by Lulu Pratt
“Fun, fun,” Trixie says, reaching her hand in front of her.
“That’s right, we’re going to have lots of fun,” Steel says.
“We always do,” I say, smiling and touching my fingers to his.
We walk down the midway, but I don’t see Cess. She must be on her break.
“Well, look who showed up,” Papa Smurf says from behind us.
He slaps Steel across the back, and I turn to hug him.
“Let me see this baby of yours,” he crouches in front of Trixie and wiggles his finger against her cheek. “I half didn’t believe she was real.”
“There’s another coming too,” I say.
Papa Smurf stands to his full height and shakes his head. “Well, ain’t you just the family man now.”
“Don’t forget respectable business owner,” I say.
“You two are lucky my daughter is here, or I’d tell you what I think of that,” Steel says.
“Still no word from Razor, you?” Papa Smurf asks. I’m surprised he brought this up so soon. I’m always amazed at how much he cares about his long termers.
“Nothing,” Steel says, his face full of worry.
Razor got into something with a couple of townies about six months ago, and no one’s seen or heard from him since. The cops didn’t take it too seriously, calling him a drifter anyway so they think he took off instead of searching for him.
“I’m going to take Trixie to meet Cess,” I say.
Gripping the stroller handle, I push it over the bumpy grass, searching for her. I spot her by the funnel cakes, and head over to her.
“Hey!” I say.
“God, she’s adorable. Looks just like her old man,” Cess says, picking Trixie up and cuddling her.
“She’s a little mini Steel,” I say.
“So what’s new, anything?”
“I finally heard from that private detective I hired,” I say.
“The one in Canada?” she asks.
Cess is the only one who knows I hired him. It was just after Trixie was born, and my curiosity got the better of me. Sitting at home alone with her, one day I found him online and sent an email.
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“His mother was killed with her husband in a drunk driving accident about six years ago.”
“Shit, that’s rough.”
“Language,” I say, raising my eyebrows.
“Oops, forgot someone’s got little ears,” Cess says, cupping Trixie’s head.
“It’s probably easier anyway. No decisions to be made, anyway.”
“Did you tell Steel?”
“No, nothing. He still doesn’t know I hired the private investigator. Steel always said his mother was dead to him, so what’s the point of telling him she actually is dead?”
“At least you know.”
“I guess,” I say, shrugging.
I don’t know what I was hoping would happen. Maybe that she’d sobered up and left her abusive husband, and was desperate to find her son again. I guess that was just a pipe dream on my part.
We chat for awhile longer, until Steel comes along.
“Come with me,” he says.
“I’ll come back and find you later,” I tell Cess.
He takes Trixie from Cess and holds her. I walk along beside him, pushing the empty stroller.
Steel leads me straight to the Ferris wheel, past the massive line and right to the front.
“You fucking cocksucker, why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Whiskey says with a smile.
“Watch your mouth around my kid,” Steel says, covering one ear of Trixie’s ears.
“You gotta be shitting me, I never thought I’d see your ugly face again,” Whiskey says.
“And I was hoping I’d never see yours,” Steel says. He sounds tough, but I know he’s laughing on the inside.
The ride stops, and Whiskey moves to unload the first car. The people get off, and Steel steps on with Trixie, with me right behind him.
“You can’t take a baby on that ride!” someone yells.
“There’s a line here!” another yells.
Barbara’s going to love this juicy bit of gossip, but not one iota of me gives a shit. In fact, I’d love tell her myself. Actually, what I’d really love to do is describe Steel’s dick to her. The look on her face would be priceless.
Steel’s holding Trixie in his arms, and I know she’s completely safe. I snuggle up beside them. The Ferris wheel stops and starts, loading and unloading, and soon our car is stopped at the very top.
“Look, Trixie, you can see everywhere from here,” Steel says.
Trixie’s eyes are wide, and her head turns in every direction.
“You can even see Grandma’s house,” I say, pointing.
She follows the direction of my finger, but I doubt she can see where I’m pointing, there’s too much in between, and her eyes are drawn by the other moving rides.
“Would you believe, little miss, that your mommy and I had our first date right here, in this very spot?”
My eyes shift to the car number, and I see it’s the same car we first sat in together. And the same one we got married in. Obviously Steel set this up with Whiskey before.
“I knew the moment I first laid eyes on your mommy that I had to have her.”
“I don’t think she gets the double entendre,” I say, smiling.
Steel doesn’t look at me, instead he continues talking to Trixie. “At first she only wanted me for one thing, but when I didn’t give it to her, she started to realize I was just more than a pretty face. And she started loving me, just like I loved her. And then you came along. You’re very lucky you have the best mommy in the whole wide world. And I’m going to take you, all around the whole world, just to prove it to you.”
We’ve been at the top for ages, far longer than it takes to unload and load a car, and I realize Steel’s arranged this with Whiskey too.
“I never thought I’d get win at anything, and here I won the biggest prize of all. Except I keep doing something wrong. Even though I keep trying to do better. Three times, and I still never got it right.”
