by Cathy Johns
“We take life for granted and the people around us, but we never stop to think that there’s a child or someone out there who’s all alone in this world with no one to turn to, no one to shield them from this cruel world or the danger that surrounds them, and now I feel helpless because I don’t know how to help her.”
I place my hand on my mouth, tears burning my eyes as Molly pulls me to her embrace, my head pressing on her chest and the flood gates give way to the waterfall that shreds me into pieces, as I think of Kelly and all the other children out there. I cry my heart out until I feel another set of arms pulling me up and my face is against a hard chest, Taylor rubs me on the back leading us towards the back of the bus where no one can see us, and I’m sandwiched between him and the bus.
“Hey,” he murmurs as I fight the tears so I can face him. “Let it all out” and I do. I let it all out, clinging to his shirt, one hand pressing me against his chest while the other continues rubbing my back until I calm down.
When I finally calm down, I look up and meet his eyes as he softly wipes my tears with his handkerchief, concern written all over his face and I try to smile. This man… how can he be like this? He makes it so easy for me to like and forgive him. He makes it so easy for me to fall for him.
“She’ll be alright baby.” He assures me and I nod my head because I’m afraid if I open my mouth to talk I’ll just cry again. I press my cheek against his chest, my ear pressed on top of his heart and I listen to his heartbeat, that’s enough to calm me down and make me hopeful. I know he’ll never let anything happen to Kelly.
“She’s only five.” I murmur.
“I know baby. I know.” He whispers, tugging on my hair lightly.
“Can’t we just take her with us?” I find myself asking.
I know it’s not easy but how can someone find the peace and comfort at night when they go to bed at the end of the day with a tiny human being sleeping on the streets? I know my life will never be the same again after this day.
“Would you like that?” Taylor asks the minute he pulls me from his chest and cups my head between his hands, his eyes searching mine.
“Very much.”
“One step at a time baby. One step at a time.” He whispers wrapping me in his loving arms and squeezing me tightly like I might slip away.
We stand there for what feels like hours, his scent calming me as I get lost in the rhythm his heart is beating beneath my ear, his breathing reminding me why I shouldn’t take anything for granted and to not ask why but instead ask what’s next after this, after today.
Taylor
I didn’t know how emotional she’d get but when I saw her crying, it had me excusing myself from the men I was talking to and headed towards her, pulling her against my chest. She had her head pinned against Molly’s chest. I knew something was wrong and had to get her away from Kelly before she noticed something was wrong as I lead us behind the bus.
Now, holding her like this all wrapped in my arms we head back to my office so I can pick up my car, it only makes it hard for me to let her go home tonight. I need her with me, as broken as she is.
The quietness that surrounds us in the bus is deafening, something we all end up doing after such an activity. We leave behind the people we mingled with and walk with broken hearts that will take a while to mend. I wanted Hope to see my world and now I’m wishing I didn’t.
Once we get back to my office, I pull myself up from my seat and help her on her feet as I bend to pick the bag that has our shoes since we didn’t manage to change back from our boots. We follow the others from the bus, once outside, we say our goodbyes to the rest as Molly hugs her friend.
She already knows Hope won’t be working at the club anymore. I know I’ll need to convince Hope to come work for me even when I’m not sure if she’ll accept what I have in mind, seeing her with Kelly made me want to reach out more to kids on the streets. I just hope she’ll want to do this with me.
We head to my car as I remotely unlock it, opening the passenger door, I help her in and hunker down so I can remove her boots since they are muddy and put her sneakers back on. I buckle her up as I shut the passenger door and opening the back door so I can place her boots on the floor mat. I remove my boots and have my shoes back on placing my boots next to hers. Shutting the door, I round to the driver’s side and that’s when I hear someone calling out my name before I can open the door. I turn around and see Leo and Cecilia walking towards me.
“Is she okay brother?” Leo asks and I turn to look at Hope through the windscreen. I know she’s exhausted and emotionally, she’s a wreck.
“I just want to get her home, I think the whole thing was too much for her to take in.” I say once I turn towards Leo.
“I know” Leo agrees, hugging me tightly before taking Cecilia’s hand and squeezing it.
“Thank you,” I tell them both.
“Anything for you.” She says before turning her eyes to Hope. “Can I talk to her for a sec?” she asks and I nod my head. She rounds to the passenger’s side and opens the door. I see her lean in, whispering something to Hope and I see Hope nod her head as she turns to look at me through the windscreen before the two women hug each other. Cecilia shuts the passenger door coming to join us, I mouth ‘thank you’ to her.
I don’t know what the two women were talking about but whatever it is has Hope relaxing and Cecilia looking calmer than she was a minute earlier.
“Good night” Leo says, wrapping an arm around my PA’s shoulder. I knew something was going on between those two, and seeing Leo so open in his action means something serious is definitely going on between them.
I don’t ponder on it anymore since I have someone to worry about and take home. I get into the car and buckle up closing the door, starting the engine.
“Can we go to your place?” Hope whispers and I turn to look at her. Stretching my hand, I cup her cheek and rub my thumb against her soft skin.
