I didn’t even get a chance to explain to Libby was the hell was going on.
I drove back to my home and whipped out my phone. I sent her a message through the app as well as a text message, but I got no response. I went back to her profile, trying to see if there was any information in there I could use to track her down. She probably needed some room to breathe, which was fine. I got that. But we needed to talk. I wanted to explain myself and see if she would give me a second chance at this whole thing.
I wanted to see if she would give me the chance to figure out why the fuck I couldn’t kick her like a bad habit.
I scrolled through her profile and came across where she worked. Not the safest thing to put in a profile, but it would work in my favor. I jotted the place down before I fell asleep, just in case she decided to delete her profile. The first stop I was making in the morning before I headed into work was to the florist. If she didn’t want to talk with me, the least I could do was send her something to apologize. I didn’t know how she would react, but it was the only avenue I had to get her to talk to me.
I rolled out of bed the next morning, got cleaned up, and called the florist I knew in town. I had a bouquet of white Lily of the Valleys as well as white roses along with an apology note. I wanted the florist to call me after they had been delivered so I knew she got them. But then it was out of my hands.
And still, I heard nothing from her.
The entire week, there was nothing. My text messages went unanswered, my phone calls went unreturned, and my messages in the dating app were read but not responded to. I didn’t know what else to do. I couldn’t get her off my mind. The look of horror on her face when Gloria threw that glass of wine at me wasn’t how I wanted to remember her. It wasn’t how I wanted to end things with her.
So, I did the only other thing I knew I could do.
I picked up lunch for us and headed for her job.
I grabbed the food and buttoned my suit coat before I walked inside. There were a few people sitting in the waiting room waiting on their appointments as they looked up at me. I smiled and nodded my head at them, gripping the food tightly in my hand. Then I looked up and saw Libby sitting at her desk, her eyes trained on the computer in front of her as her hands flew across the keyboard.
And my heart stopped.
“Welcome. If you want to sign in and write down your appointment time, I’ll let you know when they’re ready to see you,” Libby said.
“Hey there.”
I watched her pause as she panned her gaze towards me. She looked tired. Her eyes were heavy and there was the faintest bit of red that still tinted them. She had been crying, and it boiled my blood. A woman like her didn’t deserve to cry. And there was a good chance she’d fallen asleep doing that, judging by the faint indentations that were still pressed into her cheek.
“I brought lunch,” I said.
“Smells good,” she said quietly.
“Would you like some?” I asked.
She sighed and I watched her eyes flicker off to the side. I looked over and saw the bouquet of flowers I sent her a few days ago sitting on a side table by a window. I looked back at her, waiting for her to say that one word. That one word that gave me permission to sit with her and talk.
“Okay,” Libby said. “Sure. Yeah. Come on back. Let me clock out for lunch.”
She rolled away from her desk and opened a door off to the side. I walked around the corner and came into the front office, my eyes studying her closely. She had on a pair of professional black pants that look like they’d been bunched up on the floor for days. She had on a white shirt with a light gray cardigan slung around her shoulders, and it was already falling off her body. She was thrown together, and that was putting it mildly. What was confusing to me was how the hell a woman could still shine the way Libby could in something like that.
There were women who wore ten thousand-dollar dresses to a single fucking dinner date and didn’t shine the way she did.
“What’s for lunch?” Libby asked.
“I brought steak salads and a side of macaroni and cheese from Boka,” I said.
“Ah, so I still get to know what their food tastes like,” she said.
“That was the intention. I’ve got two different drinks. Iced tea and Lemonade. Preference?”
“The lemonade sounds nice, thank you.”
I divvied out the food as she cleared off a spot on her desk. I pulled up a stool in the corner and sat down, watching the way she prepared her eating spot. She was self-conscious, that much was for certain. The way she cut up everything into small pieces before eating it. The way she delicately sipped at her lemonade. The way she chewed everything without the slightest sound.
She was uncomfortable.
And I hated that I made her feel that way.
“I wanted to talk about what happened the other night,” I said.
“Who was that woman?” Libby asked.
“A crazy ex of mine. I have a restraining order against her for some things she pulled towards the end of our relationship.”
“Is she the reason why you don’t have time for cultivating relationships?”
“In a sense.”
“Graham, I might not have a glamorous job or have glamorous things, but I know when people are holding things back. You’re guarded. I’ve been burned enough by men to know when they’re keeping secrets.”
“I’m sure you have secrets of your own,” I said.
“None that interrupt dates in high profile places to throw wine in my face, no.”
“Gloria… wasn’t always that kind of person. But she morphed into being that kind of person with me. Part of me not wanting a traditional relationship is because I know my life is high-pressure. And the pressure got to her.”
“So you feel responsible for the person she turned into.”
“In a sense, yes.”
“What else aren’t you telling me?” she asked.
“Libby, I can’t-”
“I know you’re not looking for anything traditional. And really, I’m okay with that. I’m not in any position to get caught up in… whatever this is anyway. I don’t have the funds to keep buying new clothes whenever you want to take me out somewhere nice,” she said.
