“When will the first alternate flavor be ready?” he asks.
“Another few weeks or so. That one is a chocolate ale I’m hoping is a hit for Valentine’s Day.”
“Sounds interesting, but you know I’ll try anything at least once.”
“I’ll make sure to let you know when it’s ready. You can stop by the warehouse when we’re sampling it before we keg it. Tell me what you think of it then.”
“Sure, just text me.”
“Will do. Have a great rest of your night,” I tell them as they step away from the bar, stopping to say hi to Ashley before heading out.
We stay at the bar until around midnight when the crowd starts to thin. The staff will be able to handle the rest of the night on their own. I’m damn proud of our success tonight, and the weight that has been sitting on my shoulders since we started this venture has started to lift.
“You kicked ass tonight,” Ashley says as she lies in my arms in bed.
“Thanks,” I tell her, placing a kiss on the top of her head as I run my fingers through her hair. I love these moments when we just lie here, talking about whatever happens to be on our minds at the moment. Talk about our future, our past, failures, successes, our dreams. Anything goes.
“So, I’ve been thinking of something lately.”
“What’s that?” I ask.
“I think I want to enroll in a few classes for the spring semester. Start working toward my degree.”
“I think that’s a great idea. When does that start?”
“In a week. One of the classes I found is offered online, so I can do it whenever, and another one is offered as a night class. It’s Tuesday and Thursday nights, from six to eight, so it wouldn’t interfere with my work hours.”
“That’s great. What do you need from me?”
“Nothing. Just your support. It might take us a little bit to get used to my new schedule, and I’ll have to dedicate some of my evenings and weekend hours to studying and homework, but I think by limiting myself to taking only two classes at a time, it’ll keep me from overwhelming myself between work and school.”
“I think that’s smart. Start small and work your way up if you find that you can do more.”
“I’ve read over the tuition reimbursement policy at work, and plan to send Mandy an email on Monday to just verify things, but the way I understand it, is that I have to pay upfront for the classes, and upon completion of the class, I fill out a form and provide proof of my final grade. As long as it’s a passing grade, they’ll reimburse me one hundred percent of the costs, books, and any fees included, up to ten thousand each calendar year.”
“That’s amazing. With only taking two classes at a time, I imagine that you’ll be able to have them pay for the majority of your degree that way.”
“That was my exact thought. And I have enough in savings to cover the cost for the first set of classes, so I wouldn’t need to take out any student loans. At least, not at this point.”
“You wouldn’t need a loan anyway, babe. I’ve got enough in savings that I could help you out, as well.”
“I would never expect you to do that, Nick,” she says, propping herself up so she can look up at me.
“I know you’d never expect me to pay for it, but I love you and I know how important this is to you. I’ve got the resources and want to help you achieve your dreams.”
“You’re too good to me.” She leans in and kisses me.
“I could never be too good for you. If anything, you’re too good for me. I’m the lucky one in this relationship,” I tell her as Max attempts to jump up on our bed. I snap my fingers and point to his dog bed along the wall. “Max. Bed.” He walks over to it, circling it, before he plops down on it in a huff. If I didn’t know any better, I’d think he just told me off.
“You’re sure it won’t bother you that I’ll be gone those two evenings each week, or that I’ll be busy on the weekends doing homework?”
“No, and if it did, that would make me the biggest asshole on this planet. Look at how many nights and weekends I’ve been busy at the brewery these last six months. You’ve put up with my schedule our entire relationship, I can deal with you being busy following your dream of getting your degree.”
“Thank you,” she says, shaking with excitement. “I can’t believe I’m taking the leap and signing up for classes.”
“I’m fucking proud of you, babe. Seeing you overcome your fears and overcoming your shitty past is amazing.” I pull her in for another kiss, this time, flipping her onto her back so I can hover over her. I ravish her mouth before moving down her body. I cover every inch of skin I can touch with my lips before I reach her center, which I quickly cover with my mouth. I bring her to the edge with my tongue on her clit and my fingers buried inside her pussy, pulling back as I feel her ready to explode. I wait as her body calms down, only to do the same thing once again.
“Nick! I need to come!” she whines when I release her clit once again.
“Patience.” I smirk as I slide back up her body, stopping for a few moments to suck each of her nipples into my mouth. “As much as I enjoy you coming when my tongue is on your clit, I want you coming on my cock tonight,” I tell her, tapping the tip of my cock against her clit and watching her eyes as the sensation drives her crazy.
“Then fuck me already,” she cries, moving her hips to try and make me slide inside her.
“My pleasure,” I tell her, rolling on a condom before I push inside in one rough thrust. “Fuck.” I groan as her hot walls clamp down around me.
I hold myself up, an arm braced on either side of her head, as I pound into her. Her legs are firmly locked around my waist and her fingers dig into the skin of my sides, doing her best to hold on tight as I work to bring us both to the brink. I shift, sliding a hand to her breast, where I tweak her nipples, down her stomach until I’m circling her clit with my fingertips. Her wetness from earlier is still lubricating her clit and I apply firm pressure against it, knowing it will make her detonate any second.
