Old Enough (The Age Between Us Book 1)

by Charmaine Pauls

  Eugene jabs me in the ribs with a pole. “Are you deaf? Monkey called you.”

  “I heard.”

  He nudges me again. “Do you have a death wish? Go over there, already.”

  Albert watches from the porch, smoking his pipe, but he’s wise enough not to say anything.

  My tread is hesitant when I make my way over to the man who rules our neighborhood from his castle in the north. Keeping my emotions concealed, I clean my hand on my jeans and offer him a handshake.

  “What’s up, Mr. Williams?”

  He glances up and down the street before he faces me again. “Good to see you, son.” His smile is fake.

  I’m in no mood for chitchat, not even for Monkey. “What can I do for you?”

  “How’s your mom holding up?”

  “Good.”

  “Good.” He nods. “Sam?”

  “She’s good.”

  “Good.”

  We stand there, nodding and not speaking for a while.

  Finally, he says, “Lindy is my life, my whole life.”

  Ah, fuck. “She’s a great girl.”

  “She is, isn’t she? Any man who has a chance with her should consider himself lucky.”

  I steel myself for what’s coming.

  Monkey leans over the door, putting our noses inches apart. “For some reason, Lindy’s taken a liking to you. Here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to ask her out and treat her nicely. If you put your paws on her before you’ve put a ring on her finger, you’re dead.”

  “Mr. Williams…” I rest my hands on my hips, staring at the ground. “I’m just another piece of scum.” I lift my eyes to his. “You know Lindy deserves better.”

  “She does, but Lindy gets what Lindy wants, and what she wants is you.”

  I inhale deeply. “I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”

  He scrunches up his face, every wrinkle a rigid line of anger. “Why’s that, boy?”

  “I’m taken.”

  His eyes widen, and then he laughs. “You’re taken.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “By who?”

  “Can’t say.”

  Grabbing my collar in a fist, he gets into my face. “I suggest you think this over very carefully. Take a couple of weeks. Hell, take four. When you’ve realized your mistake, you call my Lindy and make damn sure she’s happy.” He lets go with a shove. “Well, then, you have a nice day, now.” He pats my neck and nods in Albert’s direction. “Say hi to Katrina for me.”

  Without another word, he worms his way back into his convertible and pulls off with fumes pumping from the double exhausts.

  When the car disappears around the corner, Eugene walks up.

  “What did he want?”

  “Nothing.” I kick an empty can and return to my truck to finish the offloading.

  Katrina puts a jug of Kool-Aid and glasses on the garden table just as we finish. She says her greetings and scurries back inside to fetch a jar of homemade apricot jam for my mom.

  “I’ve got someplace for you to look at,” Albert says as I swallow down the last of the artificial drink.

  “Where?”

  “North-east. It’s a cottage on a plot.”

  “Can we go now?”

  “The owner said to come around any time. They’re home all weekend.”

  Albert and I drive out toward Silverton and follow the road to the Roodeplaat Dam. The properties are huge and lush. It’s not Groenkloof, but it’s better than the grassless yards in the cookie cutter complexes out east.

  The cottage is a stone structure situated not far from the main house on a property owned by a German couple, both of them general practitioners. I immediately like what I see. There are only two bedrooms, but they are spacious. The lounge is huge, too, with a view of the dam. There’s a fireplace in every room, including the kitchen, and a shady deck with a built-in barbecue that overlooks the valley. The landscaping incorporates the naturally rocky terrain and crassulaceae, leaving no gardening work. The property is fenced off with electrified barbwire. It’s a fifteen-minute drive from Silverton. With no traffic, it’ll take Jane no more than thirty minutes to drive to work. The money sounds fair. It’s way less than the rent of the new townhouses we saw during show day, and the place has a lot more character. I can picture Jane living here.

  After promising to bring Jane over for a visit, I thank the owners and drop Albert off at home. Then I head over to our place to check on Mom. I promised to take Sam to the municipal swimming pool. On the way, my head swims with images of another pool on a different night, the event that changed my life. Scrap that. My life changed the day the dandy showed me a photo of Jane in Oscars.

