by Jw Grodt
Brad’s face grew warm and he put a hand on her arm. “Please, take it as a compliment.” He hoped he had sounded as reassuring as he wanted to sound.
He opened the car door for her. First impressions were everything. Although he had been around her several times already, this was different. It wasn’t business.
“Brad, I don’t remember you being much of a baseball fan.”
“I’m not so much,” he said as he put on his seatbelt and started the car. “I’m more into football and basketball, but I remembered you liked baseball so I called a friend of mine and told him I needed tickets for a very attractive Nats fan. He gave me tickets and his parking pass.”
“Well, maybe I should meet your friend! Is he single?” She poked him in his ribcage and laughed.
He gripped the wheel tightly and gunned the engine, heading down the fresh, smooth asphalt strip that bordered residential lots of carpet-like sod and brick suburban estates. “He’s married, fat and has four bratty young kids. Still want an intro?”
“I was just kidding,” she said in a low, demure tone and averted her gaze out the window.
He held April’s arm as they made their way through the throngs of sports fans into the stadium. They grabbed a couple of beers and two dogs before they worked their way to their seats. She complimented him on the nice seats: they were high enough to see the entire field, right between home plate and first base. The first three innings went by quickly, three up and three down and then the same at the end of each inning. Then bottom of the fourth the Nats stayed awhile, ending the fourth with two runs scored.
As they talked between batters and innings Brad felt she was warming up to him. They ordered another round of dogs and brews at the top of the fifth and more beer and popcorn at the bottom of the sixth. The Braves had a 3 to 2 lead by the bottom of the seventh. The last batter hit a home run with no one on to tie the game and sent the game into extra innings.
“Well, I guess this gives us time for another cold one.”
“Say, are you trying to get me intoxicated and take advantage of me?” April teased.
“I never take advantage of anyone. Unless you want me too?”
“No comment.” She turned back to the game and he went to get two more beers.
The Braves didn’t score; the Nats loaded the bases and pushed in one more run.
“Well, my fair lady, we won! That’s a good omen.”
“Good for what?”
Brad faltered and changed the subject. “Are you hungry, we could grab—”
She cut him off. “Are you kidding? I have to run two extra miles tomorrow to get rid of what we already consumed. I would, however love a nice cappuccino, with skim milk and no whipped cream, of course. You game?”
“Your slightest wish is my command.”
“You are quite corny, Mr. Wallace.”
“Did you say horny?”
She slapped his arm but then slipped her arm in his. “You are a bad little boy aren’t you?”
April seemed to be taking his humor in stride. Maybe it was the beer, but for whatever reason, he was glad she didn’t appear offended. Brad drove to a coffee shop in a gentrified neighborhood and dropped her at the front entrance while he parked. When he walked up to the shop’s entrance, April was standing among the umbrella tables in the little patio area, talking to a couple. She introduced them as clients of hers.
“Shall we go in?” Brad said after the couple had departed.
“If we want coffee, I think we should.” She smiled and took his arm again.
He led her to a booth that looked out onto the street.
“Brad, I’m not sure if you are aware of this, but this place has the very best cannolis I’ve ever had.”
He gave her a puzzled look.
“Okay, so I’ll walk the extra two miles,” she said with a wave of her hand.
After they ordered coffee and dessert, she excused herself to the ladies’ room. Brad ogled her as she walked away. For a woman her age, she maintains toned legs and a great ass. He began to stare out the window and daydream.
“Excuse me sir, may I join you?” He looked up into April’s face. She had freshened her lip-gloss and brushed her jet-black hair that glistened in the low, canned lighting.
“I hope Julie doesn’t mind, but I’m just now realizing how lonely I’ve been.”
“You’re drifting away from me Brad. What do you mean you hope Julie doesn’t mind?” She sat down and gave him a look of concern.
“No, quite the contrary, I am drifting toward you. I have been admiring your beauty and thinking about my life since ….”
