by P. G. Van
“What is happening?” I said my voice shaking and added, “I have never seen tears in dad’s eyes. What did Nick do?”
We continued to look dumbfounded as my stepdad continued to speak to Nick and finally put his arms around Nick and hugged him. Nick and Srini comforted him and as my stepdad released Nick from his embrace, my stepdad looked in our direction and smiled at the three of us, his eyes filled with liquid happiness and walked towards us. I was the first one to take a step towards him and reached the balcony door as he opened the sliding door.
I glared at Nick and asked, “What did you do?”
Nick smiled and did not respond. My stepdad put his arm around me and whispered, “You have no idea how blessed you are my child,” and planted a kiss on my forehead. My stepdad turned around to look at Nick and Srini and said, “My girls are blessed to have you in their lives.”
“Dad, is everything okay?” I asked looking at him and my stepdad looked at my mom and said smiling, “Sunitha, all this while I thought the day I met you was the best day, but today is the best day of my life.”
My mom smiled and shook her head because my stepdad would constantly tell everyone that the best day of his life was the day he and my mom met. Nate and I looked at each other and sent secret eye signals indicating that we needed to get the details out of the guys at any cost.
*****
Later that night, the limo moved swiftly on the highway with Mitch at the wheel. Nate and I clung to my mom and stepdad as we rode to the airport. Nick and Srini were driving behind us in Srini’s car so Nate and I could enjoy the ride with our parents. We sat in silence trying to contain our emotions.
As usual, my stepdad broke the silence and said, “I am not really thrilled about you girls riding with so much alcohol in the car.”
Nate and I giggled and hugged him completely ignoring our mom. Nate and I tried real hard that afternoon to get more information about the conversation on the balcony and our efforts were futile. My stepdad did not entertain any questions regarding his conversation with Nick and Srini. I decided to give it one last try and asked my stepdad in the sweetest tone possible, “Daddy, what did you guys talk about this afternoon?”
My mom and Nate looked at me and then at my stepdad expecting some kind of information, but my stepdad did not fall for the daughterly love. He smiled at Nate and me, then looked at my mom and said, “Our girls are not easy. I feel for the guys.”
“Dad,” Nate and I whined in unison. My mom and stepdad laughed at our childishness and my stepdad said looking at Nate and me, “I am very happy with the men in your lives. They love you and respect you enough to keep you happy for a lifetime. What else do you need to know?”
“Okay, I give up,” Nate said throwing her hands in the air.
“It’s okay Nate,” I said looking at my stepdad and added, “Whatever they told him made dad very happy. That’s what matters now.”
“Yes, they did,” my stepdad said glowing with happiness.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Mitch, thank you so much for the ride,” I said to Mitch smiling as we got out of the limo at the San Francisco apartment that I called home. Nick and I rode in the limo after giving my parents a sendoff at the airport.
“My pleasure, Ms. Nick,” Mitch said in his ever-professional tone.
“See you on Monday, Mitch,” Nick said waving to Mitch to which Mitch responded smiling, “Nick, please take care of Ms. Nick.” Nick looked at Mitch surprised and then looked at me wondering what he meant.
“Let’s go,” I beamed at Nick taking his hand in mine. For the first time in weeks, I did not have bags filled up with my stuff. I smiled realizing that I barely had any of my stuff back at the apartment as over the past several weeks I had moved most of my stuff to my new home.
“I am so glad to be back home, Nick,” I said, and I realized that I have been continuously giggling for everything and looked at Nick who was smiling but was giving me a suspicious look.
“Nick, I am so happy. You made my dad so happy,” I said cheerfully putting my arms around him and asked, “What did you tell him that made him so happy?”
Nick laughed and asked, “Sameera, baby, how many drinks did you have in the limo?”
“Nick, that’s not what I asked you,” I whined.
Nick was quiet as we rode in the elevator and had his arm around my waist rather firmly. When we reached the apartment, he immediately took me to the dining area and sat me down at the table.
