t the table next to me.

  “I know it’s none of my business, Kathy—“

  “What?”

  “I overheard you and Brian last night when you were arguing. I didn’t mean to. I was out in the garden watering the plants and your window was open.”

  “Yeah, we need to shout quieter. I’m sorry you heard us.” I blushed, wondering she’d heard us making love.

  “Like I said, I know it’s none of my business, but why don’t you want to get married again?”

  “I was married kind of young, maybe a year or so younger than Brian when I first met him.” I took a sip of my tea and glanced over at Annie. She looked ready to listen.

  “I met my ex-husband, Bill, when I was in the hospital after my ex-boyfriend and two of his buddies had raped and beaten me. I ended up pregnant, but had a miscarriage as a result of the rape. The doctors told me I could never have children. Bill supported me and helped me get through everything. We fell in love and were married six months later." I paused and looked at her, she had tears in her eyes.

  "Bill told me for a long time he was okay with the fact I could never have children, same as Brian tells me. I found out about five years ago he was having an affair. At that point, I figured he'd probably already had kids with another woman. I ended up closing myself off emotionally." I reached into my purse and handed her a tissue.

  "I see the way Brian looks at Adam. I can see it in his eyes he wants more kids. If we were to get married, it’d be a lifetime commitment. I wouldn't want to put him through that if he met a woman he could have kids with. If we aren't married, it makes it easier for me to walk away and easier for him to move on with his life." I finished my explanation and wiped the tears from my eyes.

  "Sounds kinda selfish to me."

  "Really? How so?"

  "A marriage is about give and take, Kathy. Sure, you can't give Brian kids physically, but there's always adoption."

  "Brian has said that before, but I don't know if anyone would give a couple like us a child. We're not married and the age difference—"

  "It still sounds selfish. You'd be two loving, caring parents. Brian already has Adam, and since you're with Brian—well, you get the idea."

  "I get it."

  "There is something you can give him which would mean more to him than a child could."

  "Huh?"

  "You can give him your heart and your soul, Kathy. He loves you so much, I can see it when he looks at you and I can hear it when he talks about you. Marriage isn't only about having kids, ya know." She put her hand on mine.

  "He already has my heart and soul, Annie."

  "Do you honestly think he'd have stuck around this long if he wanted you to give him a child?"

  "He asked me exactly the same thing last night."

  "I know, I heard you, remember? He had a valid point. I don't think he would’ve stuck with you this long if he expected you to give him a child. He has Adam and he's content. They've bonded as father and son."

  "Exactly how much did you hear, Annie?" I blushed again and still wondered if she heard us making love.

  "I heard you arguing about marriage and having kids. I felt uncomfortable, so I went into the house. Now don't change the subject. If Brian wanted more kids, then he wouldn't still be with you. When you find a man who wants to make a lifetime commitment to you, don't let him go."

  "So what are you getting at, Annie?"

  "Do I gotta spell it out for ya, girl?"

  "No, I don't suppose you do." I finished the rest of my tea.

  Brian and Gordon finished loading up the van and we were ready to move into Nick's house. Gordon said he'd follow and help us move the furniture into the house. He waited, somewhat impatiently, for us to say our good-byes. Annie grabbed Brian's arm as he was leaving and told him she wanted to talk to him for a minute.

  "Be right there," he told me when I walked to the door.

  "Sit down here for a minute, Brian." Annie pulled out a chair for him.

  "What's up, Ann?"

  "Ask her again." She smiled and glanced over at the door and saw me standing there listening, out of Brian's line of sight. I smiled back at her.

  "Ask who what again?"

  "Ask Kathy to marry you again. I'd bet she says yes this time."

  "No, I don't think so, she—”

  "Just ask her, ya goof!" She was almost shouting while poking him in the arm.

  "Okay, but she'll tell me no again and it’ll start another fight." He stood up to leave. "We gotta get going, Gordon's waiting on us, Ann. Thanks for everything, really."

  "Promise me you'll ask her?" She held his hand before he could leave.

  "I promise. I’ll ask her again," he said as he hugged her good-bye.

  * * * *

  Nick's house was perfect. As soon as you walked in, the living room was to the left and beyond that the dining room. There was a door between the dining room and kitchen. The kitchen led into the family room and off that were two bedrooms and a bathroom. There was sliding door in the family room which led out to a huge backyard with a small gazebo in one corner. There were trees all around the yard.

