The Waiting Room

by Annabel Lucas

  “I guess not.”

  “I want you to understand. The relationship was always deep.”

  “Okay, always deep. Yes. I get it.” She pushed him away. “Keep your deep relationship.”

  “Shane.”

  “Ryan.”

  “Please?”

  "Please, what? You wanted me to come here to listen, but you say nothing. I am waiting." Frustrated tears filled her eyes. "Waiting for you to tell me how you love her. How she completes you."

  He shook his head, “it’s not like that.”

  "Well, what the hell is it like? I know how you are with me. I knew that within twelve hours of being inside me, you let her in, enough to seek solace in her.” There were real tears behind the anger now “In her. Go then, get deep with her, Ryan.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Confession

  H urt flashed in his eyes. "I was a kid. I had no one- a mom that worked all the time, no dad. No man in my life to show me how to be. Instead, I had Drew and Michael. They were everything to me. They took me in. And Micah, he was like a dad to me. He loved me.” He shook his head. “Loves, he loves me.” He corrected. “Growing up, I spent my summer with them. I think they really just took pity on me. I worked really hard. You know, anything to be away from home. My mom was busy and very much focused on finding a father figure for me. She had boyfriends coming through like there was a rotating door. She didn't realize while she was looking, I'd already found the family I'd been looking for. Micah fit the bill. I wanted to be like him."

  Her anger retreated with his words, and she sank to the bed beside him. "It was just that I never had much of anything, not much money, success at school, attention from the fairer sex. Michael and I connected in high school, and I just grew to be a part of their family. I was working in the vineyard, you know, actually learning the trade," His eyes lit up. "and I loved it. I was good at it." A smile crossed his lips. "Working outside all day built up my strength and confidence, and I hit a growth spurt."

  Shane felt her curiosity stir. She wanted to understand badly, and as his story unfolded, she shifted into a more comfortable position. Shane lay on her side, the robe tied securely at her waist, falling open to expose pretty legs and the curve of her lovely tits. His eyes slid over her like a caress before he mirrored her position on the bed.

  “When things got tough at home, I had a place to go, people who believed in me. Then Tess came to town the summer after Michael and I started college. I had never been particularly interested in the girls our age. They were silly and flighty. After my growth spurt, dating was always easy.”

  "So, you were always a ladies-man?”

  He laughed. "I guess." His hand had found its way to her knee, and his fingers traced lazy patterns over her kneecap as he spoke.

  “Tess is Micah’s niece. I’d always heard stories about her, but never met her. We were working, doing the hard labor. She was off learning the business of the business.”

  “All the kids go into the family business?”

  "Yeah, it's like that for them, and she was the only girl in generations of boys. She grew up like royalty. Pampered, preened, and given every luxury. She was, is a few years older than us, so she felt different.”

  Shane shifted, seeking a more comfortable spot, and his fingers found the tender skin between her legs. He was caught up in the memory while his fingers continued to trace the patterns against her thigh, just above her kneecap.

  "So, you knew her before you started college?"

  “A little. She was around but never paid attention. She was beautiful and charismatic. He paused, remembering. "Always nice, but," his voice fell away, "she started to pay attention that summer after I started college."

  Shane nodded. A murmur of understanding passed her lips. Of course, she’d notice him then. He’d grown into a younger version of this man.

  “What happened?”

  “She came out to spend the summer with Micah and the boys. Their mom had been gone a long time before then. She died when Drew and I were twelve. Tess was fresh and female in a house full of men – she was soft and full of life. They were getting along just fine but having her there made everything better somehow. She has that way." He paused. His fingers moved lazily over their chosen route- creeping up farther and down again, straying with the story. “Suddenly, they had laughter in the house again and started having family dinners. Even at twenty-two, she was a great cook. She made them happy, and I was always with them."

  Shane nodded. "Sure, I get it. So, she's great." Duh. This was not new information.

