“Oh! Oh. Thank you. I’m sorry. I’m not sure, actually. This is the first year she’s played in the orchestra, and she has a student violin. Does that make any difference?”
“Yes, it does. She needs the sturdier strings that stand up to what she’s learning. They sound just as good, but they’re stronger and they’ll last you longer than the regular strings would. If you’d like, I can change them for you, but there would be a service charge for that.”
“How much?”
“$35. You can watch while I do it so you know how to do it next time. Your daughter should watch as well, because, if she sticks with this instrument, she’ll become responsible for changing the strings. I’ll also tune them, and that’s part of the fee.”
“That’s worth it. Yes, go ahead and I’ll pay for both the strings and changing them,” said the mother.
Hailey took the strings the mother and child selected and took the violin to the back workshop, where she removed the old strings and replaced them with the new ones. Tapping a tuning fork on the table, she began tuning the strings. When she was satisfied that the strings were tuned properly, she took the violin out, wiping it down with a polishing cloth.
“Sweetie, what’s your name?” Hailey asked.
“Deborah.”
“Okay, Deborah. It’s real important for you to clean your violin every time you play it. The rosin becomes a powder which sticks to the surface and, if it’s left on, it’ll damage the surface. Mom, would you like to buy a polishing cloth like this one? Your daughter can stash it in the case and, when she’s done, just gently run it over the surface and clean the dust off.”
Oh, my God, I didn’t know that! I’ve seen all the kids with rosin dust on their violins. Yes. We paid some good money for that violin, and we plan to exchange it for a larger size as Deborah grows,” said the mother.
“Okay, here you go. It’s a pretty reasonable investment.”
“Do you give lessons?”
“On the violin? Yes, on most stringed instruments, I do,” said Hailey.
“I’d like for her to get some additional instruction if you have room in your schedule.”
“Hold on while I get my calendar. and I’ll see what I have a slot,” said Hailey. Coming back with her planner, she checked the days of the week. “Okay, I have Wednesdays right after school and Saturdays at 1 p.m. I can fit you in every week, whichever day works out the best for you.”
“Saturday afternoons would be much easier. I work – at the administration office.”
Hailey chose to ignore the reference to Grace’s place of employment. “Okay, then, Deborah, what’s your last name?”
“Rudd. What will you teach me?”
“The basics. I’ll test you to see where you are, then we’ll set up our lessons from there,” said Hailey as she wrote Deborah’s name in. “Here’s my card, and you can call me here if you can’t make a lesson.”
“Thank you – how much per lesson?”
“$35 per half hour and $50 for one hour. I’ll start Deborah with a half hour until she gets more advanced, and then we’ll move up to one hour.”
“Okay, thanks! That works. We’ll see you next weekend at one!” Mrs. Rudd and Deborah left the store.
At the end of the day, Hailey went back home after calling Liam. She mentally went through the contents of her cabinets and refrigerator, trying to plan dinner.
“Heck, I’ll see what I’ve got when I get home. I’m tired,” Hailey said.
At the house, she found the makings for dinner. As she was beginning to open a package of meat, Liam called.
“Don’t cook. I’m in the mood for some Mexican or Oriental food. I’ll be there in just a few minutes and we can decide,” said Liam.
“That sounds good! Oriental sounds really tempting,” said Hailey.
Liam rang the bell and knocked at the door. Hailey opened the door and, as Liam walked in, he took her around the waist and kissed her soundly.
“Before we go, let’s talk about something,” Liam said.
Hailey, taken by surprise, widened her eyes. “Is there something wrong?”
“Nope. It’s all very right, actually. Remember I was talking about us moving in with each other?”
Hailey sat very still, hoping Liam was serious. “Yes, I do.”
“When is your lease up here?”
“About . . . three months. Let me check the paperwork.” Hailey bounced up from the sofa and opened a filing cabinet. Pulling her copy of her lease out, she checked it. “Yes, about three months.”
