by Lacey Silks
She pulled in a sniffle.
Holy fuck! How insensitive I must have sounded, mentioning me fertilizing her.
“I’m so sorry. I’m a stupid prick.”
She brushed her hand over her cheek, wiping her tear away in haste. “It’s okay. I’m used to it.”
“I doubt it’s something you can get used to.”
“Simon made it clear that it was the best thing that could have happened to us.”
Asshole.
“I’m assuming you wanted more children?”
“At one point I did. I thought about adopting a child. A foster child. One that was desperate for a good home. But Simon wouldn’t hear of it. He said he wouldn’t raise someone else’s kid. He didn’t understand that it wasn’t the kid’s choice. Millie, my best friend, was a foster kid, and she has one of the purest souls I know. Until Simon’s death I was able to give money to a foster home, but had to reduce the donation since. And now so much has happened in the past two years, all those plans were put on a back-burner. But I have Parker, and I’m happy. He’s my everything.”
“I know exactly how you feel, and I appreciate you sharing it with me.”
“Thank you for understanding. Are children something you wanted in the future? Wait, you don’t have to answer that question. It’s personal.”
“I’m pretty sure we’ve gotten personal enough to discuss things like that. Honestly, I never thought about it. Charlie fills my life with so much. I can’t imagine it would be more rewarding with more. Although the prospect of it does excite me.”
She lowered her head.
“I’m saying the wrong things, aren’t I?”
“You’re not. I… I can’t ever give you a child. Not that I thought about us that way. It’s just something that’s always in the back of my mind. And something you should definitely know before this goes any further.”
“Well, hopefully we’ll get to that point, where we can discuss our future at that level. But when we do, I promise to accept you and Parker as a whole. Besides, there are different ways to have children.”
I must have said something right because she snuggled into me and it felt like a reward. The thought of Parker being mine had crossed my mind before; I knew if need be, I’d protect him as if he were mine.
The more time I spent with April, the more complicated this case became. Within a span of a few weeks, April had become someone I wanted to shelter from the outside world, not give away to someone who could kill her. At that moment, I promised myself that if the time came, fuck the fifty million. My job was to make people disappear; but for her, I would vanish, take us completely off the grid so that no one could ever find us. Even if she was guilty of murder. That fuck deserved what he got; he wasn’t worthy of April and Parker’s tears and love.
We remained on the hilltop for another hour, enjoying the wine and each other’s company. For the first time since Charlie’s death, I felt a sense of calmness that had been missing in my life.
Chapter 9
April
Saturday morning I shot out of bed before the alarm clock sounded. My heart was beating so fast, I wasn’t sure I could control it. It had been a week since I’d spent the evening with Sean, and today we’d made plans to introduce our kids at the zoo. Throughout the week I kept asking Parker about his teacher. While Sean appeared up front with me, I couldn’t help but feel that he was still hiding part of his life, and I was determined to find out if Sean was the man he said he was. The sex part definitely complicated things. I didn’t want to become this attached so quickly, but it was too late. If he was going to break my heart, he’d better do it now. Though I doubted it would hurt any less.
Today would be a great day to get a glimpse into his real life. After all, we were going to meet them at his house. How much more personal could you get? I wanted this… us… to be true. I needed this whole ‘fate’ thing Millie was always talking about to be true. Couldn’t I have good luck for once? Hadn’t I had enough trouble in my life?
The forecast showed a chance of afternoon rain, but forty percent wasn’t that much, and since lately the weather people had done as good a job predicting the day as a fortune teller, I probably had nothing to worry about.
“How has Mr. Gordon been at school, Parker?”
“Good. He’s a very nice teacher.”
“Is it weird for you that you’re going to see him on the weekend as well?”
“Not really. I like spending time with him. But I’d rather keep this a secret. If the other kids found out, they could be jealous.”
“Then I promise not to say anything if you don’t.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
My kid didn’t even know that he was doing me a favor. The last thing I wanted was for Parker to be part of any kind of gossip in his new school. He’d gone through enough of that during the past two years.
“Have you made any new friends yet?” I asked.
“A few. They’re pretty nice.”
“Well, Mr. Gordon has a daughter. You’ll get to meet her today at the zoo.”
“Awesome! He talks about her a lot in class. I hope Charlie likes me. Then I’ll have friends at school and outside of school.”
“I’m sure she will, honey. Okay, put on your shoes, grab the baseball hat, and let’s go.”
In less than thirty minutes we were at the address Sean had given me. When we first weaved off the main road I usually took to work, I thought I’d made a mistake. Then five minutes later, passing a secluded house or two on the way, I was certain we were at the wrong place. Yet here it was: 2911 Crossway Road. I parked in front of the closed gate and double-checked the message Sean had sent to my phone.
“Holy cow, Mom! Mr. Gordon’s house must be huge.”
Maybe it was just a big property. Even so, if there was a crumbling shack on the gated land, which I doubted, it must have cost a fortune. How could a teacher afford all this?
“I bet it’s bigger than our old house.”
