He’s taking my pleasure, I hope our pleasure. I’m letting him play my body like the conduction of a symphony, and I can feel the climax coming. Already my body is strung tight even though I’m relaxing into his touch. I want this more than I’ve ever wanted anything, because it means freedom for me. Freedom from feeling like I wasn’t sexy, from holding myself back, from the thumb my ex-husband had me under. Trick is eating me like I’m his last meal, and I’m giving myself over to it. I never would have been able to let my insecurities go before to enjoy this.
There’s a humming in my ears, and I realize it’s me. I’m moaning, almost whining, every time he withdraws his fingers, then slides them back in. My body is clenching on him, my nub of pleasure is seeking his tongue, and Trick isn’t disappointing, I don’t think he could ever disappoint me.
The orgasm is like a freight train when it hits me out of nowhere. I tense tighter than I’ve ever tensed before, squeezing my thighs, but Trick is right there, holding them wide. I wiggle, trying to get away from the level of sensation he’s erupted inside my body, but he moves with me, pressing one hand against my stomach, the other holding my thigh wide. His voice is muffled between my legs.
“Where are you tryin’ to go, baby? Just let it happen.”
And happen it does on the tail end of the first vortex into pleasure I’m flung into another. A scream rips from my throat as I finally give up trying not to thrust against him. I thrust with everything I’m worth, screaming, yanking his hair, words fly from my mouth, and I don’t even know what I’m saying. For a window of time, I don’t remember what happens. All I know is when I come back to myself, we’re lying in his bed with his mouth on my nipple, stroking it lazily with his tongue. His big body is between my thighs and the weight of his stomach is against mine.
I gasp, because it’s like waking up to the best dream ever.
“Welcome back,” he leans up to nuzzle my neck.
“That’s never happened before,” I admit, winding my arms around his waist, holding him close, because I need the connection with him right now. Knowing he can play my body the way he just has is a shock to my system.
He chuckles as his tongue sweeps against my earlobe, tugging on the earring there. “Glad to be of service to you, and really damn proud I’m the first one to make you feel that way.”
His hard cock is making its presence known against my leg, sending shivers through my body. As nice as the precursor was, I still like the main event the most. “Me too, but you know what I like more than what you did earlier?”
“What’s that?” he captures my mouth with his, kissing me so deeply I can feel it all over.
“When you slowly slide your cock into me, wait for me to adjust, and then fuck me hard.”
The deep intake of breath and loud moan I get from him is everything to me. It tells me without words the depth of his feelings. Grasping him tightly around the waist, I adjust our bodies so all he has to do is slip in and slide home. He pushes me up higher as he thrusts into my body, so high that I’m moving towards the headboard. Taking one hand off his waist, I brace myself against the wood frame.
“Can’t get fucking deep enough,” he growls in my ear, sliding one had to my ass, and grasping the headboard with the other. He uses both as leverage to slid deep, withdraw fast, and fuck me again.
The noise as the wooden frame hits the wall is only drowned out by our moans, the sounds of our bodies slapping together. Sweat is pouring off him, sweat is pouring off me. We slide against each other. It’s the messiest, noisiest bout of sex I’ve ever been involved in. The thought makes me clamp tighter on him. He’s the person who could bring this side of me out, the only person I’ve ever trusted this much. If up to me, he’s the only person I’ll ever trust this much again. The thought is shocking because I’ve never thought of Trick as long term, those hours have always been at the back of my mind. Knowing he wants something past the hours, I feel free to give over every part of myself. And that’s what I’m going to do.
“Hadley, oh fuck,” he throws his head back, the strong column of his throat exposed. I reach up, raking my fingernails down it, and that’s when I feel him let go inside my body. The warmth bathes me, and I love it. It sends a smaller orgasm through my body, and I tumble head first into pleasure with Trick. I can feel his body, trembling against mine. I love that I’m able to make this man shake in my arms. Just like I shook in his earlier, he’s shaking in mine now.
Lightly, his hips rock against mine as he collapses on top of me. I take his weight gladly, brushing his wet hair out of his face. He breathes heavily against me, wrapping his arms around me, holding our bodies tightly together.
“Don’t leave me,” he whispers, and I know it’s words he never thought he’d be saying. They’re words he probably didn’t want to say, but he has now, and he can’t take them back.
“I won’t, don’t you leave me.”
He kisses the side of my neck. “They’d have to pull my dead body away.”
I know he’s telling the truth, because Trick doesn’t do lies. Content and relaxed, I let my body drift off. “We can’t sleep too long,” I warn him. I have to get up and dressed for trick or treating, and we have to pick up Riley from school.
“We won’t,” he reaches down, pulling the sheet up around our bodies.
Here, in the light of late morning, with his weight over me and arms around me wrapped in our own little cocoon, I finally have everything I’ve ever wanted. The man, the cat, the kid, and the feeling of complete happiness. My only wish? It lasts forever. My biggest fear? That it won’t.
“I just have to finish my hair,” I tell Trick as he’s getting out of the shower behind me while I press myself closer to the sink.