She reached over and put her hand on his. “I do understand. While my situation is different, I haven’t been seeing anyone either. Most of my time is spent either at home alone or working.”
“I think we might be two people with enough in common to begin a great relationship,” Brad said as the waitress put two cannolis and two coffees in front of them. They both uttered their thanks.
April directed her attention to her food, without responding to his last statement. He tried not to show his disappointment as they made small talk.
“Would you like anything else?” he asked when had finished.
“Oh, no thank you. I guess we should go.”
He wanted her in the worst way, but he wasn’t getting clear signals if she were feeling the same. “I’ll get the car and be right back.”
“Nonsense. It’s a warm night, I’ll walk with you.”
He paid the tab, left a tip and they strolled outside. The moon was just a sliver but the stars were bright, a rare scene for a Washington summer. It was usually too hazy or there was too much city light. Brad drove straight to her house. He got out and walked her to the door.
“Thank you, Brad for a delightful afternoon and evening.”
“What? No nightcap?” He said it somewhat tongue-in-cheek so he wouldn’t be embarrassed if she said no.
She looked deeply into his eyes. “Brad, I’ve always admired you, but I’m in no hurry. I’m not a player.”
“Is that what you think, that I’m not serious? You’re the first person I have been attracted to in a long, long time.”
She looked so deeply into his eyes it made him uncomfortable. After a few seconds that seemed like minutes, she turned and unlocked the door and led him into the brown-tiled foyer. A single lamp on a console table nearby lit the area. The rest of the house was dark.
She turned to him, inviting him to kiss her. One soft kiss led to another, each one more passionate and longer in duration. Within ten minutes they were like two starving beasts fighting over a scrap of food. They could barely keep from ripping each other’s clothes as they groped and tugged. She was guiding him toward her bedroom, backing up the stairs, reaching for a light switch behind her. When they were at last in her bed, thoughts of that day with Crystal began to flash though his head. He shook it off, forcing himself to focus on April’s body and all that it offered. He was slow to arouse, but finally, after words of encouragement and some adept foreplay on April’s part, he rose to the occasion. When he entered her, he closed his eyes and there was a rush of heat and then…Nicole, her face, her tits, her pink young fleshy folds. Keeping his eyes closed he went wild. He ignored April’s intermittent pleas to slow down. Once or twice he heard “Easy,” as if he were hurting her. When he finished, he collapsed beside her. As he regained his senses, he recounted his movements. Had he uttered her name? He wasn’t sure. He had certainly screamed it in his head. April snuggled up closely to him. Apparently he had done okay. She purred and whispered to him for a few minutes, massaging his belly. Then they drifted off to sleep.
Brad left just before daylight. When he arrived home he opened the front door without making a sound and tiptoed up the stairs. When he got to his room, he flipped on the light and stopped: the
re she was, Nicole, in his bed, the covers over her, sound asleep.
He crept lightly across the carpet and stood over her. Her breast rose and fell under the sheet with her breathing. He reached and lifted the sheet with two fingers. She was naked, peaceful, lying there like sin itself, tempting him. He moved closer, feeling his legs grow weak and begin to shake. His groin pulsed. Then, the feel and smell of April, her body against his only minutes ago, drew him back. What was he doing?
“Nicole?” he whispered. He repeated her name again and she moaned. He touched her shoulder and her eyes snapped open, looking at the ceiling. She sat up slowly and put her feet on the rug. Then she stood and walked out of the room, zombie-like, not uttering a word. He watched her nude form sway as walked away. Was she sleepwalking? Had she taken something?
Brad shook his head, stripped off his clothes and fell into bed. He was exhausted from his night with April. He hadn’t slept well at her place. Finding a naked Nicole in his bed was not what he had planned on. The bed was still warm where she had lain. He turned the pillow over as it smelled of her hair. He was thrown off his game entirely. He needed to focus on April. She had been wonderful: a mature woman who knew how to please a man. She was just what he needed. He reassured himself over and over as he desperately sought sleep.