Parker’s mention of where we used to live sent a shiver down my spine. Having him remember that house, and especially what had happened there, was the last thing I wanted.
“Maybe he wrote the wrong address,” I said to myself. But we hadn’t seen another property for a few miles. Just as I was about to text Sean, a voice on the gate’s intercom came through.
“April, you’re right on time. Why aren’t you ringing the bell?”
There’s a bell?
I looked up into the security camera. “Sorry, we thought we got the wrong place.”
He laughed nonchalantly. “Come on in.”
The gate parted, disappearing into the stone pillars. Beyond, the thick trees obscured where the winding asphalt road led, and I felt like I was about to drive into an enchanted forest. The intrigue I felt was overshadowed by about a thousand new questions I’d added to my things-to-ask-Sean list. Just when I thought I was getting to know him better, Sean was turning out to be a bigger mystery.
“I bet this house is way cooler than our old one,” Parker said.
Still hoping we’d pull up to a wooden hut, I said, “Yeah, I bet it is.”
About a half-mile later, the trees opened up to a circular driveway with a fountain right in the middle. I circled around toward the front door of a stone house, where Sean was standing at the top of the ten or so steps leading into the mansion. He took my breath away. He wore pleated shorts and a light blue golf shirt that complemented his eyes. His tan from Hawaii was still holding up, and I imagined it would all year round. My memories drifted away to when I had been able to see his entire naked body soaking in the sun, and then to that hilltop. My heart and stomach flipped. I licked my lips and took a sip from my water bottle. This would definitely not be an easy day. I had Parker with me; I needed to get all those dirty thoughts out of my mind and be the responsible woman that was inside me—hiding somewhere deep, under the layers of lust that were covering my body.
“Cool!” Parker was almost jumping
in his seat. “I can’t wait to see all the rooms.”
Maybe I should have been a teacher, I thought. Or maybe Sean Gordon had many more secrets than I suspected.
I stepped out of the car with my mouth hanging open. I wasn’t too sure what to say as we walked up the steps.
“Hi, Mr. Gordon.”
“Hi, Parker. Charlie’s in the backyard finishing breakfast. If you like pancakes, I’m sure there will be some left over.”
“Cool, thanks.”
As soon as Parker ran inside, I crossed my arms over my chest.
“April, please don’t ask what you’re going to ask. I promise you I will give you all the answers you want, but not until after the zoo.”
“You’d better have won the lottery, Mr. Gordon.”
“I like when you address me so formally, Ms. Davis, but for now, let’s just leave it at Sean.”
I made a mental note to change my last name back to Mayers – my maiden name. In one swift move, he pulled me against his hard body, to the side door that was still locked, and swung us around, pinning me there. He felt so good against me, I was lost as soon as his lips touched mine.
His darting tongue in my mouth melted away my fears and burned all those questions I had down to ashes. I grasped his biceps, holding on as he steadied my chin with one hand and cupped my ass with the other. It was pure, deep and powerful at the same time. When Sean kissed me, the world disappeared, and our souls connected somewhere out in a spiritual dimension. If I were to bet on all my secrets, I’d say that my body and spirit had been waiting for him my entire life. Sean finally pulled away, and I could barely breathe. It took a few seconds to remember where I was. He was staring into my eyes as if he had just returned from a far away planet. It definitely felt like I had.
“I missed you,” he whispered against my mouth. “And my cock missed you too. I’m so happy you wore a dress.”
I felt him hard against my stomach, and was happy that I could please him with something as simple as wearing a dress.
“I don’t know what it is about you, April, but you belong with me.”
“There’s an indoor pool!” I heard a shriek from within the house before Parker’s feet echoed closer.
That’s when the haze Sean drove me to lifted off my eyes. Straightening my dress, I took a step away from Sean. My knees wobbled, and he steadied me by my elbow.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“Yes. But we shouldn’t… ahm… not in front of the kids.”
“I will keep that in mind when I want to be inside you.”
I gasped just as my breathless son ran to my side. “They have a pool. And a hot tub. And an arcade room.” He then looked up to Sean, saying, “You’re the coolest teacher I know.”
Teacher… yeah, right.
“Thanks. Maybe you can go for a swim after the zoo.”
“I don’t have my swim shorts.”
A little girl peeked from behind the door. “Are we ready to go?”
From the piercing blue eyes to the dark complexion and brown hair, she was a spitting image of her father.
“We’ll take my car.” Sean leaned into me, “I guess I’ll give you the grand tour afterward.”
Would there be an after? And if so, what sort of after? My head was spinning. There was too much information here, all jumbled into one big mush. I couldn’t sort it out in my head. I needed time.
“Sean, are you leaving without introducing me to the lovely lady?”
A woman in her late fifties frowned in the doorway.
“Of course not, Mom. April, this is my mom.”
I reached out my hand toward her and instead found myself being embraced in her soft arms.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs.?”
“Lily, please call me Lily.”
“Lily.”
Her petite frame and white apron on top of the sky blue dress reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.
“Sean has told me so much about you.”
He has?
“Daddy, we should get going if we’re going to beat the rain. Hi, I’m Charlie.”