It’s been years since I shared a bathroom with a man, and I forgot how it felt. How, if the two of you are really into one another, it’s a piece of an intimate puzzle. There are little touches here and there as you move about, little meetings of your eyes in the mirror as you go about your business. Those little smiles as you both realize you’ve been staring at each other for too long.
“Take your time,” he reaches around me, grabbing his brush. It brings our bodies flush with one another, and I revel in the strength of his chest.
“Wish I could,” I laugh. “But we spent too much time in bed, and now we’ve gotta go get Riley.”
He laughs too, the sound deep and reverberating off the walls of the small room. “We had a good time though, didn’t we?”
Like he even has to ask. “Best time I’ve had all year.”
We share one of those looks in the mirror, ending with a secret smile as I clip my hair and give it a good spray. Grabbing my bag, I bring it with me, because we’ll be getting ready in the garage. It’s too difficult for Riley to walk up and down stairs with her costume.
“I just have to put my clothes on and then I’m ready,” he yells over his shoulder as he leaves the room. “You sure you can do me a quick costume?”
“Everything I need is in my bag,” I pat the duffel I’ve packed.
“You ready?” he asks as he comes down the hallway, buckling his belt.
We got ready in record time, but we’re both still smiling as I nod. “Yeah, are you going to be able to fit in my car?”
“I have a truck,” he dangles some keys in front of me. “I don’t drive it often because I’m not a huge fan of not having the wind blowing through my hair, but sometimes it’s just too cold to ride the bike.”
This is news to me, but good news. I wasn’t sure he’d fit in my car. But then again, trucks are small. “We’ll all be able to fit?”
“It’s extended cab, enough room for six. We just need to grab Riley’s booster.”
Easy enough to do, I’m a pro at transferring and putting in car seats. “Alright then, let’s go.”
Trick’s truck is as sexy as he is. Black, just like the bike, big and hulking, just like him.
“I feel so high up!” Riley giggles from where she s
its in the backseat.
“Right?” he looks at her through the rearview. “You’re not a sitting duck, like you are in that little car your mom drives.”
“Don’t make fun of it,” I lean across the console, smacking him with the back of my hand.
Riley pushes her glasses up on her nose. “Is something wrong with your glasses, Riles?”
“They don’t fit her properly,” Trick says from beside me. “I noticed it the other day and meant to say something to you about it, but we got busy,” he leans in, because we’re at a stop light. “She didn’t want to cost you anymore money.”
My throat closes and I fight back a feeling of dread and tears that immediately prick behind my eyes. Maybe I haven’t been as discrete as I should’ve been when it comes to discussing personal matters in front of Riley. I know that after today, I’ll be much better about it. “We’ll make you an appointment tomorrow,” I turn around, pasting a smile on my face.
Trick’s hand caresses the back of my neck, reaching up under my hair. “You’re a great mom,” he whispers. “You’re not perfect, but no one is.” Strangely enough, those words comfort me more than any others could have.
As we get to the shop through the crazy traffic of the night, he parks in front, and hops out, holding the door open for Riley and helping her down. Be still my beating heart, because everything he does with her is amazing.
“You ready to go trick or treating?” I ask her as I come around the car, pushing my sunglasses up.
“Yeah!”
I can tell she really is; her eyes are bright, and she’s got so much excitement, she’s bouncing with it. “Okay, let’s go inside, put a little bit of glitter on your face, do mine and Trick’s, grab our wings, and off we go.”
I hope this only takes a few minutes, but I know in reality it’ll take an hour.
“Do Trick first,” she tells me, jumping up and down as she holds onto his hand. I’m not sure why she’s so excited to see Trick made up, but she is.
“Okay, okay,” I laugh, pulling the chair out that’s closest to the door so I have the best light. He has a seat, and Riley scrambles up into his lap. That too is surprising to me, but there’s one thing I now realize about my daughter. She is completely in love with this man, the way only a child can be.
“You sure you’re okay with me doing this?” I want to make sure before I start, because he’ll look dumb if I stop in the middle.
“Don’t you know by now that I trust you with everything?”
And those are the only words I need.
An hour later, Trick is made up, his face painted to look like a Skull, and I’m slipping on my wings to match Riley’s.
“We ready?” Riley shakes her head. “All right, let’s show Trick our costumes.”
When we come out, I clear my throat, because he’s watching the kids already roaming up and down the street. He turns around, and the look on his face is priceless. “Holy shit,” he claps a hand over his mouth. “You’re fairies.”
“Or Sprites,” I laugh.
“You pay attention,” he nods towards me, reaching for Riley’s hand.
“I do,” I reach into the pocket I’ve sewn into my skirt. “Let me take a picture of you two.”
Trick reaches down, picking her up. Riley goes with no fuss and wraps her arms around Trick’s neck. If someone didn’t know they weren’t father and daughter, they would truly think she was a product of his love. And maybe she is, because he’s had way more influence on her than her own father has.