“You don’t have to buy new clothes,” I said. “You can wear whatever makes you comfortable.”
“So if you took me to a restaurant by the sea and I walked in wearing this, you wouldn’t have an issue with it?”
I eyed her up and down, pausing long enough to make her sigh.
“Libby, I didn’t say anything.”
“You didn’t have to,” she said. “Look, I’m glad you came by to talk. But I know there’s a lot you’re not telling me. And just like you don’t want to get into some sort of traditional relationship, I don’t want to have to look over my shoulder during every date I have with some guy I barely know.”
“Nothing like that is going to ever happen again. I have a restraining order against her, Libby.”
“And that seemed to really help a few nights ago.”
“I’ve been burned. Bad,” I said. “And I think you have, too. But I’m not the only one being guarded here. You are as well. Every single wall you have right now is thrown up, and I’m trying to tap on them lightly to get you to peek out from around them.”
“What do you want?” she asked. “Why are you here?”
It was a good question, and one I wasn’t sure how to answer.
“I’d like another chance,” I said.
“To… what? Take me out to dinner?” she asked.
“Yes. But not only that. I’d like another chance to try and form something with you.”
“I thought you didn’t want that.”
“I want someone I enjoy spending my time with to be there when I’m free.”
“So you want me to be at your beck and call?”
“No. I want you to want to spend time with me whenever the two of us are free. However that tim
e is spent is up to you. But I want…”
I drew in a deep breath as her beautiful eyes stared up into mine. For a timid woman, she really knew how to back me into a corner. The tenacity and fire in her words was alluring, and it showcased a side of her I wanted to get to know.
“I want to get to know you,” I said. “If you’ll let me.”
She nodded as she speared a bite of her salad. I watched her roll it around in her mouth, munching mindlessly as she thought. Never had I sat on the edge of my seat like that before. Never in my life had I been so nervous for a fucking answer to come from some woman I was chasing. It had been a long time since I’d pursued a woman like this, and none of those women made me hang onto her every word like Libby did.
What the hell was this woman doing to me?
“Okay,” Libby said. “I think I’d like that.”
“Good,” I said. “I’d say we could start now, but I’m due back at work in fifteen minutes. Are you doing anything tomorrow night?”
“Nope. Just sitting around with dinner and my cat.”
“You have a cat?”
“A calico. His name’s Mozart.”
“A fan of classical music?” he asked.
“It’s a secret passion, yes.”
“Well, maybe I could take you to the symphony sometime. They aren’t playing this weekend, but in a few weeks their season will start back up.”
“I’d like that,” she said, smiling. “What were you thinking about for tomorrow night?”
“There’s a bookstore downtown I thought we could go to. Since you’re such an avid reader.”
The light in her eyes returned, igniting her features as her innocence poured through. There she was. There was the Libby I found on the steps of that wedding venue. She was peeking through and it clenched my gut with happiness.
Such a small gesture bringing light to a wonderful woman.
“To the bookstore it is, then,” she said.
Eleven
Libby
Our first trip to the bookstore was phenomenal. It had this old-world charm to it, and we ended up spending almost two hours there. Every book I touched Graham was determined to buy for me, despite my protests. My shelves were quickly filling with romance novels and fantastical love stories between people I lost myself in. He whisked me away to things I’d never experienced. Restaurant I’d never eat in on my own dime and symphonic concerts that took my breath away. But they always ended the same.
They always ended with that beautiful bookstore.
We went so frequently that the owner knew us by name. And every single time I walked in, I made a beeline for the romance department. I wanted to know if they had gotten anything new in or had any rare copies of things I could take a look at. Chairs peppered the dark corners of the bookstore with lamps to illuminate their spots. Graham would always pull up a chair next to me and bring my feet to rest in his lap, then stick his nose in a biography while I began my new love journey. They were my favorite moments with him. When the two of us were reading in that dark little corner by lamplight with my feet in his lap. It felt natural and comfortable to be with him like this. His tie would be loosened and his coat would be draped over the back of the chair. His sleeves would be uncuffed and rolled up, giving me a good look at the throbbing veins and the strength of his muscles.
“Good book?” Graham asked.
I didn’t know I was chewing on my lower lip until he caught my attention.
“Sorry,” I said breathlessly. “Yes. Very good book.”
“Your cheeks look a little flushed,” he said.
I gritted my teeth as a grin spread across his face.
“Let me get it for you,” he said. “You seem… very into it.”
“I can buy my own books, you know.”
“You don’t buy anything with me. Have you not learned that by now?” he asked.
“I didn’t realize I was being trained.”
“Not trained. Simply educated,” he said with a smirk. “Come on. Hand me the book.”
Removing my feet from his lap, I held the novel out for him. The two of us made our way for the register, purchasing the books we held in our grasp. He escorted me to his car and took me home, pulling up to my sorry excuse for an apartment.
“Can I walk you up?” Graham asked.