“Hi, Charlie.”
“Come on, Parker. Have you been to the zoo? I haven’t gone in ages.” She rolled her eyes as if ‘ages’ was decades long, not months or years.
“Please come back for dinner,” Lily said to me before I followed the kids.
“Oh, I couldn’t impose.”
“Nonsense. It would be my pleasure. And I’m sure a few hours at the zoo won’t be enough for the kids. Look at them. They’re already best friends.”
I nodded to Parker and Charlie, who seemed to be getting along better than my son did with most kids. She was definitely keeping up with his unforgiving pace; in fact, she seemed to be egging him on.
“If it’s all right with you?” I asked Sean.
“I wouldn’t take no for an answer.”
“Then I guess we’ll see you later this afternoon.”
Lily hugged me again, walked over to kiss Charlie, and we got inside Sean’s Lexus. The kids put on their earphones and watched a movie on the DVD player, which was a perfect time for me to start the inquisition.
“So, you live at your parents’ house?”
“No, my mom lives with me. It’s good for Charlie.”
“Oh.” So, it was his house.
“Say what you want to say, April.”
“Did you win the lottery?”
“No.”
“A bequest from Charlie’s mother?”
“No.”
“Inheritance from a rich uncle?”
He laughed saying, “No, it’s hard-earned money.”
“I think I chose the wrong career. Look, I don’t want you to think I’m a gold-digger, asking all these money questions, but you’re a teacher.”
“And?”
“And you live like a millionaire.”
“I do.”
“And… aren’t you going to tell me how?”
“I love your curiosity. It gives your eyes a special sparkle and makes me want to hold on to some secrets just so I can watch your mouth open and close in awe. It’s like watching a child walk into a toy store for the very first time.” He laughed. “I will tell you, but not until tonight. In fact for the rest of the day, I’d like to leave all that behind. Today I’d like to be that man you met in Hawaii who was smitten with you the first moment he saw you. The one who enjoys every exhale of your breath because it makes your chest rise and your breasts stand higher.” He checked the rear view mirror to make sure the kids still had their earphones on, and added in a whisper, “The one who causes your nipples to bunch up and your panties to soak. That same man you agreed to go out on a date with on a simple hilltop.”
Holy crap! Didn’t he know that our date had been more than simple?
“Ahm...”
“Don’t ahm, just know that I will do everything in my power to keep you in my life. And I need to see you more often. Waiting for the weekends is excruciating.”
His seductive words slid off his tongue. This man must have gone to school to study women. Everything he said sounded so right. How could I trust that? A relationship without trust was like a car without gas. You could sit in it all you wanted, but it wouldn’t go anywhere. I peeked over at his fuel gage and smiled. It was fueled to the max. Looking at him from the side, I had a feeling of calmness and faith I didn’t remember having with Simon—ever. And it wasn’t just his words; it was everything about him. His actions, the way Parker gloated about him, and his drop-dead physique hiding underneath that tight polo shirt. I sank into my seat, reliving those moments when our bodies connected as one, shifting as my pulse reminded me of the effect this man had on me.
I sat quietly for the rest of the ride to the zoo. Being back in the city wasn’t exactly on top of my list. There were too many memories here that I’d wanted to leave behind when we moved. And while we weren’t anywhere near my old neighborhood, I couldn’t help but feel like I was still part of i
t. Would that feeling ever pass? Simon had been a good husband for the most part, and a good father, but he came with a luggage-load of troubles he brought home from work. It wasn’t a perfect marriage, but whose was? Perfect men didn’t exist. So why did it feel like I was spending time with one now?
Chapter 10
Sean
Maybe I shouldn’t have asked her to come to my house. It was stupid and reckless. But a part of me – not the professional one, the one with a dick who couldn’t stop thinking about April day and night – couldn’t resist. This job was supposed to be simple, but it had turned me into a man I didn’t recognize. Where had the need to spend time with her come from? What happened to a quick fuck-and-forget to ease the pressure in my balls? With April, I wanted to know her and understand her physically and emotionally. She was the first woman I’d met since my fiancée’s death who renewed my belief in a real family. I’d been told that she was a criminal; she had someone else’s money. But they were wrong. They had to be.
The zoo was divided into seven continental sections. Charlie and Parker led the way while we followed. Honestly, I wasn’t really interested in the animals. My priority today was to find out the truth about April’s connection to her husband’s death and whether she was hiding the money. So far, there was no indication she’d used any of it. She lived in a lower income neighborhood that was very different from her old one. And all the signs were swaying my opinion in a direction different than I had originally assumed about her.
It was only ten in the morning, and the sun was toasting my skin. “Did you bring sunscreen?” I asked, remembering the last time she didn’t use any and ended up burnt from head to toe and everything in between. The memory of her hot yet soft skin was causing my shorts to tighten.
“I did.”
“Need any help applying it?”
“Not in the places I’d like you to.”
Her mouth curved up in one corner.
Fuck me! She was flirting!
I enjoyed watching her slowly lower her guard around me, and nothing gave me more pleasure than taking away all that pent-up tension in her body.