by Cookie Jones
* * *
“Where have you been? You nearly missed your own father’s funeral and you smell like a gutter.”
That lovely comment from my mother greeted me as I walked…more like waltzed into the church for dear ol’ dad’s funeral. I’d been out all day and night, bar hopping. But so what, the suit I had on from the day before was black and as long as I had my shades on, no one would think anything. Well, except for Marge; it seemed like she lived to criticize me.
“Calm down, I’m here…let’s go.” I slurred my words a little bit and then stepped ahead of her into the church. I thought it had been pretty full for the wake, but holy shit was it packed down to the last pew for the funeral.
“I cannot believe you, I cannot believe you,” she hissed as she caught up to me and took my arm, equally for appearances and to keep me walking straight.
The aisle stretched out forever as we went to the first pew and sat down. Dad’s casket was closed that time, all the impressive stone work of the church caught my eye and I looked all around. The roof was impressive, as well as the stained glass windows.
“Would you stop looking around like that? Everyone will know you’re drunk,” Marge hissed at me again, under her breath.
I sighed and then looked around her. Buddy was there with his parents, he was looking at me with concern and I smiled sloppily at him.
“Heyy, man,” I said, feeling pretty good after the condolences of all the alcohol. “Dude, my car is—”
“Shh,” he said and my eyes furrowed, I was going to tell him that my car was parked at a bar somewhere and I didn’t even know how I got back to New Haven.
“We need to switch seats, I can’t stand to sit next to him,” Marge said and I gave her a face, then stuck my tongue out at her.
“You never loved me…all you do is hate on me…” I pouted and Buddy muttered something about strength and the lord under his breath as he traded seats with Marge. “She never loved me, Buddy, neither of them did. Otherwise, they’d want what I wanted for me…” I said, loud enough so that Marge could still hear, and probably the two pews behind us as well.
“Dude, shut up, for real,” Buddy said and gave me a hard gaze that said, ‘not here, not now’.
“Fine, later,” I mumbled and he sighed deeply.
Some choir emerged from nowhere behind the pulpit and casket and started singing some haunting song that gave me goose bumps and would have made even a stranger to Dad cry, if one was in the room. I didn’t cry, though, I wouldn’t let myself, plus everything had a sort of cartoon like filter to me. It’s like the alcohol made none of it real. That just meant I wouldn’t remember much of it the next day and that I could live with. After the singing came the sermon and then a eulogy from one of Dad’s closest friends, our neighbor Jeff. I didn’t even know he was the one giving the eulogy. After that, Marge spoke and a few others, then more singing and finally the damn thing was over.
“I gotta get out of here,” I practically sang and then chuckled at myself. Buddy sighed harshly and then took my arm.
Everyone was exiting from their pews and the place was getting tight. He led me out to the clear blue day and there was even a bit of a cool breeze.
“It’s such a nice day,” I said and Buddy hauled me towards his car.
“We’re going home, you’re taking a shower, and changing. Right now,” he said and I groaned.
“Aw, fine, if you want. Don’t think you’re my dad now,” I said and Buddy simply shook his head back and forth. I laughed at him as he got me into his car and then drove me to the house, which was actually just Marge’s house, she’d probably kick me out after the funeral reception.
“Hey, guess what…” I told Buddy as he hauled me out of the car and into the house, up to my old room.
“What Nick?” he asked, sounding exasperated.
“He gave me everything. Well, not everything, but mostly everything. He gave me the company and…I am loaded,” I said and laughed again.
Buddy actually stopped as we were halfway up the stairs. Catering and event staff were walking around on the main level, getting last minute stuff set up and they looked like little uniformed robots to me. I’d never ever hire a maid unless I had a blowout party that required a cleaning service. And since I inherited all our vacation homes in places like Miami…I’d definitely be having a blowout there. I made plans to call Selena after the whole funeral hoopla.
“You’re telling me you’re…you own Price Holdings?” Buddy asked me in shock.
