by King, Jayna
“I’m not doing anything to you. You’ve done it to yourself. This is what happens when you shit on people. They don’t want you around.”
“Where will I go?”
“That’s your problem. According to Donald, you should have plenty of money in that Cayman account to pay for a hotel.”
“Oh, come on, Reed. It’s not like I have a debit card for that account. It could take me weeks to get to that money. What am I going to do until then?”
“I suggest you find someplace to stay, and I suggest you sign whatever Donald gives you tomorrow. He said he won’t try to recover the money if you’ll just agree to the divorce.”
“How am I supposed to get a lawyer on a Friday night for a meeting tomorrow?”
“Not my problem. You’ve had all day to take care of that.”
“That little shit Stanford wasn’t any help either. I guess everyone has abandoned me now that Donald has kicked me out. I guess we know who has all the power.” She sighed dramatically and threw herself onto the couch. “I never dreamed that everyone would be on his side.”
“Mom, you took his money and fucked someone else. Why would anyone be on your side?”
She had the nerve to look offended as I turned around and walked to my room. When I came out, she was pouring herself a drink from my stash of good scotch.
“I’m outta here. I’ll be home at some point tomorrow before I go in to work.”
“Where are you going?”
“Tatum’s.”
“So that explains it. You’re on their side because of a piece of ass. I should have known.”
“Don’t call her that. My relationship with her is none of your business.”
“Of course it’s my business. I’m your mother.” She sat up on the couch. “I just want you to be happy, Reed, and I don’t think Tatum is good for you. She’ll try to change who you are, just like Donald tried to change me. He made me take lessons to learn how to talk better, for fuck’s sake.”
I dropped my backpack on the floor and went over to sit next to Mom. “Look, I don’t want to argue with you, but my personal life is my business, not yours. And I think you fucked up spectacularly, and you owe some people some major apologies. I’m not saying I never want to see you again, but you can’t stay here. You’re gonna have to sort shit out for yourself.”
“Reed, you’re all I have.” Tears started rolling down her cheeks.
“I love you, Mom, but I can’t fix this for you. You’re going to have to do it on your own.” I stood up. “You can get me on my cell if you need anything.”
“I wouldn’t want to disturb you and your precious Tatum.” Her expression was hateful. “Go. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Maybe you will, and maybe you won’t,” she said as I left. She sounded like a child.
14 -- Tatum
“Shhh,” I said, opening the door to Reed. “Garrett’s asleep.”
He came inside and tossed his bag onto a chair, pulling me into a hug. We stood there for a while, not saying a word, and when I looked up at him, I could tell something was wrong.
“Are you okay?”
He shook his head. “Things didn’t exactly go smoothly with Mom.”
“Uh-oh.”
“Can we get a drink and go to bed?”
I smiled up at him. “Way ahead of you.” I took his hand and led him to my bedroom. The lights were out, but I’d lit some candles, and I had an ice bucket with a bottle of champagne, along with two flutes. “I stopped and picked up champagne. I figure we have things to celebrate.”
He looked me up and down, as if he was just then noticing that I’d changed into my favorite long silk robe. I was just waiting to see how he’d react to what I wore underneath.
“Goddamn, you look good enough to eat.”
“That’s the idea.” I opened the wine and poured him a glass. “What should we drink to?”
“You, naked.”
“What’s your hurry? We have all night.” I sat down on the bed and waited for him to join me, and I was surprised when he walked over to the door.
“I forgot something,” he said, coming back a few seconds later with his backpack.
“Condoms?” I asked.
He laughed. “Well, yes, but mostly, I wanted to give you this.” He pulled a box out of the backpack and handed it to me. “Merry Christmas, Tatum.”
I’m embarrassed to admit I giggled when he handed me the box. Jewelry boxes just do that to me. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Well, open it. You don’t even know if you’re going to like it. But it made me think of you right away, so I knew you had to have it.”
I slid the box from its light pink cardboard sleeve and opened it. “Oh my,” was all I could manage. The necklace was simple, sparkling, and perfect. The gold chain was faceted in a way that caught the light every way I turned it, and the bright blue stone was my favorite color.
Reed took it from my hands and motioned me to turn around. “The stone’s a Swiss blue topaz. It made me think of your eyes.” He fastened the necklace and I turned to face him. “It looks even more beautiful than I’d imagined.”
I crossed to look in the mirror, and was stunned. It looked perfect against my skin. “I love it, Reed. Thank you.”
He slid his arms around me and pulled me in for a long kiss, his tongue a promise of things to come that evening. I couldn’t help myself, and I started to unbutton his shirt, running my hands over the hard, smooth muscles beneath.
Reed slipped my robe over my shoulders, and it fell to the floor. I was wearing one of the lingerie sets I’d bought for our Tahoe trip that had ended so abruptly, and I hoped he liked it.
“Damn,” he said, taking in the sight of me in the navy blue satin pushup bra that I knew made my tits look fantastic. The matching thong showed off my ass to perfection, and I turned around to let him get a good look. “Do you have any idea how much I want you?”
“Oh, I think I do.” I took his shirt all the way off, unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, and took his hard cock in my hand. “Here’s your present,” I said, kneeling on the floor in front of him.
