by Mari Brown
I continue hanging in the shop with the guys like old times watching them work on cars and listen to them give each other shit over the smallest things. I love how these guys work so well together. They have a bond and no one could deny that they got the job done timely and efficiently.
The guy in the car gets out and makes his way to a bench inside the shop and sits down. I glance over at him only briefly before turning my attention back to the guys working. I won’t deny my eyes travel to Tate time and time again. I love watching as his body stretches out over the car. I remember all too well what his body felt like stretching out over mine. His hands nimbly working under the hood remind me of his hands running across my body. His lips move as he talks and thoughts of his mouth all over my body overcome me. Suddenly I’m a little overheated.
I make my way to the bathroom and lock myself in. My back is pressed against the metal door. My breathing is rapid. I’m torturing myself with the memories of what Tate and I had. I need to get out of here I can’t watch him anymore. It’s killing me to be in the same room with him. I wash my hands and walk out of the bathroom. Jake is the closest to me when I come out of the bathroom.
“I’m walking to the store. I’ll be back.”
“You okay?”
His knowing eyes assess me. I just shake my head as I walk over to my car grab my purse out of the back seat and head off to the store. Luckily there is a small shopping center a few hundred feet down the street and it has a dollar store that I can get lost in for a while. If I’m lucky I’ll be able to find some things for my classroom as well. I just needed space. I once again want to kill Noah for setting me up in this position.
Forty-five minutes later I’m walking back to the shop. My hands loaded down with a few bags. I lucked out that this dollar store had a whole teachers section, and I found all kinds of monkey and jungle themed items I could use this year. I was excited. Working with young children enabled me to stay young at heart myself. I was use to children. I knew what to do with them.
Men like Tate, hot and sexy and crazy possessive where not something I understood all the time. I often joked Tate was a man child when we were together. There were days as a couple I wanted to fuck his brains out and other days I just wanted to kick the ever living shit out of him. Sadly he would have enjoyed either one.
As I walk back into the shop none of the guys are around and my car and one other are abandoned in their bays. I walk to my car placing my purse and bags back in the seat. I walk toward the back bay door the guys are out back on break smoking. Sure enough they have the tailgate down on Mike’s truck. Tate and Mike sit on the back while Jake and Pete stand nearby. This motley crew became my friends, and I had to give them up when I broke up with Tate. I realize in this moment I missed them.
Sure I saw Jake occasionally with Haley but it just wasn’t the same as these four guys together as a group. I had no choice though. They were Tate’s friends and coworkers so he got them in the unwritten “custody agreement”.
“The Princess is back.” Tate is trying to get a rise out of me now. I don’t want to give him the satisfaction but he gets under my skin like no one else ever has been able to.
“Suck it asshole.”
“But you do that so much better.”
Chuckles from the guys should make me blush but instead it fuels my courage.
“I do! I should get a prize for best blowjobs ever!”
“Princess!” The stern warning in Tate’s voice leaves little doubt I crossed his imaginary line. This was the tone he used with me when he didn’t like the way my mouth was running off. I remain silent but I don’t turn away or back off my sassy stance.
“I don’t know… Tate gives pretty good blow jobs.” Laughter bubbles out of me as Mike speaks. I’m thankful for him breaking the tension that was building.
“You would know.”
“Hey I can’t help it Tate and I have a special connection.” Mike’s hand caresses Tate’s leg as he says this.
Tate is laughing as he pushes Mike’s hand off his leg. “Dude I don’t suck cock but I do enjoy when you suck mine.”
I shake my head at these guys. All of them secure in their sexuality. They have no problem teasing each other about this. I know for a fact each of them has admitted to experimenting with someone of the same sex but all prefer females. This was a unique bunch of guys and I loved them and I missed them terribly especially one Tate Jameson.
A car drives up to Mike’s bay, and he starts yelling “Oh hell no we are closed and you need to get the fuck out of here!”
I assume it’s someone that he knows or he wouldn’t be talking to them that way. The one customer sitting in the lobby eyes Mike strangely. Poor guy is probably wondering who the hell the clowns are working on his car.
“Come on man you always have time to do me.” the guy in the SUV replies.
Yep definitely a friend of Mike’s. We are all laughing at their antics as Mike rolls the bay door back open for his friend.
“Lori.” Tate’s voice calls out to me. I look at him. “You can go sit in my office if you want.”
“How much longer is it going to be?”
“We are still waiting for your part to arrive.”
I sigh surely he wouldn’t delay my car on purpose. But this is Tate we are talking about.
“I may later right now I’m enjoying watching you guys work.”
Mike’s friend has walked up to where I’m standing “That your man?” as he nods toward Tate.
“No!”
“Not claiming him?”
I laugh although this guy doesn’t get how much I want to claim Tate as mine again.
“I don’t think I would claim any of these guys as mine even if they were.”
The man laughs at my words reaches his hand out to shake mine. “Ken… Ken Wilson pleasure to meet you.”