  Jane

  The truck I know all too well is parked in the street when I get home from carpooling Abby and her friend to their dance class on Thursday. Brian gets out and comes over to the passenger side of my car when I pull up to my gate. Sweet Lord. He’s wearing a sports T-shirt and rugby shorts. The stretch fabric shows off every perfectly defined chest and abdonimal muscle. His arms are big without being bulgingly huge, and those legs… His thighs and calves contract with every step. His whole comportment exudes power and strength. I can’t help my elation when he opens the door and slides in beside me.

  “Hey, princess.” He runs the back of his fingers along my jaw and down my neck, ending at the neckline of my dress.

  It’s almost six. Most people will be home from work. I’m not close friends with my neighbors, but it doesn’t mean they’re not watching. Aware of the risk we’re taking, I push the remote to open the gate and roller door, and pull into the garage. When the door closes behind us, the light comes on, basking us in its yellow glow.

  I turn off the ignition and turn to him. “Have you been waiting long?”

  “A while.”

  “I dropped Abby off at her dancing lesson.”

  He brushes a finger over the curve of my breast. “You don’t owe me an explanation.”

  “It’s an apology for making you sit outside.”

  “We didn’t have a date. No apology needed.”

  “We should be careful when Abby’s here.”

  “How long do we have?”

  “Forty-five minutes. Abby’s friend’s mom will drive her home.”

  In the dim light, his eyes are so dark they seem black. The intensity with which he watches me makes me squirm, and when his fingertip grazes my nipple, my body jerks. I’m so aware of him, the light touch feels like an electric shock.

  “I’m surprised you didn’t jump the gate,” I say with a smile, trying to conceal the dangerous effect he has on me, but he’s not fooled.

  “I didn’t jump the gate, because you’re exactly where I wanted you.”

  “In my car?” I ask with an awkward laugh. Nothing he does is predictable.

  “In your car,” he agrees.

  “Why?”

  He retracts his hand. “Take off your dress.”

  “What?”

  “If I have to repeat myself, we’ll add a spanking to your pleasure.”

  My blood pressure jumps to a number that has to be a health hazard. I haven’t been spanked since Evan. My sex clenches at the thought of Brian’s hand on my ass while he makes me come.

  “I’m sorry,” I whisper, my voice throaty, “but I’m not getting naked in my car.”

  His voice drops an octave. “I’m going to start counting. If you’re not undressing when I get to three, you’re not going to sit comfortably on this beautiful ass tonight. Do as you’re told, and I won’t leave marks.”

  That’s all it takes for me to reach for the zipper. I push the sleeves down my arms and lift my hips to wiggle out of the dress. Brian folds it carefully before putting it on the backseat. His breath is coming faster when he looks at me. I’m wearing white underwear with stockings and suspenders. Honestly? I thought about him when I dressed this morning. Secretively, I’ve been hoping he’d get a glimpse at the seductive lace. The way his e
yes smolder and his jaw clenches makes it worth the effort. His hard-on is tenting the shorts, but he doesn’t try to hide the effect I have on him. It’s as if he wants me know, as if he’s paying me a visual compliment.

  “Take off the bra and panties,” he says, “but keep the stockings and heels.”

  I do as he says, abandoning the scraps of fabric on the floorboard.

  “Climb over.”

  I want to ask what he means, but he’s already out of the car and walking to my door. Obeying, I climb over to the passenger seat while he slips into mine.

  “Push the seat back and put it down. All the way.”

  When I’ve complied, he twirls a finger at me. “Turn over onto your stomach.”

  It’s not comfortable. I have to bend my knees on the seat and hug the seatback, which pushes my ass in the air. “We’ll be more comfortable in the house.”

  “Have you ever made out in a car?”

  Biting my lip, I contemplate my answer. That part of my life is sacred, but I don’t want to lie to him. I don’t want untruths to come into what’s about to happen.

