by Lucy Eden
He looked at me and his sly grin returned. “My parents sacrificed a lot to give me the best life possible and I wouldn’t risk throwing that away on a piece of shit like him.”
He nodded and patted my back as I walked through the front door.
“Now,” he continued, and I turned to face him, “If you were to ask me if a couple of degenerates from my old Jackson Heights crew would take that risk…” He shrugged. “But again, I don’t know anything about that.”
We had just served breakfast at Everyday Harvest and everything had to be cleaned and reset for lunch. I had just finished unloading a huge truckload of supplies, courtesy of my brother, on behalf of Waterford/Price.
I was in the dry storage room organizing plastic clamshell containers on the highest shelf when DeeDee slammed into me giving me a hug so hard that it nearly knocked me off of my feet.
“Thank you, so much.” She was teary-eyed. “Because of your donations, we can open the food pantry again. It’s going to help feed so many families this winter.”
Smiling down at her, I said, “I just made a couple of phone calls,” I shrugged and ripped open the next box.
“You’re too modest, Adam. I hope your girlfriend appreciates you.”
I gave her a sly smile. She’d been trying to fix me up with her niece for two weeks and I kept telling her that I was taken. She left me to my unpacking.
When I’d finished my last box, I walked into the kitchen to tell DeeDee that I was finished and see if she needed anything else done. She and her husband, Frank, the kitchen’s chef, were holding each other and swaying to Michael Jackson’s “Lady in My Life.” It was a sign too big to ignore. The universe was telling me, this could be you, but you’re an idiot. I’d learned enough about anxiety disorder to know that Kimberly didn’t mean to hurt me. She just needed time to process. She’d tried to apologize but I was too angry to listen. I was done delaying the inevitable. Frank twirled his wife and she spotted me.
“Hey, Adam.” She grinned. “Did you need something?”
“I’m gonna take off a little early, if that’s okay?”
“Of course, enjoy the rest of your Saturday.” She continued to sway with her husband. “But I’ll have to dock your pay.” She chuckled.
“Again?” I smirked.
twenty nine
Adam
I ran to her parent’s house, took the steps two at a time and rang the bell. A tall, striking woman with a bald head opened the door and smiled.
“Are you Kimberly’s Aunt Patrice?”
“Of course, handsome. Who else would I be?” She grinned, making me laugh.
“Hi, I’m—”
“Oh, I know exactly who you are. Wait here.” She closed the door. I turned around and took a seat on the steps catching my breath while I waited.
“Adam?” I jumped to my feet and turned around to see Kimberly standing at the door, looking nervous. She took a step forward and before she could say a word, I swept her in my arms and kissed her. I squeezed my arms around her waist and lifted her off the ground. She melted into me and folded her arms around my neck, grabbing fistfuls of my hair. She pulled away from me grinning. I slowly lowered her to her feet.
“Hey,” I whispered.
“Hey,” she replied. “What are you doing here?”
“Michael Jackson power hour.” I shrugged.
She chuckled and said, “I love you, Adam Price.”
“I know. You told me.” I grinned down at her. She came outside without a coat so I tucked her inside mine and wrapped my arms around her.
“I am so, so sorry.” She gazed up at me, her eyes beginning to fill with tears.
“I know.” I kissed her again. “You told me that too. I’m sorry I didn’t listen.” I squeezed her into me and we stood on her parents stoop holding each other. I felt her pick her head up.
“Oh my God,” she rolled her eyes.
“What?” I asked and she tilted her head toward the window. I looked over to see her parents, aunt, and both of her brothers watching us. I was relieved to see they were all smiling, especially her dad. Cole gave me a head nod and I returned it.
“They want to meet you.” She bit her lip and gave me a nervous smile. “Is that okay? It’s fine if it’s not. I know it’s really soon and—”
I kissed her and her words died on my lips. I pulled away. “I would love to meet your family. Anything I should know?”