“Anything you want baby.” I murmur. I drive out of my office premises and start heading home which takes us twenty minutes.
Our drive home is quiet but when I park outside my house, I see her smile from my peripheral making me smile too. I get out of the car and round to her side shutting the door behind me. I open her door, unbuckle her belt and help her out.
“Thank you” she says as she walks past me so I can close the door as she links our fingers together. I look down at where we’re joined and smile. It all feels perfect and natural, like something we’ve been doing all our lives. How can something feel so good in such a short time? She feels perfect being this close to me, her fingers linked with mine.
“I should be the one thanking you, baby.” I lean in and brush my lips against hers as a soft moan escapes her mouth. She wasn’t expecting that.
Her lips are soft and I want to kiss her again but I want to do that once I get her inside. I walk us towards my home and open the door for her. Ushering her inside, I follow closing the door behind me and securing it.
“You want anything to drink?” I ask, and I see her shake her head.
“Just want to take a shower.” She says bending down and starts untying her shoe laces, I watch her fighting the dirty thoughts that are clouding my head. I would like to take her in such a position but we are yet to get there. Soon. I tell myself. “Would you like to join me?” Uh! I look at her in shock searching for something that is not there. Is she serious or pulling my leg?
“Are you sure you want me joining you?” she doesn’t answer, just walks towards me and grasps my hand in hers and walks us up the stairs, across the hallway and straight to my room where she starts stripping her clothes and I follow suit, trying to catch up with her before leading us towards the bathroom and straight to the shower cubicle but she halts her steps midway. She’s scratches her chin as if trying to choose between the shower and the tub but makes up her mind when she walks back, turns the faucet on and starts filling the tub with hot water. I watch her add the bubble gel i
n the water and grab a washcloth from the towel rack.
“I believe after a day like today we both need this” she says, not looking at me from where I’m standing, leaning beside the sink.
I still have my boxers on while she’s fully naked before me, and that does things to me that I can’t seem to control as my dick threatens to prod the material so it can be set free. She turns the faucet off and that’s when she looks up to meet my gaze before trailing her eye down my body but they don’t reach where I want them to reach because she moves them up so fast and smirks at me.
“Are you going to join me or just stand there looking all hot as sin, gawking at me?” she asks, dipping one leg in the tub then the other one as she sits down moving in front, creating space for me behind her and moans. “That feels so good.” She says closing her eyes and tilting her head back.
I shimmy down my boxers stepping out of them as I join her in the tub and pull her against my chest. Taking the washcloth I start cleaning her, squeezing and massaging her shoulders, after a long day like today, I know this comes in handy and it’s my duty to grant her that. To make her feel relaxed.
We stay in the tub, my hands tracing her shoulders along with her neck where I trail my tongue, tasting her as she relaxes next to my chest. I push her curly hair to the side and nip on the exposed skin before tugging on her earlobe. She whimpers when I trail my hands to her front, cupping her breasts, feeling the weight in my hands. I finish cleaning us and pull myself out of the tub grabbing two towels from the rack. I wrap one around my waist. Getting the other one for her, I turn around and find her standing next to the tub and I almost swallow my tongue. She is beautiful, and all mine. Mine. I walk towards her and wrap the towel around her beautiful body.
We both dry ourselves as I walk into my walk-in closet. I grab a pair of briefs as she grabs one of my white shirts. What’s with her and my shirts though they look good on her! She drops the towel that’s wrapped around her body and I notice she’s wearing one of those strings she calls a panty but not the one I had placed on the bed this morning for her to wear.
“What’s with you and my shirts?” I tease watching her button the shirt up.
“They smell like you and if you haven’t noticed, there’s nothing girlish for me to wear around here.” She chuckles leaving me standing in the closet as she sways her hips and walks away only to hear the bedroom door open and closing and I know she has left the room. I follow her and see her heading towards the kitchen once I reach the last step. She opens the fridge, ransacking things. The view from where she’s bending in the fridge exposes her ass to me, the string covering her pussy and I swear I want to pound on her like a gorilla.
“I want to fix us something to eat.” She says the minute she looks up to me and I nod my head since I can’t bring myself to talk especially with my dick pressing hard on my briefs like it’s about to explode. I palm my dick trying to calm it down, trying not to think about the woman standing across the room as I pull a stool beside the kitchen island but it’s next to impossible. It’s like lying to your mind that you don’t want to sleep but your eyes betray you instead.
I watch her whisk some eggs in a glass bowl, placing the pan on the gas, then she places lettuce, tomatoes, onion and bread on the chopping board. Egg sandwich. Nice. Trying to distract myself, I stand from my seat and head to the minibar to pour us two glasses of wine.
I carry them to the island and place hers next to mine. For the next five minutes, I watch her finish cooking and placing a plate in front of me as she takes the seat next to me.
“Do you ever bring women here?” she asks and I almost choke on the sandwich.
“No.”