  “It was more than that. She brought the family back to be a family, and for that, they’d given her their loyalty. So, this pseudo-family I have is indebted to her. "

  Shane was nodding again. “Sure, I understand.”

  "So, you had a fling with her?"

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  “I’d never had female attention like that before.”

  Shane laughed, “Come on.”

  “Really,” he was smiling now.

  “I know you. You have a way with the ladies. They love you.”

  He lowered his voice. “I learned some of that from her.”

  Shane was quiet. “Okay.”

  “It started with little things, she’d do little things for me, and she has that ability to make people want to please her. I was not immune to that quality in her.”

  Shane rolled slightly away, onto her back, listening. The robe that knotted firmly at her waist was bunched between the crux of her thighs. He continued to speak, brushing the soft fabric out of the way so he could trace new patterns on her body.

  “We’d been flirting, maybe half the summer. It wasn’t more than that. She’d send me on errands, have me doing chores.” He shook his head with disbelief even now. “I didn’t care. I was happy to do it. I don’t know if Michael and Drew even noticed. Honestly, she had them all wrapped around her little finger; it was natural to have everyone taking care of things for her. She’d made sure things were taken care of for them; taking care of her was natural.” His eyes took on a far-away look. “I was intoxicated with her.”

  Warm fingers slid between her legs, moving over the tender skin between her upper thighs. She shifted, gently pushing her legs apart as his fingers dipped closer and closer to the bare skin under the robe.

  “We’d all have dinner on Friday night. I’d already adopted their family routine. Work hard all week; Friday was kind of a milestone. The housekeeper and cook would make a big meal, stock leftovers for us, and then take off until Sunday night. This particular night, we were all headed up to the house, when Micah called the boys away. It was a last-minute kind of thing, and he wanted them to come with him to view a new property for manufacturing the wine.

  She laughed. “The plant?” He nodded.

  “The plant. Micah felt it was important for them to be in on that deal, to walk the property, listen to the details. Tess understood that.”

  “When I got there, it was just Tess and me. It was sort of awkward at first. She didn’t want to join them to walk the property. She had been the one to encourage Micah to take the boys.”

  Shane was nodding again. “She wanted some time with you.”

  “I don’t know if that was it.”

  Shane knew. Tess wanted him to herself.

  He’d shifted now, to lie beside her, his arm crooked so he could rest his head in the palm of his hand. She could see the stubble of the day across his jawline and down his neck. She wanted to put her lips against the hollow of his jaw, to feel his blood pulse through his body, moving under his skin and bone.

  Instead, she stayed on her back beside him, belly flat under the knot of her robe. She was warmed by their nest in his bed, and the heat of his body beside her. Her robe fell away, revealing bent knees and his fingers continued to trace over her skin as he slipped into the story.

  ***

  “I got to Micah’s house lat
e in the day. The sun was just starting to set; it’s still my favorite time of the day”. His eyes turned to hers, “Shane, it was amazing. You’ll love it when we go out there. It’s a big sprawling house with more rooms than I can count.” His eyes drew away from hers, recounting the events. “It was that kind of perfect day. The heat slipped away with the setting sun, and there was a blaze of color across the sky. I had expected the whole crew to be there, but when I got there, it was just Tess and the dogs."

  Shane smiled. “Dogs?”

  “Yeah, you know, it seemed like they always have a pack of dogs running around that place. You see, it’s fairly isolated, and when the workers are gone, it gets pretty quiet. They’ve always had dogs for companionship and to help keep the vermin away. That summer, they had Rex, Tito, and Sasha. Good sized dogs. I think the trio came from a neighbor’s litter.

  Anyway, I got there, and it was just Tess and those dogs. Tess was in the kitchen, getting dinner together wearing this little cotton sundress. I remember it because it shifted easily around her legs as she moved.” His face colored with a blush as he caught her eye. “It showed off every curve under that thin fabric. She wasn’t wearing a bra, and when she turned, the sun caught her so that I could see her nipples." He paused, his eyes seeing into the past, no longer seeing Shane, even though his fingers still traveled over her body. “It was different, being there with her alone.”