He dozed on and off and at eleven he went downstairs. A note on the kitchen counter revealed that Nicole had gone to pick up Jared from the airport. “Sorry for yesterday,” it said. What did she mean by that?
Sunday night, contrary to Jared’s earlier suggestion that they have April over for dinner, April invited them to her place. They all sat in April’s formal dining room, resplendent with candles reflected in a massive Venetian mirror over a mahogany sideboard. Dinner went smoothly and the conversation was pleasant. Brad thought he noticed a slight catty edge to Nicole’s tone at times.
When it came time for dessert and coffee, April brought out a lavish, deep-dish cherry pie with coffee and a bottle of Baileys Irish Crème.
“Dad,” Jared piped up, “you found yourself a very attractive woman—who cooks like a dream, to boot! Ouch!” He looked at Nicole with a shocked expression.
“Oh, sorry dear. Was that your leg?”
“Yes, Nikki. It was,” he admonished.
She gave him a closed-lipped smile. “You’ll live.” Nicole tossed her hair and took a sip of her coffee. Then she cleared her throat and went on: “I suppose one needs companionship, but to have grown children and remarry is something I find somehow very distasteful.”
Brad reared up in his seat but Jared went for the save. “April this coffee with Bailey’s is great! A perfect ending to a perfect meal!” Brad started to speak but April patted his arm and he backed off. It wasn’t long before they said their goodbyes for the evening.
* * *
Over the next two months, he and April were together constantly. Their private discussions pointed toward a formalization of their relationship. One week when Jared was home, he and April invited the kids out to dinner. April handled the reservations at an upscale place not far from their now-favorite coffee shop, but Brad took a bit of license and secretly ordered champagne. He issued instructions for the ring to be placed in April’s champagne glass prior to the toast.
The crystal and china sparkled on the white tablecloth. In the golden light of a hurricane lamp with three tea lights in the center, April was glowing. She wore a bright pink silk blouse with a ruffled collar. A single diamond solitaire sparkled against her breast bone. Probably a gift from her ex. Brad made a mental note to replace it sometime with a more suitable carat weight.
Nicole was also looking her best. She had chosen the classic little black dress, the plunging neckline—no jewelry for those gorgeous tits. She knows she doesn’t need it—a challenge for any man to maintain proper eye contact. She kept her attention either on Jared or on the contents of her martini. Brad was having a hard time looking at his bride-to-be. He chastised himself frequently as he compared the two women.
The waiter arrived with the champagne. He wheeled the stand holding the silver ice bucket between Brad and April. Jared looked at him with raised eyebrows. Brad spoke up to get everyone’s attention.
“I have some news to share with everyone tonight and I felt a toast was in order. Brad stood and held out his glass. “First, to my son who has helped me through some dark days, to my beautiful daughter-in-law, whom I love as if she were my own daughter.” He gestured toward her. She gave him a blank look. “And, to April, who has filled a giant void in my life. Cheers!” Echoed “Cheers” rang out among clinking crystal.
“Wait, April,” Jared said after a swallow of champagne. “There’s something in your glass.”
April, who had not as yet taken a drink, looked down into the flute. Her eyes widened and she fished out the ring with handle of her salad fork. Brad grinned broadly as she beamed at handed it to him, her ring finger outstretched. He slipped it on and they kissed.
Jared was also all smiles, and he stood and raised his glass. “I want to say—”
“How can you do this to Jared?” Nicole slammed her hand on the tabletop and people seated nearby turned their heads. “How can you think of not respecting his mother’s memory?”
April shushed her. “The manager is coming over!”