  “Yes,” I say after a hesitation. That’s where Evan took my virginity.

  “That’s why we’re doing this here. I want you to think about every other time you’ve fucked in a car, because when I’m done, doing it with me is the only time you’ll remember.”

  His self-assurance is the medicine I need to surrender my control. I don’t care where I am or what he does. All that matters is my release and pleasing him. He’s in charge, and I trust him to understand my needs in order to not abuse them.

  He turns sideways in his seat and curls his fingers around the back of my neck. After squeezing gently, he smooths his palm down my spine and over my ass to the juncture of my legs. With a shove, he pushes my thighs apart, putting me on display in the most vulnerable way.

  His voice is gruff. “I’ve been dreaming about you like this.”

  Fingers pressed together, he drags the edge of his palm through my slit. My insides clench, and my back arches when he continues the path to part my ass cheeks.

  He leans over and kisses the shell of my ear. “How hard do you like it to hurt?”

  Familiar anticipation mixes with apprehension, making me shake. “Not enough to leave bruises.”

  “How’s your tolerance?”

  “On the short side.”

  “Okay, princess. Here we go.”

  Thwack.

  His palm connects with my left cheek. The pain stings, heating my skin. If I was wet before, now I’m soaking. He caresses the spot with a slow rub before moving to the other cheek, warning me of where the blow is going to fall by smoothing his hand over the under-curve.

  Smack.

  It hurts. I grind my hips down in reflex to escape the next blow, but he slides a palm between the seat and my stomach, using my pussy as leverage to lift me. He brushes a hand over the right cheek. Oh, God.

  Thwack-thwack.

  I moan, pushing into his hand. His fingers find my clit, pinching softly. When he starts playing with me, I almost come, but his deft fingers know how to keep me on the edge while he spanks me into a state of frenzied need. Pinching my clit hard, he holds it while a succession of smacks rain down over my ass and thighs. When he lets go of my clit, I cry out at the sudden blinding pain as the blood flow returns. My senses are heightened, and everything I feel is centered on the spot between my legs. He pinches, then rubs, cutting off the blood flow and massaging away the pain enough times to make me throb with such an ache I’m going to die if I don’t come. Pain becomes pleasure and pleasure becomes pain until all I know is extreme pleasure. I don’t even realize he’s stopped spanking me until his touch abandons my clit.

  My lower region glows with heat. Wetness coats my folds. My inner walls spasm with need.

  “Now,” I mumble into the headrest. “I need to come now.”

  There’s a shuffling of clothes, and then Brian’s naked thighs straddle mine, our knees pressed together. There’s not enough space for the two of us between the dashboard and the seat. The weight of his body pins me down. The long length of his cock rests on my lower back. He drags his erection through my crack. Down, up.

  “Brian, please.”

  One hand pushes between the seat and my stomach, lifting me an inch. He catches his weight on the other next to my face.

  His tone is guttural. “If we go further, you know what’s going to happen, right?”

  My euphoric state doesn’t leave room for coherence. The need to find release is too overwhelming. I can’t focus on anything else, let alone the question, which takes up too many words.

  “If I stop, we go inside, and I make you come with my mouth,” he says when I don’t answer. “If we stay, you come on my cock.” He gives me a moment to let his words sink in. “What’ll it be, princess?”

  I understand. If we go into the house, he’ll have time to gather his control. If I push him now, he’s going to fuck me the way I want him to. I need more than his fingers and his tongue.

  “Here,” I say.

  His breath catches on a grunt. “Jane.”

  My name is an appeal. He’s giving me a second chance. I don’t need to think it through. I’m way beyond that. All I can manage is a small shake of my head.

  For a moment, he rests his forehead against the back of my head. Two, three seconds pass. I’m not sure what he’s waiting for, but time seems sacred. Another second passes before he moves. The broad head of his cock pushes between my legs and nudges my opening.

  “You’re the first woman I fuck without a condom. You don’t have to worry about STDs.”