“You don’t have to ask every time,” I said. “You can just do it.”
His hand pressed into the small of my back as he led me up the stairs. I could feel the heat of his touch radiating through my dress. My hand was shaking as I tried to stick my key in the lock, and his hand came down around mine to steady my grasp.
“Here. Let me help,” he said.
He turned my hand, unlocking my apartment as we pulled the key back. The tension was growing thick between us as I looked up into his eyes. They were darkening. Just like they had at the wedding that weekend. I grabbed the doorknob and threw the door open, then felt a surge of confidence crash through my veins.
I wrapped my hand up in his loosened tie, backed into my apartment, and tugged him quickly inside.
He shut my front door with my back, slamming me against it. Our lips crashed together as our teeth clattered with the heat of our kiss. My hands clawed at his clothes, trying to rid them from his body as he slid my dress of my shoulders. It pooled into a pathetic pile on the floor, his hands palming my clothed tits.
I walked him backwards, straight into my room. Clothes were falling everywhere, lining a trail from the front door to the foot of my bed. His hands grasped my ass and lifted me off the floor, then he tossed me onto the bed as my body fell to the mattress.
He pounced on me, his lips attaching to my neck. I could feel his thick cock throbbing against my thigh, dripping and coating my skin with his precum. My hands tangled in his hair as he moved steadily downwards, kissing and suckling at my breasts. I moaned and rolled my body into him. My heels were propped themselves up onto the edge of the bed. He slid between my legs, his eyes fluttering up to me as he hovered over my dripping pussy.
“Look at me, Libby.”
I rose my head from the bed and eyed him carefully. I watched his tongue dart out, lapping up my slit as my legs jumped. His hands pressed against my legs, spreading me farther apart for him as he blew a stream of cold air onto my clit.
I groaned as my body shook in his wake.
His tongue worked me expertly as my legs wrapped around his head. My hands found the tendrils of his hair, pulling him closer into my body. I ground down into his lips, feeling him moan and groan as my pants turned to whimpers. The electricity shooting through my body was too much, and yet it still wasn’t enough. I felt that fiery sensation burning in my gut. Deep in the pit of my stomach as my fingernails scraped at his scalp.
My back arched from the mattress, bowing like a tightened violin as I came.
“Graham! Yes! I… oh… it feels… yes. Yes. Don’t stop. Don’t stop. More. I need more.”
He hummed into my pussy, my toes curling at the sensation. I dropped to the mattress and felt him release my clit, his tongue lapping me up one last time. I felt his wet kisses trailing up my body as his eyes came into view, and the rational side of me fell to the wayside. I wrapped my hand around his head and pulled him down to me, licking my juices off his lips as he captured my bottom lip.
Effortlessly, he guided himself into my pussy. His hands planted into the bed as our tongues battled for dominance. He rolled deeply, pulsing against my walls and pulling moans from deep within my body. I couldn't get enough of him. I couldn’t get him close enough for my liking.
“Graham,” I said with a whisper. “Faster. Please go faster.”
He sped up his movements as my eyes fluttered open. I saw the way his face was scrunched in pleasure. I took in the way he bit down onto his lower lip. I ran my toes up the backs of his legs, feeling goosebumps trail my every movement. My tits were bouncing as our hips slammed together. The sound of his cock diving between my legs filled my bedroom with the
sound of our passion. I kept breathing him in, my lips peppering his strong shoulders with kisses.
I couldn't stop touching him. I couldn't stop running my fingertips along the peaks and valleys of his muscles.
Faster and faster he went, thrusting my body up the mattress. I wrapped my legs around him, pulling him deeper into me as my pussy began to flutter. It was happening again. I could feel it. Stars were bursting in my vision as my body quickly gave way to him again. I could feel his movements stuttering. I could feel his cock thickening inside my body. His hands found mine and our fingers intertwined before he pinned them above my head.
“So. Fucking. Beautiful.”
His words hit me like a ton of bricks. I arched into him and called out his name, filling the room with my sounds as I came around his cock. He buried himself into me one last time, relinquishing himself to the passion that was overcoming him. His lips captured mine as he groaned, his cock spilling deep into my body. I could feel him pumping. I could feel his threads of cum coating my walls. I could feel the way he was squeezing my hands and the way his tongue couldn’t drink up enough of me.
I wasn’t ready for the moment to end.
I wasn’t ready to give him up yet.
He collapsed on top of me, cloaking my body with his sweating strength. I wrapped my arms around him and held him close, feeling him panting into the crook of my neck. Kiss after kiss I placed against his skin, running my fingertips up and down his back.
Then he slid from between my legs and I closed my eyes as our juices dripped from my body.
Twelve
Graham
“Yeah! Woo!”
For someone who professed she didn’t know a thing about basketball, Libby sure was getting into the sport. I had courtside seats for us at a Chicago Bulls game, and every time I turned around Libby was asking me a question.
“What position is he playing again?”
“How many points is a foul shot?”
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