“Okay, then. Tell me what you think of this. You stay here through the end of your lease. Put in your 30-day notice and move your things into my house, with me. Meantime, we’ll spend the nights with each other. I’m lonely without you at night and I love sleeping next to you . . . aside from other activities,” Liam said in a low, throaty voice.
Hailey’s heart was pounding double-time. She wanted to say yes, but she also wanted to make sure she was making the right decision.
“I like this, and I want to say yes, but I need a few days to think. I want to make sure this is right for me . . . for us,” she said.
Liam smiled gently. That’s a good idea. I’ll give you some time . . . how much do you think you need?”
“About a week. I just want to make sure that living together is a good natural progression for us,” she said.
“That’s fine. Now, dinner. Oriental?”
“Yes! I’m craving some tempura!”
“No sushi!”
“Ewww! No, thank you!” Hailey said with a shudder.
Liam laughed. “Okay, then, let’s go eat. I’ll enjoy the sushi for you.”
After dinner, Hailey asked if they could go to Winrock Mall. “I need to buy some new shoes for work.”
“Ahh. Okay.” After they bought the shoes, they strolled around the mall until just before closing time. Driving to Hailey’s condo, she felt sleepy. Inside, they were cuddling on the sofa when she fell asleep. She woke in her bed, snuggled next to Liam. She snuggled more closely against him, causing him to murmur in his sleep, “Hailey . . .”
In the morning, Hailey woke and stretched, feeling Liam stretched out next to her. She smiled sleepily, rolled over and went back to sleep. When she woke up again, she felt Liam’s hands roaming over her body and waking her desire. Stretching, her hand brushed against his rock-hard erection. She felt her core heating up. Moisture leaked out of her pussy as Liam massaged her clit. Allowing her legs to fall open, she moaned softly as her hand went around his stiff shaft.
Liam reached over to the night stand and grabbed a condom. Ripping the foil packet open, he took the condom out and rolled it onto his erect shaft. Moving over her, she nudged her legs apart and butted his shaft against her opening.
Hailey, feeling his shaft nudging against her, began moving her hips, inviting him inside her. As he filled her, she exhaled at the stretching sensation and moved her hips gently back and forth. Liam groaned, moving his hips in concert with hers. He raised his torso from hers and raised her legs, putting them on his shoulders.
Hailey felt the new contact keenly as the head of his thick shaft rubbed against her sweet spot. Her arousal became stronger as they moved with each other, and she felt the beginnings of her orgasm. Her eyes opened and she looked into Liam’s intense blue eyes. Her lips rounded as she felt her climax beginning to build. The ripples began, slowly at first, then, as they built in intensity, they became faster.
Liam felt the contractions within her pussy, bringing him closer to his own climax. A low, anticipatory growl came from his throat as he felt his climax break over him in a huge wave.
Hailey gasped as her climax took her over, sweeping her away on an ocean of sensation.
Several minutes later, the couple roused, looking at each other. Liam went to the bathroom and cleaned up, then came back to bed, where he cuddled with Hailey for a while longer.
***
Liam awoke to feel Hailey cuddled a
gainst him. Stretching, he gazed at her for several minutes and looked at the alarm clock. Seeing that it was nearly eight in the morning, he decided to make breakfast for the two of them. Besides, he wanted to think more about their plans to move in together. Throwing the covers back, he covered Hailey’s sleeping form before he got dressed. As he made their breakfast, he mulled over their plans – their progression to the next level felt right. It felt . . . natural, as if moving to the next step cemented their feelings for each other. Liam’s hands paused as he mixed the eggs and milk for their omelets. I’m in love with this wonderful woman. She’s who I’ve been seeking and I can see myself growing older with her, making beautiful, little Hailey-babies or Liam-babies with her. At that thought, Liam smiled.
Hailey had smelled the coffee brewing. The scent made her stretch and sit up in the rumpled bed. On a long inhalation, she got out of bed and slipped into her pajamas and a warm robe – it was cold! Liam apparently didn’t feel it as much as she did. She made the bed, brushed her teeth and untangled her long, dark hair. In the kitchen, she saw Liam smile softly.
“Hey, what’s with the smile, sweet one? You look very happy this morning,” she said.