  I barely have time to think of a reply before he spears into me. In one thrust, he buries himself up to his balls. He’s not wide enough to hurt me, but his length is uncomfortable. A dull ache flowers deep inside as he starts pounding into me. He groans with every shove, hammering a harsh rhythm of pain-filled pleasure into my core. Then he changes his angle, and all the pain is gone. All that is left is detonating pleasure. He jerks out of me just as my orgasm explodes. Warm spurts of liquid land on my back and ass as my release races through my body. It’s the kind of release I feel all the way to my soul, because he’s tying more than my body to him. He’s conquering me in a way I’m not sure he realizes. The woman in me needs the man in him, and not only on a physical level. I need his strength, protection, and comfort as I need his cock as deep as it can go, and then some more. I want to be consumed by him, in every sense. I want to be exclusive. I want to be the only one. I want him to defy deceit and betrayal. I want him to be what no other man could be for me yet.

  I want him not to leave me.

  For once, I want to be enough.

  Brian

  Leaving Jane like this is the hardest thing to do. It seems to be all I’m doing, giving her orgasms before walking out on her. It’s not my style, but Abby will be home soon, in less than ten minutes, to be exact.

  Retrieving my clothes from the floor, I clean Jane’s back and ass with my T-shirt and watch her dress. Her movements are efficient and fluent despite the hard way in which I took her. I’ve fucked enough women to know she’ll be tired and not just a little bit sore. I want nothing more than to fix her dinner, run her a bath, and hold her while she falls asleep. Even as I’m thinking these things, she’s turning so I can zip up her dress. My fingers linger on her neck, moving through the soft curls of her hair. There’s a console and gearshift and a thousand other things between us, but I put my arms around her shoulders and drag her back to my chest. The best I can give her for now is a kiss on the head.

  She moves out of my embrace and turns in her seat. Flipping down the visor mirror, she wipes mascara from under her eyes. Her tone is apologetic when she looks at me. “You have to go.”

  I cup her cheek. “I want you to look at a place that’s for rent.”

  Her smile is huge and warm. It’s such a sincere expression, my heart melts on the spot.

  “You looked
for a place for me?”

  “Of course. When are you free? I’d like for you to see it in the day.”

  Her smile turns mischievous. “Daylight will change my opinion?”

  “The view might.”

  “Brian.” Her tone is surprised, laced with appreciation. “Thanks for doing that.”

  A glance at my watch confirms I have five minutes to get my naked ass out of here. Yanking on my clothes, I press the issue. I’m anxious for her to settle this. She can’t be at ease, not knowing where she’s going to stay. “Tomorrow?”

  “I’d have to check my schedule with Toby.”

  I pause with my hand on the door handle. “Toby?”

  “My boss.”

  “Call me.” A kiss on the lips, and I’m out.

  It’s dark outside when the roller door lifts. She must have a button in the garage to control the pedestrian gate, because it clicks open just as I reach it. I’m in my truck in five seconds flat. I’m turning the corner when a latest model Jeep comes from the opposite direction. The Jeep slows as it nears, and when it passes me, I recognize Abby in the passenger seat. Both Abby and the driver have their heads turned toward me.

  Shit. I hope this isn’t going to cause questions for Jane. With a bit of luck, Abby won’t even remember me.

  My thoughts on the drive home are troubled. I’ve just fucked the woman of my wet dreams. I had my dick so deep in her she’ll still feel it tomorrow. I should be elated, but all I feel is disappointment. In myself. I’m a piece of shit. Jane deserves better. Taking her like that–in a car, for God’s sake–was low. It wasn’t my intention, not until I posed the question and saw the truth in her eyes. She’d done it. It was there in the way her lashes lifted and dropped, shuttering her expression. It was alive in the air for the duration of her hesitation to reply. It was the way her voice caught when she finally said it. Whoever she’d done it with meant a lot to her, and suddenly I couldn’t stand the thought. My jealousy turned into an ugly monster. If I couldn’t make Jane’s first time with a man who wasn’t me undone, I wanted her to remember me, not him.