The Cliff

by Gucker, Christie A. C.

  “I took the liberty of doing something else while you were gone.”

  “Oh? Do tell.”

  “I called the sushi restaurant and had a bottle of their finest wine brought to Dane and Lori with our warmest wishes for a happy life together.”

  “Oh you’re good. Can’t wait to see how that goes.” And within seconds of my saying those words, our waitress was back with champagne.

  “We just received a call from a gentleman. He said you would know from whom. He asked that we bring you our finest champagne with the message, and I quote, because he made me write it down. ‘To my favorite couple, I look forward to many years of friendship and lots of loving. Game on.’”

  Grant just shook his head and I suddenly didn’t know whether to be upset or laugh. What the hell?

  “I see they’re going to make it interesting. Believe me when I tell you, Lanie, I will not let Dane get away unscathed for what he did to you. I am only honoring your feelings and our families by not kicking the living shit out of him.”

  “Noted. And appreciated. But they’ve interfered enough with our date. No more talk of Dane or Lori. Tonight is our night.”

  “Agreed. With many more to come.”

  We dined on the most amazing Italian food I had ever eaten. The chef was straight from Tuscany, and you could tell. Everything was perfectly cooked and served. We shared every bite. If I had been sitting at another table, I would have been either jealous of the loving going on or sick to my stomach at the couple feeding each other and kissing in between bites. We finally were full and enjoying cappuccino.

  “So are you excited about your father coming tomorrow?”

  “I’m ecstatic that all the parents will be here. I’m a little nervous about how things will go with Dane, and also about telling everyone about us.”

  “Why, Lanie? Don’t you think our parents will love our being together?”

  “What if Joe and Jennifer wanted more for you? We have the same business, same house, and now you have the same girl who lives next door. What if they think you’re settling?”

  “Lanie, that’s absurd. My parents love you. And I think my mother has always known I’ve had feelings for you. She’ll be setting wedding plans up as soon as she finds out.”

  “She’s going to have to fight Samantha on that one.” I couldn’t believe I was sitting here talking to Grant about our wedding and who would plan it. I think I needed to run to the ladies’ room for another squeal. All this love was going right through me. I broke the squeal seal.

  “I’m sure she’ll wrestle Samantha to the ground for it. She might actually win.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think so. Samantha is in some damn good shape. She does body origami.”

  “Body origami?”

  “Yes. Kama Sutra, and she shared some with me. Can’t wait to try it out.”

  “Me neither! When can we try it all out?”

  “Just you wait for the limo ride home.” I licked my lips slow and seductively and I could see Grant break out into a slight sweat on his forehead. I felt the table jump and he repositioned himself in his chair.

  “Would you like to go now?”

  “Yes, please. Let me take care of the check.”

  Grant paid and I saw him slip the napkin into the billfold. He got up and pulled my chair out for me and we both shot the waitress a wink and a smile before leaving. When she gathered the check she would have a nice fat tip and a note on her napkin:

  Lisa,

  Thank you so much for your phone number. However, I am very much in love with the beautiful woman you saw me with tonight. If you are interested in a threesome, call us.

  Love,

  Dane and Lori

  And then he had scribbled down Dane’s cell number underneath the note.

  Mean? Maybe. Payback? Yes. We were sure Lori might not be too happy when Dane got a call from the super model. Matchmaking? Maybe. We hoped she would call him. Dane might look quite nice with her on his arm. When we got outside, we were giggling. It was out of character for both of us to do something like that, but it was fun just the same. Pierre was waiting for us. He smiled and opened the door. We got in and cuddled up on the far seat. Pierre got in and proceeded to close the partition and put on some great mood lighting and music. In the back of the limo were chocolate covered strawberries and more champagne.

  “What’s all this?” Grant said as he cocked an eyebrow at me.

  “I figured we deserved another ally. He’s in on it. And he promised not to spill the beans tomorrow morning.”

  “I just told him to send someone else to pick up the jerky twins.”

  “And I instructed him to just drive until we tell him to stop.”

  “Aren’t you the little seductress? What did you have in mind for our little road trip?” He growled against me.

  I could see he was already getting hard. Well-tailored suits just show everything in the best of ways. I kicked off my heels and jumped into his lap. Now I could feel him, too.

  “Why don’t you grab that champagne and I’ll grab the strawberries.” And we each did our job. I popped the end of a strawberry into my mouth and offered it to him. He gave it a nibble.

  “Mmm, Lanie, you are especially delicious this evening.”

  “Maybe I should put that berry somewhere else and see how you like the taste of that?”