“C’mere, gorgeous. I was just thinking of how our moving to the next step feels so right. When the time is right, I can see us having little Liam-babies or Hailey-babies, you know?”
Hailey walked to Liam and slipped her arms around his middle. “Really? The thought of children doesn’t . . . scare you?”
“No! Oh, no! I’ve always wanted children when the time was right. I’m 28, and ready to move to the next phase of my life with you.”
Hailey looked at him. Is he saying he’s in love with me? Because I definitely see myself spending the rest of my life with him – as long as Grace doesn’t butt her big ass into where she has no business. “You know, I’m ready for that, too. But, there’s one big – very big – issue. My eternally jealous sister.”
“Ah, Grace. I’m glad you brought her up . . . would you get me the onions and ham, please? I’d like to add them to the eggs. We definitely need to let her know that she’s not going to mess with us. If she tries, she’ll be dealing with my lawyer. What worries me is that my boss and Grace know each other. I think I’m going to have to have a talk with Tom at some point and make it clear to him that I’m going to talk to the district superintendent if he tries to help Grace interfere with us.” As he spoke, he worked with the omelet and pulled the grated cheese closer to the stove.
“Yeah. You’ve obviously seen how destructive she can be. I mean, she ruined my ex-boyfriend’s life simply because she wanted to take him away from me. She didn’t care about what her actions did to him – she just did what she wanted to do, then when she knew he’d been forced to register as a sex offender, it was like, “Oh. Oh, well, them’s the breaks.”
“God! That’s fuckin’ scary. What are you going to do? What do you plan to say to her?”
“Just that, because of her history of jealousy, taking things and people away from me, destroying my belongings and ruining Bobby’s life, she’s no longer my sister. Regardless of the blood flowing through our veins, she’s effectively destroyed the sister relationship and bond we used to have. I think it’s also necessary for me to talk to our mom and dad and let them know that she tried to pull the same thing with you that she pulled with Bobby. She won’t want me to do that, but – it’s time they knew. They’ve – we’ve been worried about her and her inability to accept that, when someone achieves a goal or obtains something nice, it’s because they’ve worked for it. She just wants things, opportunities and people to fall in her lap with no effort on her part. She’s done well professionally, but that took a lot of yelling and promises from mom and dad that, if she didn’t get some professional education under her belt, they’d remove her from their wills.”
“Hailey, . . . she’s your sister, so I hope what I’m about to say won’t hurt or offend you. It sounds to me as though she has some type of entitlement complex . . . or that she has some personality or adjustment disorder. By not even caring that she destroyed a boy’s life and marked him forever . . . is telling,” said Liam, looking carefully at Hailey.
“You’re not saying anything that we haven’t already thought of, Liam. It doesn’t hurt me to hear you say that . . . It hurts me that I believe you’re right, and that, until she gets some form of therapy, she’s going to continue to do the same things when she doesn’t get her way.”
“I don’t want to ruin today by talking about her and her issues. It’s clear you know what may be going on with her. Go ahead and talk to her. Say what needs to be said, but make it crystal-clear that, if she tries to interfere again, you will take serious, strong action against her. And yes, tell your folks what she pulled . . . I hope you’re hungry.”
Hailey pulled her mind from the looming confrontation with Grace. Looking at the steaming, fluffy omelets, her mouth watered. “I’m starving! After all our . . . exertion of the past couple days, I need food!” Hailey took two coffee cups from the cabinet and poured coffee. Removing creamer from the refrigerator, she pulled the sugar bowl closer. After they ate, they cleaned the kitchen, made the bed, showered, dressed and went to church. Coming back to Hailey’s, they made a light lunch, then lounged around her apartment, talking about their plans to move in. Before Liam left in the early evening, he took Hailey’s chin between his thumb and forefinger. Kissing her deeply, he said, “Talk to her when the time is right. Call me before, if you need moral support. If you like, I can be there with you . . .”
Hailey thought for a few seconds. “No, I’d better do this alone. Thanks, though.”