“Stay put, Sameera,” Nick said as he walked to the refrigerator and brought back a cup of Greek yogurt and a glass of water.
“I will tell you what I told him if you eat this yogurt,” he said smiling at me.
“Where is your yogurt, baby?” I asked Nick and realized that my tongue was misbehaving.
“I had enough to eat at dinner unlike someone,” Nick teased as he sat down at the table next to me. I took a few bites of the yogurt and put the cup down as the yogurt did not taste good.
“Sameera, please finish your yogurt,” Nick said in a firm tone.
“Nick, stop sounding like my mom,” I said putting my palms to my ears. Nick started laughing putting his arms around me and whispered in my ear as he pushed my hand away from my ear, “If you take two more bites, I will tell you what I told your dad today.” I forced the yogurt down my throat and washed it down my food pipe with some water.
“So, I took the two bites. You need to keep your side of the bargain,” I said looking into Nick’s eyes.
Nick looked at me smiling and said, “I told your dad what I told you a few weeks ago. I told him that I want to have three kids with you.”
“Really?” I asked with excitement and said giggling, “I want three kids too. I want a boy just like you and two girls. I want a girl like Nate and another girl just like Ann.”
Nick looked at me his face glowing and said cheerfully, “I am so glad to hear that, Sameera. I would like that too. We will definitely talk more when you are just a tiny bit more steady.”
At that point, I realized I was tipsy from the drinks I had in the limo with Nate on my almost empty stomach. I looked down at my hands feeling embarrassed about the things that came out of my mouth a few minutes ago.
“Nick, I am sorry. I think I had a bit too much to drink,” I said looking down at my hands.
Nick put his arm around me putting his finger under my chin lifting it to make me look into his eyes and said lovingly, “You don’t need to apologize for anything, Sameera. If you are going to speak your heart out, I would give you a couple of drinks every day.”
I smiled at him and said, “I want more from our relationship too, but every time I think about the future, I get a harsh reality check and it’s very scary.”
“There is nothing to be scared about, Sameera,” Nick said framing my face with his palms and added softly, “It is very evident that there was more than one connection which would have eventually brought us together. We all wish everything would be smooth, but we need to work on strengthening our relationship to withstand any obstacles and overcome the hurdles.”
“You are my strength, Nick,” I said, my eyes tearing up as I closed my eyes. He gently took me into his arms and said, “You are my strength too. I can no longer imagine my life without you.”
“Nick, what if Nate did not go to the reunion last year?” I asked my voice trembling.
Nick took a deep breath and said confidently, “It would have taken me some more time, but I would have found you. We were able to locate your grandparents and my next step was to go to India and knock on your grandparents’ door.”
“I know it’s silly, but that was my last resort,” Nick said stroking my hair.
“Nick, let’s go upstairs,” I said pulling out of his embrace and looking at him.
Nick laughed and said, “It’s against my principles to take advantage of a drunk girl.”
“I am more sober than you are so don’t worry,” I said standing and taking his h
and in mine.
Nick looked up at me and said, “Why don’t you go ahead and get ready for bed. I will turn off the lights and turn on the alarm, and come upstairs in a few minutes.”
I was in the master bath brushing my teeth when Nick walked into the bathroom in his soft white t-shirt and sleep shorts. Our eyes met in the mirror, and he smiled at me with his eyes filled with love for me. I giggled and winked at him.
“Cute night shirt,” he said smiling as he walked to the sink next to mine and started brushing. I looked down at the soft-knit, easy fit sleep shirt that I had on and knew Nick was being totally sarcastic. I had seen his reaction when I had worn the ones he really liked and this one was way too conservative for him.
I finished brushing my teeth and said smiling at him, “I am so glad you like it Nick. I would have no other choice but to take it off if you said you didn’t like it.” I saw Nick’s eyes widen and he struggled not to swallow the foam in his mouth. I giggled as he washed his mouth and wiped the faucet clean.
“You are definitely on fire tonight.” Nick declared in his flossing voice.