I look at him, and though he’s talking to Trixie, his blue eyes are boring straight into me. He moves his closed hand over to me, and opens it. A massive solitaire lies in the center of his palm.
Swallow Hard
(NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED!)
I’ll show her mine if she shows me hers
Being a single dad at new school isn’t easy.
Especially when your son’s being bullied.
Then I meet single mom Penny, and am instantly hard.
All I want are her pouty lips wrapped around my cock.
Until I find out she’s hiding something from me.
***Quick, super steamy instalust story with a guaranteed HEA***
Penny
I said never again, and yet here I am. In my idea of motherhood torture.
“I know you didn’t want to do this after last year, so I’ve given you the easiest task. It’s the bouncy castle. The bouncy castle company operates it. All you have to do is take the money, give the kids the token, and tell them to stand in line,” Kate says, her voice soft and slow, as if she’s talking her daughter into going to the dentist.
“Thanks for giving me the bouncy castle, I appreciate it.”
“Hunter should be here any minute to help. The two of you just have to sit here in these nice, comfy chairs for two hours and you’re done.”
My eyes shift to the blue chairs. Designed for six-year-olds, the chairs come up to my knees and are definitely not my idea of comfortable.
I nod and sit, my knees almost at my ears.
Kate flashes me a fake smile and rushes off, clearly stressed. I don’t know why anyone would volunteer to run the PTA spring party.
I learned that the hard way, after I ran it last year when my son, Jack, was in kindergarten. It rained, volunteers went AWOL, barely anyone came and we hardly made an
y money despite the weeks I spent working on it.
The worst part was that other parents complained about the job I did, and that it was my fault the party didn’t make money. Yes, I caused the rain.
I might’ve lost my temper at the next PTA meeting. It’s possible I yelled at the top of my lungs that I would never do any PTA stuff again during that meeting, and then I stormed out in tears.
Yet here I am, helping out again.
By myself, apparently. This Hunter mother has yet to show, and the party just started.
Squeals get louder and louder as the party fills up with children. Naturally this year is a beautiful, sunny day.
In an instant, twenty kids are lined up at my table, all excited to get on the bouncy castle.
And there’s still no sign of Hunter.
I smile and take the money as fast as I can.
“Mom!” Jack exclaims, pushing his money at me. His sandy brown hair is disheveled, and I try to smooth it with my fingers.
“Hi, sweetie, are you having fun?”
“This is the best spring party ever!”
“Better than the one I organized?”
He quirks an eyebrow at me and shrugs. “It’s sunny.”
“Yes, you’re right. Now go to the bouncy castle lineup, there are lots of people behind you waiting to pay.” And no sign of Hunter to help me.
Jack and his friend Mason move across to wait their turn. I frown, wishing he would play more with my friend Kate son’s Tyler. Tyler’s such a sweet boy. Especially compared to Mason.
I continue taking money and directing kids to the lineup.
“Sorry I’m late,” a man’s deep voice says.
I look up from what I’m doing. A man is standing beside my chair. He’s tall, and my chair is so low to the ground that he seems like a giant standing next to me. The sun is on his back, creating a glow around his body.
His muscles pull his T-shirt taut across his chest, and his bare arms are thick. I drag my eyes up his body, squinting from the sun.
He’s smiling, and it beams brighter than the sun. His light brown hair is somehow perfectly coiffed but also effortless looking.
This is Hunter?
His bright blue eyes wander over me, and heat pools between my legs.
Without a doubt he’s the best looking person who has ever graced a PTA event. In fact, I’d say he’s easily the best looking man I’ve ever seen in the flesh.
My earlier anger and frustration of him being late vanishes into thin air.
All I can do is look at him.
“What do I have to do?” he asks. His voice is rich, and mesmerizing.
I swallow hard to clear the lump in my throat, but I still can’t form words. As I clear my throat again, I point to the little chair beside me.
As soon as I gestured to it, I wonder how Hunter can sit on it. I feel like a giant sitting here, and he’s easily twice my size.
He furrows his brow, and shrugs.
Still unable to speak, I watch wide-eyed as he moves behind the little table, before sitting on the baby chair.
Miraculously, the chair legs don’t collapse.
He tries to get closer to the table, which causes our legs to touch. A thousand bolts of electricity blasts through me at the contact. Hunter adjusts his leg so that we are no longer touching, and it takes all my willpower not to move my leg back against his.
There’s only an inch between us, close enough for me to be in his electric field.
“I want to go on the bouncy castle!” a boy cries, snapping me back to my task.
Somehow, I’d forgotten all about the children, the bouncy castle and the PTA.
“Here you go,” I say, exchanging his money for the token.
“That’s all we do?” Hunter asks.
“Yep. This is the easy stall,” I say, glancing over at him.
Our eyes connect, sending fresh current of electricity through my body.
“That’s good, I’m glad it wasn’t too bad for you to be here by yourself.”
“Attention everyone, the magic show is about to begin,” Kate’s voice booms out over the loudspeaker. Children squeal and cheer, and run en masse to watch the show.