“Yes,” she chants. I swear my cock slips deeper and deeper inside her as her hips shift up higher.
“Come for me, beautiful,” I tell her as I feel her walls start to contract around me. The tightness has me seeing stars, and I feel my balls draw up in the tightness of my own orgasm. I can’t stop it, so I just ride it out, slamming my hips forward one last time, burying my cock as deep as I possibly can, before I collapse forward, doing my best to not crush her under me.
15
Ashley
Four Months Later
“Hey.” Nick’s voice pulls me from my laptop. I’ve been staring at it all morning as I work on the first of my final papers.
“Hi,” I say, rolling my neck side to side as I stretch the kinks from my muscles.
“Can you take a break? Maybe have some lunch with me before I have to head to the bar?”
“Sure, let me just finish this sentence and save, and then I can take a break for a little bit.”
He leans in and presses his lips to mine for a chaste kiss. “Sounds good, I’ll go put together some sandwiches for us. Meet me out on the deck in five?”
“Yes. Thanks.” I smile up at him before he walks away, and I return my focus to my computer, finishing up and saving a few minutes later. I hit up the bathroom before finding him out on the deck, with sandwiches, potato salad, and two glasses of lemonade.
“Come sit down and relax,” Nick says, patting the seat he has pulled up right next to him.
“I needed this. Thank you,” I tell him after I swallow a huge bite of my sandwich. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was until you suggested some lunch.”
“I didn’t want to interrupt you when I got up, but when the clock kept ticking by and you didn’t stop, I figured you could use a short break.”
“Yeah, that and I didn’t eat anything this morning, just jumped right into my homework after I fed Max and made my coffee. I couldn’t skip that,” I tell him as I take an
other bite, this time of the potato salad.
“You can’t be doing that to yourself,” he chides playfully. “No more skipping meals.”
“I just wasn’t hungry when I first started and well, then I just lost track of time as I was in the groove. Sometimes, sacrifices are necessary. And it isn’t going to hurt me to miss a meal or two.”
“None of that shit now,” he says, a serious note to his voice. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
“You have to say that,” I tell him, rolling my eyes.
“No, I don’t, but it’s what I truly believe. You need to love yourself more than I love you, or anyone else loves you. You are an amazing woman, who’s beautiful, not only on the outside, but the inside, as well. If you don’t love yourself, then you’ll never be able to accept someone else’s love for you.”
“You’re truly a wonderful man. I do love myself, and I know I’m strong. I wouldn’t have made it this far in life if it weren’t for my strength during the hard times. I just wish these five extra pounds I’ve put on these last few months would go away. You keep feeding me all this good food, and the beer isn’t helping,” I tell him, poking his chest with my pointer finger.
“If I didn’t keep you fed, you’d forget to eat half the time,” he says, laughing.
“I’m not that bad!” I protest.
“You kind of are, babe,” he says as he finishes off his sandwich.
“Ok, maybe I am. So, sue me.”
“I’ll just keep feeding you instead.” He winks at me. “How late do you think you’ll be working on homework today?”
“I don’t know? Until I have it all done. I can’t believe finals are already next week. The time really has flown by already. I want to knock out my final papers that are due in both of my classes before I start studying for the tests.”
“Do you want to plan to come have dinner with me sometime this evening? You can sample the new summer beer I tapped yesterday. I think you’ll really enjoy it.”
“I can make that happen. What time do you want me to come down?”
“Whenever you want. I’m just the extra set of hands on deck, with it being a night we release a new beer. So, whenever you get there, I’ll just take a break and have dinner with you. If the bar is full, we can take the food upstairs to the office.”
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll head up there once I’m done with my work, then. It’ll give me something to look forward to.”
“You could invite Tiffany and Colton to join, if you wanted?” he suggests.
“Maybe. I might just wait until next weekend to get together with her. Wait until I’m not stressing over school for a little while.”
“You stress over school? Pfft. You’d never do something like that,” he teases. “Not that you have anything to stress over, Miss four-point-oh over here. My girlfriend is a smarty pants, one quality that I find extremely attractive, I want you to know,” he adds, pulling me in for a kiss.
“Sometimes I can’t help it.” I whine a little against his lips.
A devilish grin appears on his face. “I can help with relieving some of that stress.”
“I’m sure you can,” I say, laughing at his facial expression.
Nick looks at his watch, seeing just how late it has gotten. “Shit. I’ve got to get going. Don’t lose track of time and forget to come eat with me tonight,” he says, pushing back from the table and standing. He grabs his plate and empty cup, then bends down to kiss me before he heads inside the house. A few minutes later, I hear the front door close.
I stay on the porch for a few minutes longer, just soaking up the warm day we’re having. The sun on my skin feels amazing. So amazing, in fact, that I grab my notebook and laptop from inside, then head back outside and spread my things out on the table. I get to work, finishing up my paper, then start the paper for my second class.