“I will see you in the bedroom,” I said and took one step away from him with my eyes on him in the mirror to catch his expression. I had put on the anklets he encouraged his mom to get me as a gift and wanted to surprise him by wearing them tonight. The less than pea size bells hit against each other and made a very unique chiming sound and Nick immediately looked up at me in the mirror and then at my feet. The muscles in his face tightened at first and immediately relaxed as he saw the anklets on me. I stood rooted to the spot as he walked towards me, his eyes lusty and his lips pressed together. He stopped a foot away going down on one knee, and reached out to touch the anklets.
“Nick, stop,” I said my voice shaky as I took a step back.
Nick looked up and said smiling, “If you put them on for me, you should let me touch them.”
“Okay, catch me if you can,” I said and took off towards the bedroom giggling like a little girl. I heard Nick laugh behind me as I left the bathroom and dashed towards the bed. I jumped onto the bed and looked behind me. No Nick.
“Nick, do you need directions to the bed?” I yelled between peals of laughter.
“Yes, I do,” Nick said appearing in the bedroom a few minutes later and declared in a serious tone, “I am not going to chase you anywhere. I had a big enough scare after what happened near the swimming pool.”
‘Nick, you are no fun at all,” I complained as he got into the bed next to me. Nick reached to his right in a flash and rubbed his stubble along my neck to set the sensitive skin on fire. I let out a soft cry in reaction to the sweet pain and looked at him with my eyes flaring. He laughed and asked, “Not fun huh?” I shook my head smiling at him as he lay down on the bed with his head to the foot of the bed looking into my eyes.
“Nick, what are you doing?” I asked as Nick reached for my ankle again. Nick hushed me gently and wrapped his fingers around my ankle as he inspected the anklets that wrapped my ankles snugly.
“You definitely know how to strike a chord with me,” Nick said as he tightened the grip on my ankle and took his lips to the bridge of my foot. My initial reaction was to pull my foot away from him, but he held it in place with his fingers firmly wrapped around my ankle.
“Nick, please. Come to me,” I invited, putting my arms out. He looked up at me with his lips on my foot, smiled, and closed his eyes hugging my foot. I felt his light stubble against my arch as he left a flurry of kisses along my foot. My heart twisted in pain without Nick’s arms around me. I reached forward and put my palm to his cheek, and when he opened his eyes to look at me, I said in a pleading tone, “Nikhil, please.”
He slowly let go of my ankle sitting up to look directly into my eyes and said, “It is going to take me a lifetime to show you how much I love and admire you, Sameera.”
I put my arms around his neck burying my face in his chest. The gentle tingles of the anklets were known to bewitch and seduce one’s lover, and I felt his reaction to my every single jingly move. Nick tightened his grip around me and lay me back on the bed with him coming down on me. I let out the air from my lungs flattening my chest pulling Nick closer to me and said challenging him, “Show me how much you love me starting now.” Nick groaned in response to the raw desire in my voice. He pulled himself up to look at me, and I stared right back at him with my eyes burning with desire for him.
I smiled and wondered to myself if I had really gotten bold in bed or if it was the alcohol talking.
As if Nick heard me, he smiled at me and said, “I need to get you drunk every day.”
I laughed and said, “That’s exactly what I was thinking about,” and pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it to one side. I put my palms on Nick’s shoulders pushing him to the side forcing him to land on the bed on his side and used my weight to lay him flat on his back. As he looked at me in astonishment, I got up to put my legs on his sides and sat on his tight flat abdomen.
I had my sleep shirt on but nothing under it so as I sat down on Nick pressing down on his core, my warm and moist pleasure epicenter came in contact with his rigid and cool body. I heard him moan and draw in a deep breath as he ran his fingers upwards from my knees along my outer thigh until his hands were rounded on my soft bottom. His fingertips moved up and down my bottom as I moved gently in a riding motion sitting on his abdomen. Nick laid in bed, his head thrown back, and his eyes glued to me smiling at me. I lowered myself gently and very slowly took my lips towards his lips.