“Let’s take one of all three of us,” he grabs my phone from my hand and slings his arm around my shoulders. Cramming us all together, he reaches out with his long arm, and we take our first picture as a family. It’s one I know I’ll frame and keep forever, but it’s also one that scares me to death. A unit is a target, and little did we know, we’d made ourselves one without even meaning to.
29
Trick
To say I’m nervous is an understatement. No matter if I’ve done something wrong or not, knowing I have to explain myself to what amounts to a group of judgmental assholes is never a fun thing to do. My foot taps uncontrollably on the floor, and I pull my phone out of my pocket, gazing at the picture me, Hadley, and Riley took on Halloween. It’s the only thing that calms me down some days, and I feel like I have a fucking target on my back, especially at places like this.
“Relax,” Matt, clamps his hand on my knee. “You have nothing to be worried about. This is a technicality.”
“One that could send me back to prison if someone deems fit to,” I argue. The thought’s crossed my mind a ton this week, so much that tonight’s the first night Riley and Hadley are staying at their own apartment since Halloween. I’ve kept them as close as I can, and the only reason they went back tonight is because Hadley has to do laundry. I don’t have my own washer and dryer yet, but you can bet your ass as soon as I’m out of this meeting and I know they aren’t sending me back to jail, I’m running out to buy a set. I want them with me all the time, I’m a better man when they’re with me.
“You know as well as I do that’s a snowball’s chance in hell, Trick. You’ve done great with the program, you completed your hours in record time, and you look fucking happy. You’re a model for what this program was meant to do. I hope they see how successful you’ve been and offer it to others.”
I don’t give two shits about others; all I want to do is get home to the woman who makes my world turn round, hear the kid who makes my heart melt, giggle as she chases the cat, and not have to think about this shit until my next parole meeting. Which are getting fewer and farther in between.
“Patrick Tennyson.”
Just hearing them call my name sends a ribbon of fear down my chest, deep into my stomach. They have the power to ruin my life, to destroy what I’ve worked hard to build, and that’s the scariest thing of all. None of them would think twice about it.
“C’mon,” Matt tells me as he grabs my file. “Let’s get this over with.”
We walk into the room, and there’s a table. Before it sits another table, three men and two women watching me. I can feel the judgment already. This was exactly what my first parole hearing looked and felt like.
We have a seat, and Matt’s the first to speak. “Ladies and Gentlemen, as Patrick’s parole officer, we’re here to provide proof he’s fulfilled the community service stipulation, his restitution payments are on time, and he’s kept himself a law-abiding citizen since his release. If it would please the court, we’re asking you to allow him to go to bi-monthly meetings as long as he checks in with a phone call every week. He has done everything the court has asked him to do, and it’s redundant for him to have to continue to see me every two weeks, when I’ve had no problems out of him and he’s building a business.”
I sit here, listening to people talk about me as if I don’t matter, as if they’re discussing what they’re going to have for dinner tonight.
"A business?" What looks to be the oldest person on the board asks.
“Yes, sir,” I answer. “I’m a mechanic, and I’m building a clientele.”
“How many clients do you have?” he asks as he looks at a piece of paper. “How many lives would we disrupt if we revoked probation and stuck you back in?”
I hate this, every little bit of it. I know he’s being a hardass on me, because that’s what they’re supposed to do. I’m supposed to feel remorse for what I’ve done, and I’m supposed to prove I’m a changed man. I am a changed man, but I don’t know if any of these people will ever be able to see it.
“Around twenty,” I tell him, adjusting in the seat so that I can set up straighter. “But I have a lot of walk-ins, and many people call me for my thoughts and expertise. The people whose lives would be disrupted the most if you put me back in though are those I’ve been working to help, specifically the little girl you’ve asked me to mentor. She looks up to me, she loves me,” I say the words, even though they’re hard to get through my tig
ht throat. “Told me so herself the other day. If I’m ripped from her life, I think it would undo all the good I’ve done.”
I watch as they huddle their heads together, tapping my fingers on the wood table. I know from experience this whole thing usually takes less than twenty minutes. Isn’t that crazy? Twenty minutes to decide your life. Less time than a sitcom to decide if you’re worthy of being kept out of prison. It’s always struck me as cold, and I feel the chill in my body today.
“Mr. Tennyson,” the same man speaks as the group breaks apart. “It appears as if you’re doing good things. Continue doing what you’re doing, and remain out of trouble. We’ve decided to go with your parole officer’s recommendation. Good luck to you, young man.”
“Thank you, sir,” I get up from the chair and push away from the table so fast I’m pretty sure I could have toppled both of them. Running through the hallway, I make it to the door, bursting through, inhaling the fresh air in my lungs. Bending at my waist and putting my hands on my knees, I inhale deeply, telling my pounding heart to slow down.
“You’re good, Trick,” Matt comes up behind me, rubbing my back. “You’re good.”
“I was scared,” I admit, breathing heavily, wiping sweat from my forehead as I straighten up. “You don’t realize how claustrophobic you are until you’re stuck somewhere you don’t want to be, and I told myself I’d never be back there again. Going before them, even if it was to prove I had completed the conditions of my probation scared the fuck outta me.”
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