“Lori Madison.” I reply as I reach out my hand into his. It doesn’t escape me that Tate is scowling in our direction. I can’t help being secretly thrilled by that. Surely it’s a good sign. Maybe Tate does care about me.
“Tate I think I will go hang out in your office for a bit. I need to make a few phone calls.” I make my exit to his office. I sit down at his chair and look out the window for a moment. When I focus back in I’m shocked because sitting on his desk is a framed picture of the two of us staring into each other’s eyes with smiles on our faces. What the Fuck?!
Chapter Four
Lori: Tate has a picture of us together on his desk?
Haley: what????
Lori: in his office now and staring at it
Haley: holy shit
Lori: yea…
After shooting off the texts to Haley I lean back in the chair. I am stunned. As I look around I notice it’s not the only reminder of our time together in his office either. The little stuffed frog we won out of a crane machine one night was still there as well. Holy shit what do I do with this new information?
“I told you it would always be you.” I jump as Tate speaks in my ear.
“What the fuck Tate you scared the crap out of me!”
“Sorry Princess.”
He is leaning over my shoulder. His words whispering in my ear breathy and light. My blood flow goes straight between my legs. I want to jump up but if I did that my head would land square on his bearded jaw. The thoughts of his bearded face don’t help the blood pooling in my nether regions. I remember all too well what it feels like to have beard burn between my legs or on my face.
All the dirty things we did together keep coming at me. It’s overwhelming. It’s not like we did Fifty Shades type stuff, there was no contract, no red room of pain but he had a way of taking control in the bedroom that made me want to submit each and every time. I wanted to please him in every way.
I have to get out of this place its doing my head in.
“Is my car ready?”
“The part just arrived and Pete’s on it now.”
“Good I still want to try
to finish my errands.”
Tate moves around and sits down on his desk.
“Where were you headed?” He seems genuinely interested in what I am doing so I find myself relaxing and sliding back into ease around him.
“I was going to the teacher store. I got my new class list this morning and was excited to get started on my welcome bulletin board and theme for the school year.”
“What theme did you pick this year?”
Okay my heart just did a little somersault. The fact he remembers that I pick a yearly theme makes me all warm inside.
“Jungle especially Monkeys.”
“Monkeys huh? That’s fitting. Any chance you got my girl in your class this year?”
I sigh. This question was bound to come up somehow. I hated that he didn’t get to see his daughter as much as he wanted too. It sucked living in a small town with people with even smaller minds.
“Yes.” I answer so softly I’m not sure he hears me at first.
“Good at least she has a great teacher this year.”
“You had any luck with seeing her more?” I almost hate to ask that question because it can darken his mood quick when he broods over it.
“No not really. Rachel only lets me see her occasionally and only supervised. LuAnn was a mistake in more ways than one to my life.”
“As a mother I can’t blame Rachel for protecting her child from LuAnn.”
“I haven’t seen Luann in over two and half months now but it’s not enough for Rachel.”
This is an old argument and I can’t believe we are having it again.
“LuAnn was hateful to Brandy and honestly why you stayed with her after the way she treated your own flesh and blood is beyond me.”
“You know why I stayed.”
“I know what you told me.” Shit I shouldn’t have said that. It is going to do nothing but cause problems. I am no longer his girlfriend and have no right to say anything.
“Fuck Lori! You never trusted me!”
“No not when it came to LuAnn!”
LuAnn was the second reason I broke it off with Tate. Steve’s health may have been first and foremost but she was a very close second. Even though he did not treat her as one would expect a girlfriend to be treated she was always lurking in the shadows. LuAnn loaned Tate the money to open Busted Nuts she made sure she kept her finger in the pot and him by keeping her name on the title until Tate had fully paid her back. I only half bought the story. Surely he never expected me to buy that they weren’t having sex? If so he was an idiot. I’m not stupid.
His behavior with LuAnn was always strange. One minute he hated her. The next posting on social media how she was the one. Hell he was engaged to her at one point. Telling his family she was the one. The love of his life. At some point the man loved her.
“Whose picture is on my desk?” His demanding tone makes me sit up straight. Alert and staring into his eyes. “Answer me Lori.”
“Ours.” my terse reply echoes around the small room.
“Who am I talking to right now?”
“Tate please don’t.” I whimper.
“Don’t what admit that I fucking fell in love with you and you threw me to the curb like trash?”
“It wasn’t like that!” I cry out. “My husband was dying, and I had to be there by his side. What was I supposed to do ask you to wait for me?”
“You took my choice away. You decided to break my heart instead.” His eyes are like a window and I see right inside of him. I see the hurt. I have enough guilt and this just adds to it. I felt guilty the moment I realized that I fell in love with another man while still married. Not only was my husband sick and dying but his wife was fucking another man.
“Don’t Lori.”
“Don’t what?”
“I can see the guilt eating at you. Steve wanted you happy.” His hand caresses my arm. “Princess…”
Oh why does he keep calling me that? It fucking hurts. That pet name. The reminder of how happy I was with him. How miserable I’ve been without him.