“Yup, his last act to guilt me into doing what he wanted. But you know what…I’ll stick around and find a new CEO. I’ll become the silent owner so I don’t have to worry about that place,” Buddy actually breathed a sigh of relief.
“Well, at least that much is good,” he mumbled and then continued getting me to my bedroom. Once I was showered and changed, I actually felt a little sober. So while Buddy wasn’t looking, I quick hopped and skipped down to the bar and had myself a few glasses of bourbon.
“Dude, what the hell?”
“Damn, busted!” I said and he snatched the bottle and glass away from me. Then we heard the sounds of people coming into the house and Buddy pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Can you please just pick a corner, and stay in it?” he asked and I nodded.
“Of course, as long as I have something to drink to keep me quiet,” I grinned at him and he shook his head at me.
“No,” he said and then pushed me away from the bar and towards the kitchen where there was a small hallway for the help to get to and from the dining room discreetly.
It was a low traffic area since everyone was in the living room or out on the deck, that sort of thing. “If I leave you here, you won’t go wandering and say anything to embarrass your mom?” he asked me and I just waved him off.
“Whatever man,” I mumbled and Buddy looked at me for a while before he told me he’d be right back and then left.
I leaned against the wall and pouted; it’s like I was put in damn time out. Fuck that, I wasn’t a little kid. I kicked off of the wall and waltzed out to the dining room. The back of the room was all window and I could see out to the deck and outside dining area. People were milling around in all black, but it didn’t seem like half of them even cared that my dad was dead. They were all talking and smiling like it was a regular fucking party.
My eyebrows furrowed and I huffed, then walked out onto the deck. Eyes followed me as I made my way to the deck’s railing and leaned against it. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, I simply made myself visible to those who weren’t looking very condoling. I smirked as I laughed at my made up word, and then someone came up to me.
“Nick, I’m so sorry about your father’s passing. How are you holding up?”
I didn’t recognize the man standing across from me. He was wearing a dark suit, just like most of the other men present. Maybe he was some business partner of my dad’s.
“Thank you and…I’m—uh, coming to terms.” It gave me a headache to try not to appear or sound drunk.
“I can’t even imagine, I hope you know that we’re here for you and your mother, always,” he said and I tried to focus on his face to place the man, but I was just drawing a blank.
“Ah, thank you…thanks,” I said and the guy clapped me on the shoulder before he walked off.
I decided to move around to avoid more encounters instead of being a sitting duck. Then I noticed a pair of caramel colored legs, long and with all the right curves. Man, only God could have drawn those lines on a woman. Then the ball buster of the century stepped into my line of sight.
“I thought Buddy put you away somewhere?” she said with her hands on her hips and a disapproving stare in her blue eyes. I wondered how on Earth it was possible for me to come within an inch of hate for the woman in less than a week.
“Put me away?” I asked incredulously and she glanced around, then pulled my arm and led me to where Buddy had originally hidden me. “Hone
stly, what is wrong with you? What did I do to make you hate me?” I asked her, not caring to keep my voice down and too drunk, also. Plus, it wasn’t like anyone was around.
“We aren’t doing this right now, Nicholas, you should go upstairs or leave. I don’t want you around like this, trampling all over your father’s memory,” she said angrily and I laughed.
“Oh, I’m trampling his memory? Yet you’re treating his son like crap, your son!” I threw that in her face and she fumed; I recognized her resolve to fight me in her eyes. I often wore the same expression when I was ready to have it out with someone. It was odd when you learned what you inherited from your parents, what actually made you a blood relation, a product of them. I definitely got my attitude from Marge.
Chapter4
Clary
My eyes were wide as I overheard the explosive argument between Nick and Marge. I was standing just outside that hallway, in the kitchen. They were practically screaming at each other and I wondered if the entire house could hear them. Then I wondered if I should be eavesdropping. I had only gone in search of a bottle of water. The caterers weren’t serving anything I wanted to drink and…that’s when I heard.