I licked the head of his cock, running my tongue all the way down the shaft, savoring the feeling of his muscles tensed in anticipation. Very slowly, I opened my lips and took the head of his cock inside my mouth. Reed was so big, I knew I could never get him all the way inside, but I was determined to do my best. I used my hand around his shaft, while I licked and sucked, feeling Reed’s hips rock back and forth a little to push his cock a little deeper. I wasn’t sure if I could make him come just with my mouth, but as I heard him start to breathe faster, I had a feeling I was getting close.
“Tatum, you’re gonna make me come,” he said, pulling out of my mouth.
“I want to swallow your come. Do it in my mouth.”
He didn’t say another word. He grabbed the back of my head and slid himself back inside me. I just a few more thrusts, he’d filled the back of my throat, and as I swallowed, he looked down at me, a wicked smile on his face.
“Your turn,” he said, pulling me to my feet. He led me to the bed. “You look almost too good to undress, but I want to get my hands and my mouth on what’s beneath these clothes. He reached around behind me and unhooked my bra, throwing it aside as he took in the sight of my naked breasts. He slid the thong down as he bent to suck on my nipple, playing with the other with his hand. “Sit down.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and watched as he knelt between my legs. He reached around my hips and pulled me just to the edge of the bed.
“Lie back and enjoy yourself,” he said, pushing my shoulder back.
I stretched out and spread my knees wide, waiting for the touch of his tongue on my clit. He used his fingers to spread me open, and he put his mouth to my skin. I was lost in a wave of sensations, his fingers inside my pussy, his tongue working my clit. He raised a hand to my breast and squeezed my nipple as he licked
harder, bringing me close to a climax. As I arched my back and was about to come, I felt him pull his fingers from my pussy. He found my ass and gently, slowly, pushed a finger inside, and I lost all control, swept away by the waves of my orgasm. I could feel the muscles of my ass tightening and releasing on his finger, and by the time my orgasm ended, I was sure I was incapable of rational speech.
“That’s just the beginning, Tatum,” Reed said, standing up and reaching for a glass of champagne. “We have all night long.”
When I woke up the next morning, before I even opened my eyes, I felt Reed’s arms around me and the warm length of his body pressed against me from behind. I thought about getting up early and making coffee, but I remembered it was Saturday and I didn’t have anywhere to be. I fell back asleep, knowing that waking up next to Reed was something it would be easy to get used to.
***
The next two weeks were a blur. Reed and I both worked hard, he on catching up on his regular clients and I on the big case we expected to settle in record time. Practically every moment we weren’t working, we spent together. I’d gotten to meet Laura and Henry, and the little boy showed every sign of becoming just as charming as his father and much older brother. He’d stolen my heart—or he would have if my heart didn’t belong to Reed.
Tina had agreed to Dad’s terms with very little argument, and though she still wasn’t speaking to Reed, he figured she’d come around sooner or later. She’d gone full-time with her yoga teaching position, and I thought it was probably good for her to have something positive to do, even if it wasn’t particularly profitable.
The evening we’d all been looking forward to had finally arrived. In just a few hours, Gordon Gentry would take the stage at Mandalay Bay, along with a dozen or so other famous performers—all to benefit Dad’s campaign. The publicity leading up to the show had been even better than we’d hoped, and Stanford’s precious polls showed Dad even with his opponent.
“So you’re picking Stanford up?” I asked Garrett. I didn’t want to make too big a deal out of the fact that the two of them were spending more time together, mostly because both of them seemed kind of shy about the whole thing. “I’m surprised he didn’t book a room there so he could spend the entire day fretting about how it’s going to go.”
“He’s been working really hard on this. Don’t make fun of him, Tatum.” Garrett was standing in front of his bed, holding up his gray vest with different shirts, trying to decide what to wear to the concert.
“I’m not. Seriously, I know how lucky Dad is to have him working on the campaign.”
“Gray shirt or white shirt?” He held both up.
“White, definitely.” I turned to go shower and get ready. “Dad told me I didn’t need to get dressed up. What do you think?”
“Honey, I think you’re going to be photographed six ways to Sunday. You don’t need to be dressy, but you sure need to look good.”
“Don’t I always?”
“As long as you’ve been getting to the gym regularly.” Garrett put his discarded clothes back in the drawer. “I know you’ve been getting another kind of workout, but you’d better show up for class soon, or you won’t recognize that ass.”
“Jesus, you’re persistent.”
“It pays off, honey.”
“I know. I promise I’ll get back in the swing of things.”
“You can always bring that handsome boy toy of yours, you know. He won’t keep those muscled abs forever without a little work.”
“I’ll be sure to tell him you said that.” I paused and decided to just ask the question I’d been wondering about. “So are you and Stanford an item?”
“We’re getting there. He’s finally admitted to me that he thinks he’s gay, and he’s attracted to me.”
“Wow. That’s a start.”
“Yeah. He’s just worried about what people will think.”
“Well, no one should understand that feeling better than you do.”
“I’ve told him that if he’s brave enough to come out, then I will be, too.”