Brad waved him off, mouthing “okay,” and April continued to address Nicole. “Nicole, Julie was my friend. I knew her well. I can assure you that she would not want her husband to go through life without a partner if he wanted one. I can also assure you that Jared had the finest mother he could ever have. You of all people should recognize that! You married him, for heaven’s sake! He’s a grown man, now, and I in no way have any intention of ‘mothering’ him. That’s been done. As far as Brad and I go, we are two consenting adults who take great joy in each other’s companionship—”
“You mean sex!” Nicole sneered.
“Nikki!” Jared grabbed her arm. She jerked it away, refusing to look at him.
“You and Brad aren’t in love! What a joke! He’s just using you for sex and you’re just a gold-digger!”
“Nikki, please!”
“I’m going to the car. Jared, are you coming?” Nicole got up from the table, tossed her cloth napkin onto the floor, grabbed her clutch from the table and stormed out.
“I’m so sorry Dad, April. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. She’s been out of sorts all day. I’m really happy for your both,” Jared said. He came around the table and kissed April and shook Brad’s hand as he gave him a hug.
“It’s all right, son. We’ll talk about it later. Take her home.”
“Yes, dear, it’s fine. Goodnight,” April echoed Brad.
Brad and April sat at the table and tried to enjoy the champagne as they talked.
“It’ll be alright,” Brad said. “Nicole lost her parents when she was young. I’m sure that’s where this is coming from.”
April put her left hand over his. The princess-cut diamond sparkled in the candlelight. “I’m sure you’re right, dear. We are going to be a very happy family, I’m certain.”
“Uh-hum,” Brad agreed. He touched his glass to April’s and took a drink. His eyes darted right over the rim of the flute, in the direction of Nicole’s empty chair.
CHAPTER TWELVE
With his new promotion, Jared still traveled but not as frequently. The alarm system seemed to do the trick and Nicole stayed home when he did have to go away. Brad wondered if April was also a factor in her staying away. Things settled down and Brad wasn’t faced with the worry of what Nicole would do or say next. The holidays came and Brad planned to celebrate in the usual Wallace tradition and have everyone around the tree on Christmas morning.
On Christmas Eve, Brad took April to dinner. They had not yet set a date for their nuptials. The incident at the restaurant had taken the wind out of their sails, somewhat, an
d they had both decided not to rush and to give Jared and Nicole some time to get used to the idea.
They went to a Brazilian steakhouse situated on a large lake and got a table with a view of the water. Brad ordered champagne once more. Once their glasses were filled, he got down on one knee in front of April and took her hand.
“An engagement isn’t truly an engagement unless there is a ring and a date. So I officially propose to you, once again, and ask that we fix the time. I was thinking that April might be in order. What do you think?” He smiled at his fiancé, who was dressed to perfection as usual in a print silk blouse with a holly motif.
“Shall we make it a double celebration and get married on my birthday?” April asked. She had told Brad shortly after she met him that she had been named for the month of her birth.
“I was thinking the last day of April, the thirtieth. That way, no one could come after me.” Brad winked.
She laughed and said, “Get off the floor, silly, and kiss me! That date works fine for me!”
The next morning, the family gathered at Brad’s for their Christmas celebration. April brought cherry kuchen, her German paternal grandmother’s recipe. Nicole also brought a couple of dishes.
The dinner table was alive with pleasant conversation that included wedding plans. Brad was surprised at how Nicole offered to help with arrangements. It gave him that “one big happy family” feeling as he savored April’s roast pork. He complimented his bride-to-be several times on her culinary expertise, and between grunts of satisfaction he eyed Nicole’s cleavage through the red tapers in the pinecone centerpiece. Her breasts heaved in the V of a green and red rhinestone-trimmed black sweater. As April talked on about flowers or some such, he fantasized over the sensation of his member nestled ever so sweetly—
“Brad! Did you hear what I said?” April put down her fork and looked at him.
“Hmmm? Oh … er … sorry, dear. I was just thinking about how I can’t wait to see the looks on everyone’s faces when they open their gifts! Actually, I’m stuffed. How about we all grab coffee and gather around the tree?”