She took a deep breath. “Well, my mom and Aunt Patrice already love you so you can’t screw that up, but I should warn you that my aunt is rich as fuck. I know you get intimidated by wealthy women.”
I narrowed my eyes at her and corners of my mouth quirked into a smile.
“My dad is obsessed with Warren Buffett, so if you know anything about Warren Buffett…”
“I met Warren Buffett when I was a kid.”
“Really? Definitely tell that story. Cole is completely obsessed with our dad. They both went to Harvard and he’s a first year associate at my dad’s old law firm. Also, they talk about Harvard like it’s Disney World, so don’t bring that up unless you want to talk about that all day.”
“So, I shouldn’t tell them that I got into Harvard and turned it down to go to Pratt?”
“I wouldn’t recommend it.” She laughed. “He also calls me Stringbean because—”
“Because you’re green and filled with peas?” I grinned at her.
She laughed. “That and I was taller than him until we were thirteen. Now, RJ is home from MIT. His major is long and hard to pronounce but he’s basically trying to turn humans into robots or robots into humans, I’m not sure. He’s a genius, like an actual off the charts genius, but don’t ask him about it unless you want to be a part of a long one-sided conversation about how racist, sexist, ableist and classist IQ tests are. Also, he might not shake your hand, but don’t take it personally. He doesn’t like being touched sometimes. He also may not laugh at your jokes, but that’s mostly because they aren’t funny.” She bit her lip and her eyes sparkled. I tickled her in response.
I sighed, nodded, and I must have looked a little nervous because she said, “Relax. They’re gonna love you.”
Her family did love me, but not as much as I loved them. They welcomed me with open arms and I fit right in as if I had always been there. We laughed, we danced and I listened to stories about Kimberly’s childhood. After a couple of hours, I took her out to lunch and I invited her back to my place.
“I thought your apartment was going to be small,” she said walking around the one room that was my kitchen, living room and dining room. I gave her a skeptical look and she kissed it off my face. “It’s also cleaner than I thought it would be.” She hopped on my island countertop and pulled me into her.
“My girlfriend is a bit of neat freak.” I grinned and kissed her.
“I am not a— did you just call me your girlfriend?”
I nodded and she wrapped her legs around my waist.
“I missed you so much, Princess.”
“I missed you, too, Mr. Price.”
She pulled off her shirt and I ran my hands up her back, remembering how much I loved the feel her soft skin under my fingertips. I found the clasp of her bra, unfastened it and slid it over her shoulders. My lips glided over her neck and chest. I reached over my head, grabbed my collar, and pulled off my shirt. She planted kisses on my chest, trailing her way up my neck before she reached up to kiss my lips again. I slid her off the counter and stomped towards my bedroom with our faces still attached.
I lowered her onto my bed and worshipped her body with my lips, tongue and teeth as she writhed and squirmed beneath me. Her body was even more beautiful than I remembered and I didn’t realize how badly I missed tasting and feeling her until she was in my arms again. I pulled one of her taut nipples between my teeth. She cried out, pleading for me to continue, telling me she loved me, and how much she missed me. Feasting on mouthfuls of the soft smooth skin of her waist and belly, I made my w
ay to the waistband of her jeans, unbuttoned them and pulled them over her hips revealing the familiar black lace panties that I’d dreamed about every night for past three weeks. I slid them down her legs before bringing them to my nose and inhaling the scent of her arousal, closing my eyes. My dick jerked in my pants and I grabbed Kimberly’s thighs and pulled her to the edge of mattress.
I planned on taking things slow and savoring every moment, but it had been too long, I missed her too much and my need was too great. I lowered my face between her legs; kissed, licked, and nibbled the skin of her inner thighs before moving to her clitoris, where I swirled my tongue over and around the sensitive bundle of nerves. Kimberly moaned loudly and her fingers flew into my hair and I knew she was close. I lapped up her delicious nectar before sliding two fingers into her and massaging. With my thumb pressed on her clit making tiny circles, I gazed at Kimberly’s beautiful face contorted in ecstasy so I wouldn’t miss her explosion. She came undone, screaming and calling my name. My balls tightened and I knew I had to feel her soft warm body wrapped around my dick.