I crossed the room and gave Garrett a hug. “Good for you. You know I love you no matter what, but I think you’d be happier if you were honest with everyone, even your family.”
“I know you’re right. It’s just hard.”
“Having someone special to share the experience with may help.”
“That’s what we’re hoping.”
“Oh my God. You’re a ‘we’ now?”
“Maybe,” he grinned. “Now go get gorgeous. Reed will be here before you know it.”
I took the time to straighten my long, blonde hair, pleased with the shiny look over my tanned shoulders. I’d figured if I was going to be at a rock concert, then I should look the part, so I’d found a black leather halter top and paired it with skinny jeans and strappy black heels. Long gold earrings and my necklace from Reed completed the outfit. I was smudging on my smoky, dark eyeliner when Reed walked into my room.
“Good God, you’re gorgeous.”
“Exactly the response I was looking for,” I said, turning to check him out. He wore frayed jeans and a T-shirt that looked molded onto his muscles, and the visible tattoos made him look dangerously hot. “Very nice, yourself.”
“You’re sure you’re okay with going out on stage at the beginning of the show? There will be cameras on you.”
“I’m fine with it. If I have you by my side, I can handle anything.”
“Well, then let’s get out of here. Garrett was headed out when I came in. Said he’d meet us there.”
Reed opened the door of his Tesla and the ride to the Mandalay Bay was over quicker than I expected. Though I acted like it was no big deal to handle all the publicity of the evening, the truth was that I was scared to death. I knew showing up with Reed would capture a lot of the attention, and I was afraid I’d freeze up if reporters started asking questions. We pulled into the line for the valet, and Reed reached over and squeezed my hand.
“I’ll be right there with you every minute,” he said, clearly reading my discomfort. “We’ll take it on together.”
I smiled at him, just in time for my car door to open to the flashing of cameras. I heard my name being called out from dozens of reporters in the swarm of press. Reed was at my side in seconds, his strong hand holding mine, keeping me rooted in place.
“Smile,” he said through his teeth. “Give ’em a show, and maybe they’ll leave you alone.”
I grinned wide, turning in a circle with Reed, letting everyone get their fill of us, knowing we were an attractive couple. Reed was starting to move toward the door, when I put my hand on his arm.
“Kiss me,” I whispered.
And he did. He bent down and laid one on me as the flashes went crazy. We held the kiss for what felt like an eternity, before we separated and headed inside with a wave.
“That’ll give ’em something to talk about,” I said, hearing Reed chuckle.
Once we made it past the paparazzi, we were whisked backstage to visit with Gordon, Laura, and Henry before the show.
“You’re sure you don’t mind if Henry joins you in your box?” Laura asked Reed and me.
“Of course not,” Reed answered. “He’ll have a better view, and he won’t be underfoot backstage.”
Dad put his hand on my arm. “You’re welcome to join us onstage before the show kicks off—both of you.”
“I think Reed and I did our part for your publicity machine when we came in, Dad. We’ll smile and wave from our seats.”
“Whatever you want, honey. I’m just glad you’re here.”
Gordon stood up. “Let’s get this fuckin’ party started.” He turned to Henry. “That’s showbiz talk, kiddo. Not appropriate for you.”
Henry rolled his eyes. “I know, Dad. You say that all the time.”
Reed, Henry, and I made our way to our seats, where we’d be rubbing elbows with some of the big-hitter donors to the campaign. Once we found our box, I excused myself to
use the ladies’ room. When I came out, one of the box attendants approached me.
“Miss Monroe, there’s someone who wants to see you. She said she didn’t want to come inside, and she’ll only take a moment of your time.”
I was apprehensive, but I looked over and saw Reed and Henry head-to-head, poring over the program, and I didn’t want to disturb them. “Okay. Where is she?”
“Right this way.”
He led me out the door of the box, into the hallway, and I could hardly believe my eyes.
“Tina? What are you doing here?” For a second I was a little scared, worried that she was going to freak out and hit me or do something equally crazy.
“Tatum, I’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I have to talk to you—just for a minute.”
“Okay,” I answered, warily. “How did you get in?”
“I went to school with one of the security guys. He let me in for free.” She stepped closer to me. “Your father won’t answer my calls or emails, and I have to get a message to him.”
“I’m pretty sure he’s blocked every way you can contact him. You really hurt him, Tina.”
She shook her head, and for the first time since I’d met her, she actually seemed sincere. “I’ll stop trying to talk to him, then. I just need you to give him a message for me.”
“Depends on what it is.”
“Will you tell him I’m sorry?”
“That’s it?”
“That’s most of it. I don’t know exactly why I did what I did, but it was wrong—all of it. I think I was just overwhelmed by finally having more money than I knew what to do with, and the pressure of the campaign and feeling like I was an imposter—well, it was all just too much for me, and I just kind of lost it.”
“I’ll tell him.” I turned to leave, but I stopped when she put a hand on my arm.
“The worst part about it is that I really did love him, Tatum. I need Donald to know that. I loved him, and I screwed everything up. I’m sorry.”
My heart thawed just a bit. “I’m sure he’ll be glad to hear that, Tina. It may help him deal with the mess you left behind.”