“I can’t Tate. I’m sorry but I don’t deserve to be happy anymore.”
I walk out of his office. I grab my cigarettes out of my car and walk out back. I light the cigarette. Inhaling deep. It’s a bad habit, but it’s one I can’t kick. It’s my only real vice in life. I’m going to wring Noah’s neck when I get home. He meant well, but this has been a disaster and a painful one.
“Hey.” Jake joins me.
“Hi.”
“He loves you still. You know how often he asks about you? Every fucking day!”
“Jake not you too.”
“You are punishing both of you.”
Why doesn’t anyone get I am a horrible person. I was a slut who fucked another man while her husband was at home in a hospital bed dying. Not just a one-night stand but I had a full blown one-year long relationship. I don’t know how it never made it around town what was happening. I thought for sure Mae would spread it to everyone but the only ones who ever knew were our family and closest friends.
The tears start to fall. I can’t stop them. Jake pulls me in for a hug and I don’t even care if he’s dirty and greasy.
“I get why Haley keeps you around.”
“Yea why’s that?”
“Big shoulders to cry on.”
Chuckling together the mood lifts a little. Crying releases some tension inside me.
“Car’s ready Lori.”
Pete calls out to me. Jake checks me out at the counter. Tate never came back out of his office while I was there. I really can’t blame him.
***
When I finally return home from my shopping I take all my goodies into my home office. I set them on the floor and plan to work on them some but first I need to get dinner going for when the kids gets home. I also take the repair bill for $264.48 and lay it at Noah’s spot at the dinner table. The little shit!
I start a pot of water boiling for noodles deciding to make an easy dinner of spaghetti. I hear the kids coming through the door as I stir my homemade sauce on the stove.
“Hey guys how was practice?”
“Mom the new dance routine we are learning for the first pep rally is killer.” Olivia my cheer princess answers. I smile at her.
“I can’t wait to watch it.”
“Football was brutal.” Noah pipes in to the conversation.
He doesn’t know what brutal is yet. I am going to show him what tough love really is.
“So funny thing happened to me today…”
I have both my kids’ attention.
“I was on my way to Teacher’s Tools when the power steering went out in my car. Right in front of Busted Nuts thankfully.”
I watch as the two exchange a guilty look. Did Noah not act alone?
“Wow ummm did you see Tate?”
“Subtle Noah.” Olivia says dryly
I laugh at my children. I shouldn’t be laughing but I can’t help myself.
“Y’all were in on it together?”
“Mom, we had to do something. Noah did the actual cutting, but I encouraged him a bit.”
“Unbelievable guys. There is a bill on the dinner table guess you each owe me half.”
Their eyes round with shock. Did they think I would just laugh it off?
“Don’t do anything so stupid again. It won’t work.”
I watch as my children head off to shower and change before dinner and I’m left alone with my thoughts.
Tate and I were drawn to each other so much that on our second meeting we slept together.
“Lori it’s good to see you again.”
“You too. Guess we have our friends to think for that.”
I nod my head in the direction of Jake and Haley cozied up on the dance floor of the bar we are sitting in.
“I’m not even sure why Jake wanted me to come with him.”
“Yea I’m pretty sure Haley wouldn’t miss me if I was to leave.”
“Want to give me a ride ho
me?”
I ponder for only a split second I don’t want to be sitting in this bar anymore tonight.
“Sure, Haley can catch a ride with Jake.”
Other than giving me directions to his place we rode in silence. I was a little nervous in the car alone with Tate. There was no denying I was attracted to him. I just hope I didn’t do something stupid. I pulled my car in the driveway of a small cottage on the outskirts of town. We sit there for a moment.
“Want to come in for a bit?”
I shouldn’t have but I turned the ignition off.
“Sure.”
The moment we entered his place I noticed it wasn’t white glove approved, but it was tidy for a single man living on his own.
No sooner had he closed and locked the door behind us I found myself pressed up against it. My breathing picks up. I can’t believe what’s going through my head right now I shouldn’t be doing this but I want him to kiss me right now.
Like he was reading my thoughts he leans in and kisses me hard. It’s fast and furious. It’s full of hunger and desire. I answer him. It comes natural. Time slips away as we stand there kissing.
“I want to taste more of you.”
His heated words go straight to my pussy. I want him to savor more of me too. He takes me by my hand leading me to the door to what I presume is a bedroom.
He pushes me down lightly on his bed as we push through the room. I sit there waiting and watching. His hands grab the bottom of my shirt and lift it over my head. His nimble fingers unhook my bra. My girls pop out for him. His eyes heat up even more. He reaches a hand out grabbing a nipple between two fingers pinching it hard. Harder than I have ever had before and instead of hurting it feels good and I grow wetter. Seeing that I like it he reaches out and does the same thing with my other nipple.
I am a moaning mess. I arch toward him as he continues pinching my nipples bringing me the most exquisite pleasure I have ever had. Then his mouth takes a nipple in his mouth sucking in and his tongue flicks across it causing it to pebble in his mouth. Then he nibbles before biting lightly.