  He calmly sipped his champagne, put his glass to the side and threw me on my back onto the seat. He positioned himself between my legs and slowly ran his hands up my thighs, raising my dress higher and higher.

  “Well, what a pleasant surprise! No panties?”

  “That’s right, Honey, making things easy on you.”

  “No, Lanie, you are making things extremely hard on me.”

  “Goody, my plan worked.”

  He grabbed his glass, put his lips to my sex and did a champagne shot off me. It was cold and the bubbles tingled as they hit, until his hot tongue lapped up all the liquid. The he grabbed a strawberry, which he ran over me.

  “Lanie, you’re so hot you’re melting the chocolate.”

  “You have that effect on me, no chocolate is safe.” He began kissing all the chocolate off, his tongue darting in and out. I groaned softly and then he did, and the vibrations had a quick effect. He handed me the strawberry without moving his hot tongue and mouth from me. I took it and gave it a nibble while arching my hips up from the seat to give him better access.

  “That would be better with some of you mixed in.” He growled again and I bucked my hips in response. He feverishly began going to town on me, and within seconds I was coming for him.

  “Oh, Lanie, I need to feel you.”

  “That can be easily taken care of.”

  I reached for his zipper and began to take the suit off his bottom half. Once he was stripped down, I pushed him back so we were now on the floor of the limo. I rode him hard and fast and didn’t let up my pace until we were both screaming each other’s names. We heard Pierre hit the horn to cover our noise which made us giggle together.

  “Guess that partition isn’t completely sound proof.”

  “I guess not.”

  We got ourselves back in presentable form and I hit the call button.

  “Pierre, you can take us to that location I told you about.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. Anything you want.”

  “That’s what he said.” I giggled and gave Grant a kiss on the top of his nose.

  “You be one lucky man, Mr. Grant.” Pierre said over the intercom.

  “Indeed.” Grant smiled at me and pulled me onto his lap. “Where are we going?”

  “You’ll see,” I said in a teasing tone.

  Soon I felt the limo slow down and then stop. I heard a knock on the window.

  “You all decent in dere?”

  “I don’t know about decent, but we’re dressed, if that’s what you mean.” Pierre opened the door for us.

  I had asked Pierre to take us to the beach Grant had brought me
the night of my disastrous prom.

  “Lanie, why are we here?”

  “Because …

  Chapter 19

  Kiss Me, It’s Prom Night Again

  “… I should have been your girlfriend the night you first brought me here. We were meant to be together and I was too blind to see it back then. I want to make it right. I want you to tell our children about how we kissed prom night. Kiss me, it’s prom night again.”

  Grant just stared at me. He said nothing, but he had a small smile creeping over his face. He reached out and caressed my cheek and then slipped his hand behind my neck and pulled me into the most beautiful kiss I had ever received from any man.

  When his lips finally left mine, he said, “Lanie, that is the most endearing sentiment I have ever been offered by any woman in my entire life. I would be honored to tell our children our love story.”

  “I would be honored to be the mother of your children.”

  “How about we head home and practice?”

  “I think I’d love that. We have to get up early and make sure we’re not caught in bed when the parental units arrive.”

  “Maybe that would be the perfect way for them to find out.”

  “You want my dad to find you in bed with me naked and all sex-messy?”

  “We should get up early and make sure our parents don’t catch us.”

  “Like I said …” I laughed, grabbed his hand and pulled him for a short walk down to the water before we headed home to practice.

  And we practiced all night. A lot.

  * * *

  It was a beautiful morning on the cliff. The sun was peeking into my bedroom. My alarm cat was slowly crawling up the bed to wake me. I waited until he was leaning right into my face and scooped him into the crook of my neck for an early morning snuggle. I rolled to my side to see my gorgeous man lying next to me, sleeping peacefully. This was the way I wanted to wake up every day for the rest of my life. And that was my plan. Then I noticed the time.

  “Oh crap. Grant, get up. The alarm cat didn’t go off early enough.”

  “Huh? What? Oh shit, what time is it? Is your dad here?”

  “It’s not that bad,” I giggled. “But he has been known to carry a gun.”

  “I have to go.” Grant dove under the sheets. He reached for my hips and pulled them to his mouth.

  “Grant, we don’t have time.” I giggled. “I can’t believe I just said that,” I mumbled.

  “There is always time. I promise to be quick.”

  “Then come up here so we both get some. God knows how long it’ll be until we get a chance again.”

  “I’ll make sure it’s tonight and every night.”

  I pulled him up to me and we had a quickie. When we were done, he rolled back over to go back to sleep.

  “No, Grant. We have to get out of bed.”