“Good” she says before taking a bite from her sandwich, licking the sauce that is dripping on her fingers and within minutes she’s done and waits for me to finish with my plate. When I’m done, she gets up from her seat and takes the empty plates with her to the sink and starts rinsing them.
“Hope,” I start to say waiting for her to look at me and when she does I continue. “I love the way you walk around my house bare feet, half naked, wearing my shirt and that piece of string you call a panty leaving nothing to the imagination.” I inhale standing up from my seat and walking towards her, gauging her reaction. I know she’s still mad at me even when I can’t see it in her eyes and because she hasn’t told me that she has forgiven me, I assume there is a part of her that wants to yell at me for last night.
I know she would be working tonight if I didn’t take matters into my hands, and that’s another pending matter that we need to sit down and discuss before things get out of control. I cage her in by placing my hands on either side of the counter as I lean in, inches away from her lips. I want to kiss her but first things first, I want to make things right even when I can’t seem to concentrate on what I want to talk to her about. I reach for her face with one hand and gaze at her. “You make my blood rush to one particular place and I want to bend you over, pound on you like a mad man and fuck you on every piece of furniture that I own, but…” I let my words trail as I cup her face with both my hands, searching her eyes. “Not today. Not until you tell me that you forgive me.” I kiss her forehead and pull myself away from her before I end up doing something that we’re both not ready for.
I know I’m a man, I’ve got needs but with her I’m willing to take it slow. I’ve been without a woman for almost five years now and if I can wait that long, I’m damn sure I can wait for Hope.
“Who said I haven’t forgiven you?” she asks rubbing her hip against my hard dick. I try to move away but she wraps her arms around me and pulls me closer. “I forgave you a long time ago, Mr. Smith.” The sound of my name coming out of her mouth does things to me. I lean in and brush my lips on her soft ones and I feel her shudder underneath me. I want to kiss her so badly but I want to be sure one more time before I make another move on her.
“Are you sure?” I ask even when I see the sincerity in her eyes.
“A hundred and ten percent.” She assures me.
I lean in and kiss her slow and soft, tasting her lips on mine before deepening the kiss and I lift her up placing her on the kitchen counter, where she squirms because of the cold granite and I chuckle. She spreads her legs wide and I step in between them. Everything about this kiss does a number on me as I nip and graze my teeth, sucking on her bottom lip before pulling closer to her, deepening the kiss her nails digging into my arms, her legs wrapping around my hips, caging me and I laugh.
I slowly pull away, breaking the kiss as I look into her eyes that are gazing back at mine searching as if she’s afraid I’m going to walk away.
“I’m not going anywhere, gorgeous” I promise.
A small smile tugs her face, “I know because I wouldn’t let you.” She says as I lift her up, her legs wrap around my hips and I start walking out of the room, switching off the lights along the way as I carry her up the stairs to my room depositing her on my bed.
I trail my eyes from her head to toes as she presses her legs together and I smile shaking my head. The beauty before me is enough to make me go on my knees and worship her at the same time exploding in my briefs. I take her in before leaning in and starting to unbutton my shirt that she’s wearing.
One by one they pop open until I reach the last one and spread the material wide. I have to hold my breath as a primal groan rumbles from inside me, her full, round breasts are on display with her dark nipples erect waiting for my mouth and I don’t hesitate when I lean in and swipe my tongue on one peak before sucking it into my mouth making her arch her back, pushing her nipple into my mouth.
I take the other one in my mouth before lifting myself up pulling her with me so I can remove the shirt and toss it on the floor. I reach down for her panty wrapping it in my fingers and look into her eyes as I rip the material apart making her giggle.
“Did you have to rip it off?” she asks still giggling.
“It was standing in my way,” I say, tossing the m
aterial somewhere behind my back and my gaze goes back to her, taking her body in. God, I want to make love to her, taste her, and make love to her again. But tonight, my mouth will be doing the lovemaking. I want her to see that I’m in no hurry to dip my throbbing cock inside her. I’ll take her the day she’ll tell me that she’s ready for me.
I part her legs and watch her pussy glisten as I lick my lips but that will have to wait. I’ll make her come with my mouth but I won’t touch her there. Tonight, I’m going to cherish those parts of her body that I never got to explore our first night, like her nipples that are making my mouth salivate and beg to be tasted.
I lean in and take her lips in mine as I kiss her, nipping, and she moans, writhing beneath me, brushing her peaks against my bare chest. I let her do as she pleases as I deepen the kiss, my tongue finding its way into her mouth and I massage her tongue with mine before sucking gently as she does the same to me. I pull her lower lip inside my mouth and suck lightly before moving to her neck, trailing behind her ear as she whimpers.
I leave a trail along her neck, where I bite lightly then suck leaving a mark there. Looking at the mark, I feel satisfied but I don’t linger on it because I continue trailing kisses on her chest, between her breasts before taking one hard nipple in my mouth, biting gently then soothing the ache with my tongue as I suck on it again like my life depends on it. The hard peak in my mouth tastes heavenly and I take my time alternating between sucking, swirling and tugging it between my teeth before mirroring the same to the other nipple giving it the same attention.