by Annie Young
“You're joking me, right?” she said, smiling hesitantly.
“I wouldn't joke about this,” he replied, while cutting off another bite of steak. “This just might be the best steak I've ever had.”
He popped the slice in his mouth and moaned approvingly as he swallowed it down. “My God, Lily. I'm dead serious. This is amazing.”
Her eyes lit up. “Wow. I'm glad you like it. I really tried hard on it, but wasn't sure it was going to turn out that good.”
“It's better than good,” he said. “It's absolutely, positively perfect.”
Wyatt reached over and cut up Maggie's steak for her. “Honey, you've got to try this.”
“Is it salty?” Maggie asked innocently.
“No, sweetie,” Wyatt said. “It's so good. Trust me.”
Maggie took a bite and chewed it up. Lily watched as a smile crossed her face.
“Yum!” Maggie said, then immediately popped another piece of steak in her mouth.
Lily was floored by their reaction. She had to try it for herself. She quickly cut a corner off of her steak and ate it, surprised by how delicious it was. Wyatt wasn't joking. It melted in her mouth and tasted just exactly like a nice steak should.
I can't believe I'm the one who actually cooked this, she thought. It really is good. I don't eat much steak, but this is probably the best I've eaten.
“It's actually not bad,” Lily said.
“I'm legitimately impressed right now,” Wyatt said. “I'm proud of you, Lily. You just made me the best steak of all time. Good job.”
Lily was beaming now. To hear that Wyatt was proud of her made her smile wide. She'd done it. She had made the perfect meal for the perfect man. Despite her doubts, she had managed to pull off what she once thought was impossible.
“Even Maggie likes it,” Lily said, with a smirk.
Maggie nodded eagerly, while chewing her food. Meanwhile, Wyatt was busy cutting another bite off of his steak. Lily took a slow sip from her wine and just enjoyed the view. Even though it was just a simple dinner, Lily felt accomplished because of it.
“I'm so full.” Wyatt laid his knife and fork down onto his empty plate. “I couldn't eat another bite if I tried.”
“Me either,” Lily said, patting her belly.
Maggie patted her belly, imitating Lily. “Daddy, I'm tired.”
“Did that big meal tire you out?” Wyatt asked.
Maggie nodded and then lifted her hands in the air to stretch.
“Do you want me to take her up to bed?” Lily asked, standing from her chair.
“No, that's alright,” Wyatt said. “I'll run up to bed. I wouldn't mind changing out of this suit anyway. Don't go anywhere, though. We should finish that bottle of wine before we go to sleep.”
Lily nodded. “Sounds good. I'll clean up the dishes while you're changing.”
Wyatt got up and walked around the table, picking Maggie up from her chair. She rested her head onto his shoulders. With eyes half open, she gazed at Lily and said, “Goodnight, Aunt Wiwee.”
Lily kissed her on the forehead. “Goodnight, Mags. I'll see you in the morning.”
Wyatt turned and headed upstairs, leaving Lily to herself in the kitchen. She quickly gathered the dishes and put them in the sink, then wiped down the counter top. She was filled with energy and walking on cloud nine, still riding the satisfaction of the amazing meal she had managed to produce.
I can't wait to call Mom and tell her how good that was, she thought. She'll be proud that I managed to pull it off. I'll have to fly home one of these days and cook her and Dad a nice steak.
Lily took a quick sip from her glass of wine and then headed upstairs to her bathroom. She wanted to quickly make sure she looked okay for Wyatt. This would be one of the first times ever where they would get to spend some time without Maggie around. It was exciting, because it was a chance to get to know him a little better.
She closed the door behind her and faced the mirror.
Should I change into something else, or will Wyatt think that's weird? She thought, running her hands down the side of her shirt until they landed on the upper part of her jeans. I mean, he's changing right now, too. I guess he might not find it that strange. Maybe I could put on that green dress I packed. I haven't had a chance to wear it for anything else.