  “She served up something delicious, but I couldn’t eat much. I felt nervous and jittery. She was chatty; she’s always chatty. That night, she was going on and on about the new property they were looking at, telling me all the details. I couldn’t concentrate. She understands the family business in a deeper way than the boys do. She had always been the one to soak it up. Anyway, she started pouring wine while she was talking.” He shook his head. “She got out the good stuff and between the wine and the wind-down of the day, listening to her talk, I was as good as gone.

  Any interest I’d had in her came crashing to the forefront. You know my charm never really worked on her.”

  Shane laughed. “You mean she was immune to you?”

  He smiled a smile that did not reach his eyes. Ryan looked down at her, focusing, seeing her again. “Are you immune to me?”

  She smirked as he lowered his mouth to hers, his lips warm and dry, to kiss her.

  His fingers had stopped moving. "Hmmm," She pondered playfully. "Tell your story."

  "She was magnetic. Always beautiful, but that summer, she seemed to step into herself. I was drawn to her, but there were too many lines to cross. As we talked, the space between us just fell away. Her hands moved with each of the words she spoke, and she touched me. Fingers trailing on my arm, her hands on mine, and a shift of her chair a little closer to mine, she kept pouring the wine, and I was feeling fine.”

  His hand was moving again, caressing the warm skin just beneath the fabric of the robe and moving up her thigh.

  “I’ve always been able to read women, but I can’t read her. I can’t tell what she’s thinking, only what I’m thinking. It’s like she turns a mirror on me and reflects my desire. She’s beautiful and sensual. She’s warm and welcoming, but she’s like that to everyone all the time. That’s not special treatment for me,” He looked into her eyes, imploring her to understand. “you know?”

  Shane nodded. She knew.

  “It was Micah’s house. So even though we ate and drank, maybe drank a little too much, it was still his house. I wasn’t going to pursue her.”

  “I was at the kitchen sink doing the dishes, elbow deep in soapy water. She was talking. I was buzzed, so I was being careful, focusing my attention on the plates and glasses in my hands. I didn’t realize she’d crossed the room until I looked up and saw her reflection in the window over the sink. She was behind me, and she just stood there, all gorgeous and shimmery. Her blond hair and golden eyes caught the glow of the setting sun and she seemed to glow. She caught me off guard, and I laughed, sort of. She was close now, and I could feel her breath on my shoulder, through the fabric of my t-shirt.”

  His hand moved over her hip bone to the tender flesh of her belly and caressed. Shane breathed in, trying to be still as he spoke. He was immersed in the memory. She wanted to hear what happened next and fought hard to concentrate, ignoring his fingers as they moved in slow circles, burning patterns into her skin.

  “I started to turn around, and she put her hands on my hips. She pressed into me and held me steady. I looked into her eyes through the reflection in the window and waited for her to tell me what she wanted. She didn’t speak. I could feel her breasts against my back.

  I didn’t know what she wanted me to do, so I just waited. She pressed against me again, and I could feel the curve of her hips, the flatness of her belly against my ass. She held me in place with her hands moving over my thighs and my hips, close to the head of my cock, which was hard now. I could only see her eyes, her golden eyes staring back at me from her reflection in the window. My heart was pounding. Her hands moved over my chest, belly, and under my shirt. Her fingers were cold against my skin, and she’d press into me, while she touched- this rhythmic pressure that increased my desire. I wanted to touch her so badly, but I was afraid if I turned into her, she’d stop. So, I stood there with my hands in the soapy water.

  Her fingers started to go deeper, you know, under the waistband of my jeans. She’d touch my skin, moving her fingers over my belly, deeper into my pants, without doing anything but making me harder, then her little hands were everywhere, moving over my legs and my stomach, over my ass, up, under my shirt. She trailed her fingernails over my bare skin, and when she found my nipples, she began to pinch. My heart was racing. I wanted her so bad, and she just held me captive with her eyes staring at me from her reflection.