Nick moved his arms upwards and found my waist chain as I gently took my tongue to his lips and started tracing circles on his lips barely touching him. He moaned and put his palm behind my head and forced my lips to come in contact with his as his tongue pierced through my lips finding mine. I moaned against his mouth objecting to the interruption of my seduction. I felt Nick’s hand slide up towards my flattened chest and managed to find the hardened nipple. As his fingers claimed possession of my breast, I felt the heat build up within my core and my chest unable to contain my rapid throbbing.
As our lips continued to be engaged, I pulled back slightly to take Nick’s lower lip between my lips and held it in place with a gentle pressure from my teeth. I started sucking on his lower lip with a deep suction and felt him shudder underneath my weight and tighten his grip on my hair. Encouraged by his reaction, I quickly released his lips taking my lips to his neck and trailed down his neck with my tongue.
Nick threw his head out further opening up his neck and said, “Meera.” It was the way he said my name through his clenched teeth, which inadvertently made me dig my teeth into his neck. I stayed in the same position until Nick pushed me upwards making me go sideways and flat on my back in a flash.
“Nick, I want you.” I almost yelled unable to bear the emptiness. He pulled the drawstring on his sleep shorts impatiently and took them off. He pulled my sleep shirt over my head. He looked at me lying on my back with my hair sprawled over one shoulder and across my chest wearing nothing but my waist chain and anklets. He smiled at me and said, “You are a tigress in bed today, my love.”
I looked away from him overcome by shyness as he planted a gentle kiss on my cheek, and his fingers traced down to my sweet spot below. He tantalized my clit driving me to the edge before taking his hardness to it. As he gently filled the cavity of pleasure, I felt complete. I moaned against his lips as he gently rocked me into the clouds of pleasure. I moaned and arched my body as he increased the pace to match my increasing desire for him. I inadvertently let out a cry of sheer joy triggered by sweet pain caused by his final shove as he peaked and felt my peak ripple through my body.
Nick collapsed on top of me losing all control of his body and we both slipped into a deep sleep in each other’s arms feeling content.
*****
A lovely tingling sound brought me back to experience the warmth from Nick’s body along my entirety. I felt Nick’s fingertip trace the outer line of my uppe
r lip very gently as I smiled with my eyes closed. He swapped his fingertip with his sleep soft lips and said, “Good morning, my tigress.”
I opened my eyes to see pride in Nick’s eyes and his eyes smiled at me with endless love. I put my arm around him and turned to my side to face him.
“Good morning,” I said smiling. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, did you?” he asked running his arm along my waist over the sheet, and I nodded smiling. I turned to look for my sleep shirt and reached for it and the tingling sound reminded me that I had slept all night in the anklets.
“Did the anklets bother you, last night?” I asked slipping on my sleep shirt and sitting up in bed.
“Are you kidding?” he said lying on the bed flat and added, “best sound to hear in my sleep.”
“I am glad you enjoyed them. Time to take them off,” I said and put my feet in front of him.
“It’s a good thing that you haven’t figured out how to take them off,” Nick said smiling and in a swift move reached for my ankles to plant light kisses on them. He jumped out of bed enjoying my surprised expression at his action and said, “I love them on you. I think you should leave them on.”
“Nick, no,” I pleaded as he winked at me and walked towards the bathroom. I smiled looking at the anklets and realized how much I loved wearing them. I pulled my phone out of the bedside drawer and checked my messages. I smiled at the message my stepdad had sent to Nate and me.
Dad: Landed safely. Almost went back to departures to fly back to California.
Dad: Mom is jetlagged. Miss you girls already.
I responded to the group message.
Me: Love you dad. Kisses for mom.
I put the phone away smiling and walked gingerly towards the bathroom to minimize the amount of the jingle from the anklets. Nick peeked from the bathroom and said laughing, “Don’t fight it, love. Let the room be filled with the beautiful sounds.”