Inside her suitcase, she had packed a silk dress. She hadn't worn it in years, but remembered that it was a little bit skimpy. Not enough to make her feel like a slut, but enough to make her feel sexy. The bottom of it fell just below her butt. The upper part exposed a fair amount of cleavage. It didn't leave a ton to the imagination, but it was still one of the classiest dresses she'd ever owned.
This might be a little much, she thought, holding the dress up in front of her. I'll just try it on real quick, though. Can't hurt to try it on again. It's been a while.
She slipped out of her jeans and t-shirt, then stepped into the dress. The silk felt nice against her skin as she pulled it up to her shoulders.
I almost forgot how perfectly this dress fits me, she thought, turning to the side.
The material clung to her curves as though the dress had been sewn just for her. It was definitely the nicest piece of clothing she had, and she wanted to wear it, but still wondered if Wyatt would think it was strange that she'd changed into something so formal. Especially since dinner was now over.
“Yeah, he'll wonder why I'm wearing it,” she whispered to herself.
Still, though, it does look good, she thought, as she battled herself over whether or not she should keep the dress on. I guess I could just tell him that all of my other clothes were dirty and this was the only dress I had left to wear. Yeah, that's what I'll do. When else will I have a chance to wear this? It's not like I go to any fancy events or anything.
Lily decided she'd wear the dress. Even if Wyatt did end up thinking it was odd that she'd changed into it, she had a feeling that he'd enjoy seeing her in it. She looked as sexy as ever and figured it might be nice to show herself off to him in that way.
With her decision made, she walked over to the dresser. She combed through her hair a few times, then touched up her makeup. With care, she applied some red lipstick. It was a darker shade of red than she normally wore. It was sexy, but not too obvious. With her makeup looking perfect, she pumped a few sprays of her favorite perfume over the exposed area of her chest, just above her cleavage.
Alright, she thought. Ready to go.
She noticed that her heart was fluttering rapidly behind her rib cage. It was a combination of nervousness and of excitement. It was the same way she'd felt any time in her life when she was about to go out on the first date with a man.
But this isn't a date, she thought. It's not even close. It's just Wyatt and I finishing a bottle of wine. Of course, it will just be two of us. I guess that part is a first. Still, though, it is not a date.
Lily took one last glance in the mirror, and then turned to leave her bedroom. She wasn't about to be late for her non-date.
Chapter 19
Wyatt
Wyatt loosened his tie and headed toward his closet. His belly was full with the best steak he'd ever eaten and he was still shaking his head in awe because of it.
That was so good, he thought. Lily pulled it off, just like she had promised.
He slipped out of his suit and hung it up on a hangar. Then dug through his clothes to find a polo shirt and a pair of slacks. As he got dressed, his mind was on Lily. He wasn't just thinking about the meal she'd just made, though. He was thinking about how fast the time was moving and that he only had one more night of her living with him.
I really don't want to see her go, he thought, making his way to his bathroom to comb his hair. It's been so incredible having her here.
Wyatt knew that Lily would go home at some point, but now that they only had one evening left, it suddenly felt very real. It didn't matter that she lived close and that she'd still come over to see Maggie once in a while. Having h
er actually live there was different. It made him feel so connected to her.
He combed his dark hair to the side and let out a long sigh.
“I guess it is what it is,” he whispered to himself.
Then he spun around and left the bedroom, making his way downstairs. When he turned the corner into the kitchen, he saw that Lily was standing at the counter. She was facing away from him as she filled up the wine glasses.
Holy shit, he thought, doing a double take.
He hadn't expected to come downstairs to see her all dressed up like this. His eyes moved down her back, immediately dropping to her ass. Her silky green dress just barely covered it up. It was short enough so that, if a slight breeze came through or if she bent over even the tiniest amount, it would have slid up to reveal what was underneath.
Wyatt swallowed hard and look away, only to bring his attention back to her the next second.