I started to unbutton my jeans and Kimberly sat up to speed up the process. She grabbed my cheeks and kissed me before I had a chance to wash my face, taking me by surprise. I crawled on top of her reaching into my nightstand, ripped open a condom and put it on. I wrapped Kimberly’s legs around my waist and she squeezed them gently as I entered her.
“Oh, my god,” she moaned and her eyes rolled back in her head and her eyelids fluttered closed. I lowered my body onto hers and hoped I wasn’t crushing her because I needed to feel her warm smooth skin pressed against mine. I planted kisses on her neck and shoulders. I nuzzled the skin behind her ear with my nose as I inhaled the delicious scent of her curls.
I rolled onto my back and she gazed down at me smiling as her hips rose and fell. She looked like a goddess and I couldn’t believe she was really mine again. My hands roamed her gorgeous back and waist, desperate to reacquaint myself with every square inch of the body I’d been deprived of for three weeks.
“Kiss me,” she whispered and leaned down to press our lips together. I rolled us onto our side, digging my fingers into the flesh of her thigh. She was so close. I rolled my hips making sure I massaged her clit every time we connected and she came again, moaning into my mouth as my tongue caressed hers. Her clenching and spasming pushed me over the edge and I crushed her into me as my entire body tensed and relaxed.
“Oh, my fucking God,” Kimberly panted as she rolled onto her back and I closed a hand over her breast. “That was amazing!”
“I know, Princess.” I planted a kiss on the space where her neck and shoulder met. “I was there.”
thirty
Kimberly
We spent the rest of the afternoon in a sex-fueled haze as we tried to make up for lost time. When were too exhausted to continue Adam tucked me into the crook of his arm, before running his fingertips up and down the curve of my waist. He asked me about working for Vittoria. So, I told him about the whirlwind past two weeks of jet-setting and working ten to twelve hour days. I also told him about Matthew and Vittoria’s crazy fights and how watching two people so in love everyday made me miss him.
He told me about going to therapy and working to resolve his issues with his mother.
“I’m so sorry I said those things about her. I shouldn’t have…” I trailed off, unsure of what else I should say.
“No, you shouldn’t have.” He kissed my shoulder. “But you were right, so thank you. Just don’t do it again.” He tickled me. “And you are gonna feel so bad when you see her because she is so excited to meet you.” I knew he was teasing me but I did feel a little guiltier.
He told his mom about me and she’s excited to meet me?
“Well, you were right about the project management team. I should have just waited until I had more information. I’m sorry I put you through that.”
“Princess, I’m just happy for you. I understand why you were mad. Shit, I was mad, too. I just wanted us to be mad together, not mad at each other. I will always have your back. Do you remember what I told you on that balcony in Barbados?”
“That you were very good at sex?” I answered with a smirk. He laughed and tickled me.
“Before that, smart ass.”
I turned to face him. “You told me that you would never do anything to hurt me and that I could trust you.”
He nodded and kissed me.
“Hey?” He started rubbing my back. “Why didn’t you tell me about what happened at the airport on Friday?”
So many things happened that day that I had to think for a second before I realized what he was talking about. I shrugged. “I don’t know. It was such a crazy day, I didn’t think it was a big deal. I mean, I’m not trying to trivialize it. It was definitely wrong, but I guess I just didn’t want to bother you with it. How did you find out about it anyway?”
“Someone filed a complaint. My brother is a major shareholder in the airline and the passenger—” He bopped my nose with his fingertip, “—was booked under our family’s account. So, he was pretty pissed.” Adam retold the account his brother was given.