Chapter 4
Hailey drove to her sister’s small apartment, located near the UNM campus. Sitting in her car, she exhaled nervously, then gathered her resolve. She knocked at her sister’s door and waited.
“Hailey! I’m glad . . .”
Hailey had raised her hand to stop Grace’s enthusiastic greeting. She shook her head, confusing Grace.
“Hold it. I just wanted to tell you how it’s going to be from now on. You tried to take Liam from me the other night. It didn’t work. We’re still together, stronger than ever. Everything you’ve ever tried to do to take things, privileges, friends and boyfriends away has chipped away at our relationship. You destroyed my makeup; got Bobby labeled as a sex offender, and you didn’t even care; tried to sleep with Liam just to take him away from me. From today on, Grace, the only relationship we have is a blood relationship. You’ve destroyed everything else. The only time we’ll be communicating is at family events – holidays, birthdays and reunions. Other than that, don’t expect sisterly relations. They won’t be happening. You’re no longer my sister.
“And another thing – I spoke to mom and dad already and told them what you tried to pull last week. They already know, so you can’t get out of it. Grace, you have a problem. You need help. The only way we can have any hope of repairing our relationship is if you see a therapist and start to get used to the idea that you’re not always going to get what you want. Until then . . . nope. I won’t apologize for that, because it’s your actions that destroyed our relationship. All I can do is to take steps to protect myself and those I love.” After she finished speaking, Hailey turned and left.
Grace stood at her door, looking at the retreating form of her sister. She was . . . stunned that she had taken the steps that she had. Angry. Then she remembered that Hailey had told their parents about her attempted seduction of Liam. Closing the door, she dimly knew that she had just run out of options. She grew angrier. Fine. If she doesn’t want me as a sister . . . FINE!
Once Hailey had broken off her relationship with Grace, she felt free to begin moving ahead on her plans to move into Liam’s larger house. She began packing and moving items into the large storage shed in his backyard. They had decided that the furniture would be the last items to be moved into his house or into the storage shed. Hailey knew that she and Liam would be spend
ing Christmas together, even though she would still be living out the remaining lease on her condo. It’ll be a fresh, clean start for the new year. I’ll be moving in with Liam shortly after the New Year begins, and I’m ready!
Hailey and Liam began spending every night together, either at his house or her apartment. Bit by bit, some of her personal items found their way to his house and they began to deepen their relationship. True to her promise to Grace, other than family get-togethers, there was no communication. The Wilson family invited Liam to spend Thanksgiving at their house. He and Hailey prepared some dishes for the family meal. Hailey spoke coolly to Grace when she needed to say something. Other than that, she spoke to Liam, her parents and the other family members who had been invited to the day’s dinner.
Grace, seeing just how Hailey’s decision was playing out, was gobsmacked. Formerly outspoken and loudly opinionated at family events, she hung on the edges of groups and spoke little. She looked angry and sad by turns as she tried to think of a way to return the balance of power to what it had formerly been. Grace’s father crooked his finger at her and motioned with his head to the back of the house. Grace sighed loudly and followed him.
“What, dad?”
“Sit down. Hailey told us what you pulled, and I’ve seen you getting angrier and angrier as the day goes on. Our family will be here through Sunday afternoon and we will not stand for a blowup or any of your manipulations. We stand with Hailey – we did what we had to do after you had sex with Bobby. We understand – now – that you seduced him, but, because you were under the age of consent, we had no choice but to report what he had done. You attempted the same sleazy stunt with Liam. Hailey and Liam are doing everything they can to protect themselves and their relationship. We support them in their efforts and in their relationship. They met and got together and you have no right to covet him or try to take him away from her. You are to start getting things on your own, through your own honest efforts, not by stealing them. You’re an adult, so we can’t force this on you – but we want you to seek a therapist and start working on your attitude that you deserve everything regardless of whether you’ve worked for it or not. We should have done this long ago – if so, you’d be happier and have a relationship with Hailey. Think about that.” Grace’s father left her sitting on the armchair in the bedroom, stunned.
In Love With My Lover (Lunchtime Love Stories - Erotica) Page 3