My God, he thought, shaking his head in awe.
The material of the dress was thin and clung tightly to her body. He could see the lines of her panties underneath it. She was wearing booty shorts, the kind that only covered up half of her butt cheeks and left the other half exposed. Wyatt didn't think that there was anything sexier on a woman than that.
His heart beat quickly, pumping blood through his body. His cock began to swell underneath the front of his slacks.
“Fuck,” he whispered, without even thinking about it.
Lily spun around. She had a glass in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. She seemed very surprised to see him standing there.
“Did you say something?” she asked.
Wyatt cleared his throat, then stepped up close to the center island so that she couldn't see his bulge in the front of his slacks.
“What? No, I didn't say anything,” he said, clearing his throat again.
She just smiled and approached the opposite side of the island, setting the glass and wine bottle down. “You still up for finishing this bottle?”
He nodded. “Yeah, of course.”
“Good,” she said, then grabbed a second glass and set it in front of Wyatt.
His eyes moved down her front, following the lines of her collar bones toward the center of her chest. The dress had a low cut and between it, her firm cleavage spilled out. He drew in a quick breath as lust surged through him.
Why did she get dressed up like this? He thought. Just to torture me?
She finished pouring his glass of wine, then pushed it across the counter toward him.
“There you go,” she said, lifting her gaze.
He pried his eyes away from her tits and brought them up to her face. “Thanks.”
“You're welcome,” she said.
She caught me looking, he thought. There is no way that she didn't notice that. I was so fucking obvious.
Even if Lily had caught Wyatt staring at her chest, though, she didn't seem to mind. In fact, Wyatt was almost positive that he saw her eyes dilate. Just a tiny bit, but enough to be noticeable.
“You're all dressed up.” Wyatt swirled the wine in his glass before taking a sip.
Lily's cheeks turned a little red. “Yeah, I just put something on. My clothes from earlier were kind of dirty after making dinner, so I wanted to change into something clean.”
Wyatt took another sip of his wine and as he set the glass down, he noticed a bit of Lily's perfume waft into his nose. The smell was intoxicating.
She put on perfume? He thought. Girls don't wear perfume unless they want to impress someone. At least, that was what I always thought anyway.
“Well, here's to what was a pretty successful week all around,” Wyatt said, holding his glass up. “You did really well, Lily. Thank you a million times over.”
Lily smiled and clinked her glass against his. “I've had so much fun this past week, Wyatt. Honestly. None of it felt like work at all. It was a straight up vacation compared to working at the coffee shop.” Her smiled suddenly faded. “I'm honestly not looking forward to going back there.”
“That reminds me,” Wyatt said, leaning forward a bit. “I need to talk to you about something.”
She lifted her gaze. “What is it?”
“It's what I brought up at dinner,” he said. “I didn't want to discuss it in front of Maggie, because I know how she gets her hopes up sometimes.”
Lily looked confused. “Now I'm really curious.”
Wyatt set his glass down onto the counter. “I wanted to chat with you about maybe working here on the weekends. I might have mentioned it before in passing, but I'm serious about it now. I've seen how good you are with Maggie and I know that you love spending time with you.”
“That sounds awesome,” Lily said, then paused. “But what about Mildred? What's she going to do?”
“Well, that's something I need to discuss with her,” Wyatt said. “I mean if she absolutely, positively wants to be here on the weekends, then it might not work out. However, I don't see her feeling that way about it. She's getting older and I think she enjoys the time off. I'm planning on chatting with her about it when she gets back tomorrow, but wanted to check with you first to see if you'd even be up for something like this.”
“I'm definitely interested.” Lily nodded eagerly. Her excitement about it was obvious. “I'd still work at the coffee shop part time, but not having to be there on weekends would so be nice. That's their busiest time.”
“Great, well I'll talk to Mildred and let you know,” he replied.