“All I wanted was for you guys to understand that this isn’t the life I want for me! I’m not some puppet!” Nick yelled and Marge was right back at him in equal volume.
“You never even once tried to learn about your father’s company or try to see if what we wanted for you was worth something. We didn’t just want marble and a pedigree wife for you, Nick, we wanted you to be happy and to have your life together, to have some security, some certainty in your life! You never tried, you just left! You disappeared!”
I pressed my lips together and then started to back away slowly, but, of freaking course, the bottle of water had to slip out of my hand and make a big fat mess everywhere.
“Shit,” I whispered and then, as quietly as I could, went in search for a kitchen towel to mop up the water. They were arguing so loud they didn’t even hear the bottle hit the floor or the water spill. I managed to get things cleaned up just as I heard the argument end.
“You are drunk off your ass, Nicholas, and I don’t want you in my house. Maybe when you’re sober I’ll consider letting you come back,” Marge said harshly and Nick yelled a loud, ‘fine’ at her and I heard his feet stomping down the hall. Towards me.
“Shit, shit,” I squeaked and then tried to scurry away so it wouldn’t seem like I overheard everything…on purpose.
“Clary Richards…” Nick’s voice crossed the space to me lazily and I turned around to see that he was very clearly drunk.
His beautiful curly hair was in a bit of a disarray, all in his face, and his eyes were red and unfocused. They were also pointed down at my legs. I wore a black pencil skirt, and dark blue blouse that was appropriate for church; it had sleeves and didn’t show too much cleavage. Yet the way he was looking at me said clearly he wanted to see me out of my skirt.
“Uh…Nick, you uh, you don’t look to good,” I said nervously.
I tried to ignore the fact that the way his green eyes were sliding up and down my body made me feel all warm and a little tingly. I mean we were just at his dad’s funeral, for Pete’s sake, he shouldn’t be looking at me like that and I shouldn’t be…entertaining it.
“Yeah, I gotta go. Mom kicked me out for being bad,” he said and then smirked at me with mischief in his eyes and a bit of salacious intent.
“I heard, that was horrible…” I said and sort of fidgeted. I couldn’t imagine what was going through his mind at that moment.
“Yeah…um…yeah, I probably shouldn’t have yelled at her like that. Truth is, I think I’m just a bad son…” he said, suddenly getting all serious on me and then his eyes teared up.
Oh God, was he seriously going to start crying? Then the first tear fell and his shoulder slumped, his head fell in a bob and then he really started to let it out. Sobbing and everything.
“I didn’t even get to say goodbye to him, if I had stayed and been a good son I could’ve said goodbye,” he sobbed and my heart went out to him. He was grieving and crushed and obviously couldn’t handle all the emotion.
“Hey, hey…come on, why don’t we just—” I walked over to him and put my arm around his broad, surprisingly rock like shoulders, and then some of the catering staff came into the kitchen to change out trays of appetizers. “Let’s get you away from the people,” I murmured and he nodded and quieted his sobs, though he continued to cry.
I spotted a small stair case at the back of the kitchen and I led him upstairs. Then I pretty much followed him as his feet led us to his bedroom. Or what I assumed was his bedroom.
It was painted a pastel shade of blue and decorated in masculine woods and metals. The room was just as spacious as my old one next door, though the Price’s home was a bit more modern and had those floor to ceiling windows and such. I walked Nick over to the reading corner next to the huge window and sat him down on the chaise.
“I’m sorry I cried all over you…and you look so nice,” he mumbled and I gave him a slightly concerned smile…okay, a full blown concerned smile.
“It’s just water,” I commented and then those eyes, all the more green after his tears, were on my legs again.
“I’ve never seen your legs before…” he commented and I wondered if I should make my exit soon, maybe find someone to look after him. I heard he was still friends with Buddy, who also used to live in our neighborhood with his parents.