  “Lanie, they won’t be here for an hour.”

  “No, it’s been half an hour now. Our quickie wasn’t so quick.”

  “Crap. I’m out of here.” He grabbed his clothes and slid them on quickly. He planted a kiss on my lips and headed out the door.

  As he was galloping down the stairs, I heard him say,” See you outside in about ten minutes. I love you.”

  I threw my clothes on and put my hair up in a messy ponytail. I checked my face. Crap. I was glowing. Shit, shit, shit. I knew Jennifer would see it on my face in a second. I hoped Grant wasn’t glowing, too. Well, not entirely true. I hoped he was glowing.

  I made my bed, and ran down the stairs. I grabbed two cups of coffee; so glad I put the coffee on the timer last night, and headed out to the drive to do our big family welcome home. My timing was impeccable. When I got there, Dane and Grant were nose to nose, having words with fists armed.

  “What the hell is going on? This is neither the place nor the time to be doing this. You want our parents to drive up to you guys fighting?”

  They both backed away from each other and stood facing me like two little boys who had just gotten in trouble.

  “Not that I don’t think you deserve another shot to your junk, Dane. But while our parents are here, you will both play nice! Do you understand me?”

  “But …”

  “No, Dane, no buts!”

  Grant smiled a smug little smile.

  “That means you, too, Mister. No fighting where anyone can catch you. You want to beat the shit out of Dane, fine with me, but you take him for a long ride, far away.”

  “Yes, Ma’am. Anything you want.”

  “Good. Dane?”

  “But Lanie,” he literally whined.

  “Not another word. You will act like nothing has happened. And Dane, we’re not ready to tell our parents anything yet. If I find out you said anything, I swear to God I’ll kick your ass myself. Got it?”

  “Yes.”

  Again, they looked like two little boys who just got grounded for a week. And for all intents and purposes, they did. I handed Grant his coffee.

  “How do you want us to handle Lori?” Grant said to Dane. Not that he deserved anything from us, but this wasn’t about any of us. This was about our parents.

  “I told them I was seeing someone. She’ll be around. You can act like it was the night we had dinner together.”

  “And she will behave herself? Because if she pulls another stunt like the shower, so help me I will rip every hair off her head and then I’ll—”

  “Lanie, calm down. She’ll behave herself.”

  “I can’t believe you’re even talking to her, after everything. I can’t believe we’re even talking to you.”

  “But I didn’t do anything.”

  “Dane, are you kidding me?” Grant was getting heated again. I thought he was going to take his coffee mug and slam it into the side of Dane’s head.

  “I didn’t.”

  “You drugged me, Dane.”

  “I didn’t,” and he was interrupted by the sound of the limo coming up the drive.

  “This isn’t finished, Dane. You and I, we will discuss this further.” Grant’s angry face morphed immediately into a huge grin as Pierre pulled in front of us.

  The car wasn’t even stopped before the door swung open and Jennifer was jumping out.

  “Oh, my babies!” she squealed and grabbed us all into a huge hug. Haley was right behind her and she joined in.

  “We’ve missed you so much. I am so happy to see you all. Oh I’m so happy.” Jennifer grabbed us each individually for a private hug and then stopped at Grant and didn’t let go.

  Haley came over to me and grabbed me into a huge bear hug.

  “Lanie, Lanie. You look as beautiful as ever. You’re simply glowing.”

  I shot Grant a glance and blushed.

  “Haley, Jennifer, I’ve missed having some estrogen around here. I am so glad you’re home.”

  “These boys giving you some trouble, Lanie?”

  I could feel my dad standing behind me. I spun around and he was there with his arms open. I flung myself into them.

  “Dad!”

  “Lanie, I missed you.” He must have, because he and I weren’t usually so touchy-feely. But right now, I couldn’t keep my arms from around him.

  “Oh Dad. I missed you so much. I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “How about your other dads?” Joe said and he gave me that heartbreaking smile Grant had inherited from him.

  Joe and Jeff were now out of the car and we were all together again. The cliff family was whole. I felt my heart grow. I didn’t realize how much life they brought when they were here. Everything was going to be better now. I just knew everything was going to work out.

  “Why don’t we get our bags to the houses and meet for breakfast?” Jeff said. “I’m starving. Plane food just sucks.”

  “You’re telling me,” I quickly agreed.

  “Lori is at the house getting breakfast ready as we speak,” Dane smiled and grabbed Jeff’s bags. With his parents here, it was almost like our Dane was here. But I
knew deep down that wasn’t the case.

  “Lori? Your friend from high school?” my father, Jack, directed towards me.