Lily's face was beaming and Wyatt knew that he had made the right decision in asking her to work for him on the weekends. It made him happy as well. It meant that their time together wouldn't be coming to a sudden end. He just hoped that Mildred would be on board with the idea.
She leaned forward a bit, bringing her elbows to the counter top. When she did, the front of her dress dropped slightly, exposing just a tiny bit more of her breasts. Wyatt's eyes dropped as soon as he noticed.
Why does she have to be so fucking hot? He thought, forcing his gaze away so that he wouldn't get caught looking again.
“Even though I might be working here over the weekends, it still kind of makes me sad that I have to go home,” Lily said, with a sigh. “I don't know why, but spending time here at your house has been good for my soul. I feel really content here. I realized that probably sounds weird, but it's just how I feel.”
“That doesn't sound weird at all,” Wyatt said. “I get it. It actually makes sense that you'd feel so comfortable here. Think about it. You've known me for over five years and you've known Maggie since, well, since she was in your belly. You're part of our family, Lily. It's just the way it is.”
“Do you think it's weird that I'm still part of the family?” she asked.
Wyatt cocked his head to the side. “Why would you even ask that?”
“I don't know,” she replied. “It's just that, over the years, people have told me that it was strange that I stayed so close to my surrogate daughter. They think it's odd that I've maintained a connection with you and Maggie.”
Wyatt laughed and shook his head. “You know what? Fuck those people.”
Lily's eyes widened in surprise. “What?”
“I mean it,” he continued. “Fuck every one of those people who say things like that to you. They don't know a thing about you, or Maggie, or me. They're just the same old nay sayers that say something can't be done, just because they are the ones who can't do it. I've run into thousands of those during my time of owning my own business. Do you have any idea how many people told me I could never make it big in the pharmaceutical industry? Way too many for me to count. But fuck every single one of them. They're all the same. They'll tell you what they think you should do, even though they'd tremble at even the though of walking a mile in your shoes.”
“Wow, I never thought of it like that,” Lily said, swirling the wine in her glass contemplatively. “I shouldn't have brought it up, but it's been on my mind.”
“I mean it,
Lily.” Wyatt sat forward and placed his hands on top of hers. “For every single person in the world who will tell you to go for something, there will be a thousand who tell you that you shouldn't bother. It doesn't surprise me too much that people have told you that it's weird you're still part of our family. That's what people do? Let me ask you this, though. Do they have any clue how happy you make Maggie?”
Lily shook her head. “Not really.”
“Exactly,” he said. “They don't know. So I think the best thing you can do is to just ignore them. Maggie and I love having you here, despite what any strangers may think about it.”
Her face relaxed once again and her smile came back. “That's kind of refreshing to think about it that way. You're right. Forget about them.”
Wyatt nodded in agreement. He meant every single word he said, too. If he'd based all of his life decisions on what people thought, there would be no way he'd be enjoying the success that he was. If he'd listened to his own parents, who said that rich people were nothing but greedy, he wouldn't be a billionaire, capable of giving millions of dollars away in charity every year. Not listening to others had given him more of an advantage in life than listening to them ever could have.
He took another swig from his wine and realized that he'd just finished the glass. The Cabernet was so good that he had a hard time just sipping it slowly.
“Is there any of that wine left?” he asked.
Lily poured the last little bit from the bottle and into his glass. “This is it.”
“Well, I for one am not ready to call it a night.” Wyatt stood up from his seat. “Let me run downstairs and grab another bottle. What do you say?”
“I'd say that sounds perfect,” she said. “I'm not tired anyway. Plus, I'm having fun just hanging out with you right now.”
“Why don't put on some music and we can hang out in the living room for a while?” Wyatt asked.
Lily nodded. “Okay! What kind of music?”
He shrugged. “Put on whatever you like. I'm open to anything.”
Then he headed down to the cellar to grab another bottle. What was originally going to just be finishing the remainder of the bottle was quickly turning into a legitimate celebration.