Suddenly the lineup is gone, and there isn’t a child in sight.
It’s just Hunter and me, alone, in a tucked-away corner of the playground.
“Are you new at the school? I don’t remember seeing you before. By the way, I’m Penny.”
“Yeah, my son just started a couple of weeks ago. He’s in grade one.”
“I have a son in first grade,” I say, when what I really want to ask is if he’s married. Not that I’d ever have a chance with a god like him.
“Cool, we should set up a playdate with them. My son’s having a hard time fitting in. He’s made a couple of friends, but this one kid has been bullying him.”
“That’s terrible. We’ll definitely have to have a playdate,” I pause before adding “Does your wife arrange them?”
Hunter shakes his head slowly. “No, she died when Harry was a baby.”
My face falls. As much as hearing he’s single excites me, it’s so sad to hear about a child without a mother.
“Sorry,” I say.
Hunter presses his lips tight together, and shrugs.
“Harry didn’t want to come today, because of the bully. That’s why I was late. I had to convince him to come, and reassure him that he’d have fun. I don’t want him to miss out on things because of a bully.”
“You should report the bully to the school.”
“That’s my next step, Penny. I was hoping it was just a one-week pick-on-the-new-kid issue, but this is the end of the second week.”
“Well, if there’s anything I can do, let me know.”
“Do you know all the kids in first grade? Maybe you know if the bully has a history of this sort of thing.”
“Maybe. Who is it?” I ask.
“His name is Jack,” Hunter says, spitting out the name.
My eyes flare. There is only one Jack in first grade, and he’s my son.
Hunter
“Jack? But—” Penny says, furrowing her brow.
“Here’s my money, sir,” a little girl says, shoving her fist in my face.
The magic show must be finished. Suddenly a dozen kids are in front of us, demanding tokens for the bouncy castle.
Penny and I resume taking cash and handing out tokens. The whole time all I can think about are those full lips wrapped around my cock.
I had no idea there was such a beautiful mother at school. And she’s single.
This town is looking better by the minute.
After my wife died, I didn’t date anyone seriously. Only some meaningless bar pickups. Is it acceptable to hook up with another parent at your child’s school?
I let my leg move back against Penny’s. She doesn’t move away, so I leave it there and let the contact fill me with heat.
There’s another lull in the line of children.
With nothing else to do, all I can think about is taking Penny into the bouncy castle and giving her the ride of her life.
Another hour passes, and Penny and I chat easily in the lulls. She’s funny and smart, and the more I talk to her, the sexier and more irresistible she becomes.
She still hasn’t moved her leg, and neither have I.
What’s the protocol on this? Is it okay to pick someone up at a PTA event?
“Only five minutes left, five minutes everyone! Then we will be drawing the raffle. If you haven’t got your tickets yet, get them now,” Kate’s voice shouts into the PA system.
Kate is the only other person I really know at the school so far. I guess as head of the PTA, her job is to welcome new parents. Or else, sucker new parents into helping at PTA events.
The party seems to be thinning out, I guess parents are bored of the event and can wait until Monday to find out if their child has won a prize in the raffle.
“You know, I have to run. And
find my son because—” Penny says, her rambling voice halting between words.
She still hasn’t moved her leg away from mine.
“No problem,” I say, rubbing my hand on her knee. Her skin is soft, and I struggle to keep my dick in check.
“So, I’ll see you around?” she says, not moving.
“Are you busy tonight?” I ask, not sure when else I’ll get a chance to ask her out.
She pauses, lost in thought, before saying, “I’ll have to sort out childcare.”
“Don’t worry, I have a live-in nanny, just bring your son over for a playdate.”
Penny’s face turns white.
“Actually, I just remembered, my son has a sleepover tonight so it’s fine. But thank you. For both offers.”
“So I’ll pick you up at eight?” I ask, leaning towards her.
She smells like flowers and sweetness, and I close my eyes to savor the scent.
It’s been too long since I’ve had a woman like her in my arms. Not since my wife was killed in the car accident.
Penny’s breath grows slow and heavy at my nearness. She raises her eyes to mine, and I capture them in my gaze. I hold on to them, both enjoying the way it’s making her squirm and demanding an answer.
“Sounds good,” she says, her lips forming a perfect O.
I resist the urge to crush my mouth against them. Instead, I hold my lips inches from hers while holding her eyes in mine.
For several moments, the world vanishes and all that exists is the electric chemistry between Penny and me.
“Dad! Dad! Look what I won!” Harry shouts, breaking the spell.
“Wow, let me see,” I say, bolting upright.
“It’s a giant bag of candy!”
“I have to go, I am late,” Penny says, standing.
I glance up at her and smiled. “See you at eight.”
She hurries away, and I return my attention to Harry. I’m relieved he had such a good time.
***
I turn up the temperature of the water to as hot as I can bear. The shower was ice cold, but that wasn’t enough to get Penny out of my veins.
All afternoon and early evening I played with Harry, and helped him eat his giant bag of candy. But the whole time, I was thinking about Penny. She will not get out of my head.