Apparently, I had come into the First Class lounge skipping and smiling when the evil lounge attendant leaped over the bar and screamed at me demanding to see my boarding pass. Then, I burst into tears and ran wailing to a dark corner of the lounge until I was so upset that I decided to leave the airport without boarding my flight. I laughed so hard I snorted, which made Adam laugh and it was a while before we could regain our composure.
“Yeah, it sounded a little off to me. So what did happen?”
I gave him my version including the woman in the Chanel suit, who I guessed was the one that filed the complaint. We held each other I wondered if he was also thinking about how sad we both were that day.
“So what happened with the complaint?” I said.
He shrugged. “I know they’re doing some kind of employee training thing so nothing like that happens again and the attendant was fired immediately.”
“Really?” I sat up. I’d read about this happening on social media all the time, but I’d never been a part of the story. I hoped there wasn’t a video. He folded his arm around my back and eased me back on to his chest.
“Well, her only job was making First Class passengers comfortable in the lounge. How do you think she did?”
I made a comically dramatic thinking face. “She wasn’t very good at her job,” I said.
“She wasn’t very good at her job,” he agreed. “Plus, my brother loves firing people…People who deserve it,” he added, seeing the look on my face. “My sister in law stopped him from firing a doorman last year and he still brings it up.”
“So, I guess I shouldn’t accept that job offer from Waterford/Price?” I smiled. This time he sat up.
“Are you serious?” he asked.
I nodded, laughing at his shocked, angry expression. “I got a call from their HR department asking for a meeting, but I turned it down.”
“That asshole,” he muttered before kissing me again. “Well, I’m not gonna press you about the airport thing. If you say it’s not a big deal then I trust you, but I don’t want you to feel like you can’t tell me when something or someone bothers you. I know you don’t need my help but—”
“Actually,” I rolled on top of him. “I kind of missed your macho bullshit.” I kissed him. “But you know, you can’t fix everything.”
“No,” He rolled on top of me, planting kisses on my neck. “But I can try and I’ll always listen.”
“What if you’re the one who’s bothering me?” I grinned up at him. He laughed and reached into the drawer.
“Especially, if I’m the one bothering you.” He tucked the condom in between his teeth and ripped.
My lips felt like they’d been stung by bees. My legs felt like jelly and I was starving. Adam was laying on his stomach with his arms tucked under his head and I was laying across his back running my fingers
through his hair causing him to moan contentedly.
“When did the sun go down?” I asked.
“Around the same time you did,” he said laughing and I pinched him.
“I’m hungry and I need to take a shower.”
“Okay, you get started. I’ll order dinner and meet you in there.” He smacked my ass as I walked away from the bed making me to yelp. I narrowed my eyes at his grinning face and made my way to his dresser to find a t-shirt and boxers. I’d opened the top drawer when I saw something that made me smile. Adam had bought me a satin pillowcase. It was black, just like the one I had at home. I moved it to the side looking for boxers when I saw something else.
“Hey, Kimberly! Stop!”
Adam had managed to block me, but he was too late. I’d already picked up the shiny yellow cube and examined it, looking from it to him and back again. The color drained from his face and he ran his fingers through his hair.
“You weren’t supposed to see that,” he whispered.
“Is this a…?” I couldn’t finish my sentence, so I started another one. “Were you going to…?”
“Do you want to see it?” he asked.
I shook my head before I could think about it. He nodded, took it from my hand and slid it back into the drawer before pulling out a pair of boxers. My fingers shook as he tried to hand them to me, so he gave up and put them on top of the dresser.
“I was going to give it to you when the time was right. Not today, but maybe weeks, months or even years from now. I know that you’re the only one I want to give it to. So, I just wanted to be ready.” He reached out and placed his hands on my shoulders and leaned forward to look me in the eyes. “Are you okay?”
I nodded and gave him a small smile.
“Is there even the slightest chance of you not obsessing over this?”
Hell Fucking No! This is the only thing I’m going to think about forever.