“Yeah, well, I’m going to go find Buddy, you’re still friends with him right?” I asked and Nick nodded.
“Yeah, but I don’t want Buddy…I want you,” he said in a husky voice, then before I could react, his hands reached out to caress my legs from ankle to the sensitive backs of my knees.
A tingling sensation traveled to the sensitive muscles in my belly and made my knees kind of weak. I didn’t know if it was because I hadn’t had any sort of sexual encounter in a while, or if it was because Nick was so damn gorgeous that I reacted so instantaneously. But I definitely had a case of the butterflies and sort of swayed towards him. Nick stood up and I leaned against his rock hard chest that had to be all muscle. His lips closed in on mine pretty quick and they were ridiculously smooth, but firm and almost demanding as they moved against mine. I slid my tongue along his bottom lip and his hand went around my waist and pulled me against him securely. I could feel the bulge in his slacks pressing impatiently against my core.
My blood heated even more and then he was tasting me, his tongue slid against mine and I sort of went limp against him. He made an appreciative moan in the back of his throat and his other hand swept down along my waist and thigh. Then he picked me up and laid me down on the chaise. His warm weight settled on top of me, though he propped himself up on one of his forearms. He kissed my neck and then my jaw and collar bone. Then he sucked on the sensitive skin of my neck and chest, slowly making his way towards my breasts. I arched underneath him and sought out some friction with his erection that pressed into my thigh. He moved his hips and pressed it right against my core, causing me to moan and rub against him.
“Fuck,” he said gruffly and then he quickly sat up and practically tore out of his clothes.
I was wide eyed and a bit awed at his physique. There wasn’t an ounce of fat on him, just pure ribbed muscle with beautiful tan skin taut over it. I reached out to touch his stomach and waist and he bit his lip; his eyes were nothing but pure heat as he looked at me. I had forgotten that he was drunk or that we were still essentially at his dad’s funeral. By that point, I just wanted him, I really, really wanted him. I felt his hands pull at my clothes and then they caressed down my legs and he pushed off my heels.
“Please, get this stuff off of you,” he said and, his breathing just as heavy as mine.
I took off my blouse and skirt. I went to unclasp my bra, but Nick beat me there. It hooked in the front and when he saw that his hands went to my breasts and he moaned.<
br />
“My God you’re sexy,” he said and I was immensely glad that I wore a matching bra and panty set.
It was lacy and white and Nick couldn’t stop running his hands up and down my waist and over the cups of my bra. Eventually, he leaned forward and sucked on the tops of my breasts while he unclipped my bra and pushed it off. Then his teeth closed around one nipple while his fingers pinched the other and a sharp bolt of pleasure strode right down to my core and my sex clenched impatiently. I moaned and then reached for his sex, it was warm and rigid, yet the skin was silky smooth.
Nick bucked in my hand and groaned, but he pumped his cock into my hand as I gripped him and kept teasing my breasts. I was beyond aroused and I knew if he kept things up, the pressure would be too much and I’d climax soon and he hadn’t even touched my sex yet. Another strong pang of pleasure made my belly weak and I gasped. Nick climbed off of me and then knelt on the floor, he pushed my legs open and then got distracted by them.
“You have such long sexy legs…” he said huskily and then he caressed them and trailed kisses up my calves.
My chest was heaving from breathing hard and my nipples were taut from my arousal and the sudden chill from him taking his attention away. He hooked his fingers under my panties and pulled them off slowly; his eyes were wide and on my body as if I were the most beautiful sight to him. He spread my legs wide and then spread the lips of my sex with his fingers.
“It’s so pretty…nice and light brown and then pink inside,” he said and my vision actually blurred after that, I was so worked up and turned on.
“Please Nick…I can’t take this,” I begged him and he actually smirked at me before he lowered his head and flicked his tongue out against my wet folds. He slid his tongue over and around my clit and then I came apart.