  Then she slid her hands into the water with mine and up my arms, back into the water, and over my belly: Soapsuds trailing, water sloshing to the floor. Back into the soapy water and then over my hips, my legs were shaking as she pressed into me from behind, her body soft against mine.

  I was wet and slippery, not sure my legs would hold me. She slipped her wet soapy hand into my pants. She slipped her fingers around my cock; she began stroking me. I stood there helpless, my hands flat against the base of the sink, this soft, sexy girl working my cock in her hand, held captive by the mirror image of her eyes.

  I’d never experienced anything like it. I leaned back into her, wanting, fuck, I don’t know just wanting her. She took her time, stroking me long and steady until I was close, then she stopped, holding me back. Her fingers were like a vice. She held me with one hand while she worked over the head of my cock with her other hand, slippery and soapy, moving over my dick like belonged to her. Fuck.” He was hard now. Shane could feel him against her hip.

  “I wanted to be inside her. I wanted to take off her dress. I wanted to kiss her, and I was afraid to do anything. Instead, I did nothing. I was afraid she’d stop touching me.”

  “She was merciless, bringing me close, then she’d squeeze my balls, so hard. She held me back, leaving me twitching and moaning. She held me on the edge of the sink, my cock so teased and full of cum. She let me get close, and then, that little hand squeezed my balls as I felt her finger wet and warm between my cheeks, pressing into me. Fuck. She was holding the orgasms back and pressing into me. I was on fire. I had never even thought about that before. Her finger was circling and caressing me while her other hand squeezed my balls hard, so fucking hard, driving back the orgasm that wanted to come so bad only moments before. She watched me in the reflection, watched my pleasure and the war going on inside me, she watched my desire as she entered me with her fingertip. She watched me wanting her and surrendering to what she wanted.”

  “She slipped inside me, just enough to hold me between pain and pleasure before she wrapped her fingers around my cock and began to work me back up into a lather. Fuck. I was putty in her hands. I wanted her in and out of my ass. I couldn’t stop my hips from jerking.
I was so pent up from desire, and my head was a mess. I was begging. Please. Please. Please.”

  Shane knew the feeling.

  “Fuck. She brought me higher, took me to a new level. I don’t know how she knew how to do that, but she did. I was caught between the wanting and the waiting. You know?”

  She knew. Fuck yes, she knew.

  Ryan kissed her again, with lips and no tongue. His kiss, dry and warm, revealed no want, but she wanted him. Moisture welled up between her legs, a wanting, and waiting of her own going on as he continued his touch and his story.

  In his mind, he was standing in that kitchen all those years ago. “She pressed against me, her soft curves pressing into my back; her belly was flat against my ass as her little hands stroked me. I was watching her move through the reflection in the window. Her brown eyes were golden in the light of the sunset. She licked her lips. I remember her mouth was wet and open. I wanted to touch her so badly.”

  “She wanted me to stay still. It was the most erotic moment of my life. Jesus. It was all I could do to stand there. At some point, she unzipped my pants, and my jeans slid down to the floor. I was all muscle and strength after spending most of the summer working in the field. She turned me around so she could see me. See me. Her hands were cold, I don’t know how they were, but they were like a cold drink of water on the hottest day. I wanted a drink. I just wanted a drink.”

  Ryan licked his lips. Shane could feel the heat rising from his skin. She knew he wanted to go back to that well and wet his lips. She could feel it, his body tight beside her, his muscles taught with the memory of the wanting and waiting.

  “I willed her to touch me. She didn’t.”

  Shane swallowed and pulled her knees up to a more comfortable position. When she did, the robe fell away from her legs, the fleece belt still knotted at her waist. His fingers moved over her skin and seemed unaware of the heat that had begun to rise from her body.