  As Gordon and Brian unloaded the van, Jennifer and I sat down and talked. She’d left Adam with Annie. She started probing me about the same things her mother did, asking me why I don't want to get married again and why it always ends in a fight when Brian asks me. I told her the same things I’d told Annie. She had basically the same responses. She told me I was crazy if I let him get away again. The more we talked about it, the less convincing she needed to do.

  What is this, a tag team?

  Between the two of them, I was finding it increasingly difficult to find reasons not to marry Brian. I decided if he asked me again, I’d say yes. I did want to spend the rest of my life with him and if he truly wanted to make it official, who am I to stand in his way?

  Gordon and Brian finished up then Jennifer and Gordon said their good-byes leaving me and Brian alone in our new house—well, new to us. "Have a nice talk with Annie?" I asked him with a devilish smirk on my face.

  "Um—what? I don't know what you're talkin' about, she just wanted to thank me for being such a good dad to Adam.”

  "Okay, if that's all it was.” I pulled him closer to me. "Take me to bed."

  He picked me up and carried me to our bedroom. We made love for the first time in our new house. We showered, got back into bed and fell asleep into each other's arms. I awoke the next morning before the alarm sounded and began to seduce Brian beneath the covers. I touched his cock gently, causing him to stir and roll on his back. He was still sleeping, yet his body was responding to every touch, every stroke of my tongue and every warm breath upon his stiffening shaft. He was smiling broadly, but eyes still remained closed. He opened his eyes when I engulfed the head of his cock with my eager pussy then we both just let ourselves go, our orgasms hitting us so hard, the whole bed shook.

  "Damn baby. Can you wake me like that every morning?" Brian hugged me close and kissed me again before heading for the shower.

  I lay breathless in the bed while he took his shower, floating in and out of sleep. He came out into the bedroom, kissed my cheek and finished getting ready for work. I forced myself up out of bed, my knees still trembling, took a shower and got dressed. I headed over to Annie's and we talked about our respective partners. She asked when I thought Brian would ask me to marry him again and I told her I wasn't sure.

  "You haven't told him about the conversation we had did you?"

  "Not a word. I think he just needed a little coaxing. I think he'll ask you again, but I don't know when."

  I drove home thinking about Katie and how I would deal with her. A few months had passed since I saw her kissing Brian and I hadn't heard from her. I was no longer angry with either of them, but rather hurt she hadn't called me to explain herself. I decided to give her a call.

  "Hello?" Mark answered after the second ring.

  "Hi Mark. It's Kathy. Is Katie around?"

/>   "Yeah, she's here. Did you two have a fight or something? She's been moping around the house for months."

  "Well, kind of and we really need to talk, Mark. Can you get her, please?" I knew he probably wasn't aware of what’d happened between Katie and Brian.

  "Sure, hang on." I heard him set the phone down and call for Katie. "It's Kathy," he said in the background.

  "Hello?" she said quietly.

  "Katie, we need to talk."

  "I know.” I could hear she was already crying.

  "What the hell were you doing throwing yourself on Brian when I needed the two of you the most? Does our friendship mean so little to you? You know how much I love Brian and I’d been through a horrific night. I thought it was all a horrible dream, but after I saw the look on your faces, I knew it wasn't. How the hell could you have done that to me?"

  "Kathy, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me. I was hugging Brian because he was feeling so bad about not being there to protect you and he felt so good in my arms, I couldn't control myself. Mark and I hadn't been getting along and I missed the intimacy between us. I got caught up in the moment. It was probably the stupidest thing I've ever done and I’ll never forgive myself for hurting you." She cried harder now. "I promise you, there’s nothing going on between Brian and me. It was completely my fault; please don't blame him for it."

  "I know there's nothing going on between the two of you, Katie. I just don't understand why you haven't called me since it happened. I thought you and I could talk to each other about anything, even something like this. We've been friends way too long to let something like this destroy our friendship. It hurt seeing the two of you kissing and I wish you would've come clean that night. I love you both with all my heart and I can't blame you for losing control around Brian, that's how he and I ended up together. But for you to not call and talk this out for over three months, it really hurts. It made me think you wanted it to happen and you didn't care about my feelings at all."

  "I'm sorry I hurt you, Kathy. I don't know what else to say. I'll apologize as many times as I have to until you forgive me. I don't know why I didn't call you or why we didn't get things out in the open that night. I was scared of what your reaction would be and after I saw the look on your face, I figured it’d be best to give you time to cool down and you’d call me when you were ready."