I stop working when Max starts hitting my arm with his nose, not stopping until I give him my undivided attention. I’ve once again lost track of time, as I was in the zone. I look around and realize the sun has started to set, so that tells me it’s getting kinda late. A quick glance at the clock shows it’s already a little after seven, so I save my work before powering my computer down, and take everything inside. I get Max fed, then quickly change my clothes into something that is appropriate to wear outside the house, and head for the bar.
As soon as I walk in the back door, I know tonight is another stellar night. I can feel the rumble from the crowd before I see them, and just know the bar is packed again tonight. This is how it’s been for months now, especially after Nick started brewing house beers. Ever since that first night back in January, they’ve kept super busy with the brewery side of things and will be expanding the tank space this summer.
The plan is to eventually add in the equipment to have eight beers going at once. They’ve continued the Ash and Kat flavors constantly since the start, only rotating out the third option one small batch at a time. People have been flocking to that third flavor, knowing once it’s gone, it’s gone for good, maybe to return for a special occasion, but it might also not ever make it back into the rotation.
“Hey,” I greet Nick as I walk up to the bar.
“You finally made it.” He grins as he wipes his hands off on a bar towel before pulling me in for a kiss. “Missed you,” he says against my lips, then goes back in for another kiss.
“Missed you, too. Sorry it’s late, I lost track of time.”
“Again,” he teases.
“Again,” I reply, a smile of my own cresting my lips as I confirm his suspicion.
“What are you hungry for tonight?” he asks as he lets me go, so he can fill a couple of orders that came in for the new beer.
“I’m thinking a grilled chicken sandwich, but with no bun, sounds good. And extra sauce, please.”
He starts punching our order into the computer system. “What do you want for your side?”
“Um, some fruit if they have any.” I need to stay away from the fries and such as much as I can if I want to get these few extra pounds off.
“We do.” Nick finishes putting in our order and sends it back to the kitchen. “Try this,” he says, sliding a small glass with a sample pour of the new beer in it to me.
I pick up the glass and sniff the liquid first. I’m not a huge hop lover, but so far have enjoyed each of the beers Nick’s come up with. This one is his take on a summer shandy beer.
“This is really good,” I tell him as I finish off the sample.
“Thanks, it appears to be well-received tonight.”
“I told you this would all work out. You just had to have faith that it would.”
“I know, and your support has helped tremendously. I couldn’t have done all this without you.” He comes around the bar, then pulls me into his arms and drops his lips to mine.
“You could have, and you would have, even if our paths hadn’t crossed. None of your success has had anything to do with me being here.”
“You might not have been in the brewery, helping me physically, but the support and encouragement you give me when I’m stressed or trying to figure something out is just as important.”
“You do the same for me, putting up with my scatterbrain, between my work and school stress. If anyone in this relationship is thankful for the other, it’s me who’s thankful for you. You helped me pick my life up when I needed it the most, and I love you for that,” I tell him, pushing up on my toes to press my lips against his.
“Food’s up.” Katie places our plates down on the bar.
“Thanks,” we tell her at the same time.
“Let’s go upstairs where it’s a little more quiet,” Nick suggests, then grabs two bottles of water from behind the bar, handing them over to me before he picks up the two plates. I head down the hall and up the stairs to the office, with him on my heels.
“Did you finish your papers?” he asks as we dig in to our food.
“I finished the first one and
have the second one pretty much done. Just need to make one final pass over it to see if I need to add anything to it.”
“So, tomorrow is finals study time, then?”
“Pretty much. I might meet a few classmates at the library for a few hours to study together, just waiting to see if that pans out. So, if I’m not home when you get up tomorrow, that’s probably where I am.”
“Okay. You could always have them over to the house if you wanted. It won’t bother me.”
“That’s okay, I wouldn’t want to wake you if we were to get loud.”
“You know I sleep like the dead. I don’t think that y’all could wake me up just from studying.”
“You do sleep like the dead,” I say on a laugh. “Maybe I’ll offer it up as an option and see what they say.”
“I’d say I could bring home a couple of growlers of beer, but then I don’t think much studying would get done,” he jokes.
“Yes, do that. We can enjoy it after we finish studying. By then, we’ll all need it. I’m sure if I promise free beer, that will get them all to commit.”
“Okay, I’ll bring some home, then. One growler of each kind work?”
“That should be plenty. We don’t need to get hammered,” I tell him, looking at him over the rim of my glasses.
“Hey, watch it,” he warns. “Looking at me like that will get you into trouble.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I retort. I know he loves it when I wear my glasses, not sure exactly why. I usually only wear them at home, or when my eyes are tired. I left them on since I was so engrossed in my homework today, and didn’t see the need to put my contacts in before I left the house.
“Sure, you don’t.” He smirks. “You going to be awake when I get home tonight?”
I shrug my shoulders. “Don’t know. Depends on how late you’ll be.”
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