The Doctor's Fake Marriage: A Single Dad & Virgin Romance by Amy Brent (33)

Tom smiled, looking relieved. "I knew you would come through for me. You're like an uncle to her."

God, I hoped not. We turned back to Megan. Tom smiled. I plastered something that resembled a smile onto my face and looked at her.

"Brian will see to it that you're in the right place, honey." He stepped toward Megan and kissed her on the forehead. "You know you can call me anytime." He squeezed her hand and she nodded. She looked emotional. Was she going to cry? I really hoped not. Tom turned and hurried away. Megan and I stood facing each other, each with a mouth full of words and nothing to say to each other.

"Shall we?" I gestured toward the elevator. "You need to be on the ninth floor."

She nodded. I pushed the call button for the elevator and a moment later the chrome door slid open. Megan stepped in first. I followed. When the doors closed us in I was aware of how small the space was, how close we stood to each other. The last time I'd seen her I would have given an arm and a leg to be in a such a private, confined space with her. Now I felt claustrophobic. The tension grew between us, the air in the elevator getting thicker and thicker as we slowly slid up one floor after the other.

"I don't appreciate what you did," I said, unable to bear the silence anymore.

"It's not what I did, it's what the two of us did. Together."

I glared at her. I was angry now. "You could have told me who you were."

"You wouldn't have slept with me, then."

I shook my head, looking straight ahead. It was better not to look at her. I was furious and infatuated and I didn't want to like her. I wanted to be angry and angry alone.

"That's the point I'm trying to make."

She was silent for a beat. "Did you want to sleep with me?"

I swallowed. "That's not the point."

"Did you?"

Dammit. "I did, but--"

"Then there are no regrets because it was what I wanted and it was what you wanted and we did it."

How could she be so blasé about this? Maybe because her career wasn't at stake the way mine was.

I glanced at her. She was composed and calm, the opposite of what I felt. I was frantic, screaming on the inside, trying to justify what I'd done, trying to justify it by saying that I'd been tricked. Even though she was right - it hadn't just been her.

She looked like nothing was wrong. She was more in control of the situation than I was. Between me and her, I was the child. It made her sexy as hell. There was nothing more attractive in this world than a woman who knew what she wanted and oozed confidence and conviction.

Shit! I couldn't want her. This was wrong. I couldn't feel this way about her. She was Tom's daughter. She was a child. She was... making me spin out of control. This couldn't happen. The door pinged and opened on floor nine and I was relieved that I could escape her now.

This could not happen.

Chapter 6: Brian

For weeks after she was hired I only heard good things about her. I couldn't set foot in the office without hearing how well Megan was doing, how on top of things she was, how she was mastering her position. Raises, promotions, an office of her own - these happened in quick succession.

The office was on the same floor as mine. I hated it. I tried everything not to have to run into her. Most of the time it worked.

I sat at my desk trying to balance figures until it was way past dark. When I looked at the clock it was nearly ten. I looked out the window. The city was stretched beneath the window with twinkling lights in the night. Cars crawled in the distance, headlights two little specs in the dark.

I got up, collected my coat and my briefcase and locked my office door. There was a light still on, coming from one of the other offices on the floor. Someone else was working late. When I got closer I realized it was Megan's new office that still had a light burning in it.

This spelled trouble. I was already in a bad place with her - I couldn't afford to sleep with her again and I didn't know how well I would be able to control myself if she made a move on me the same way she had last time. She wasn't only seductive and beautiful but her success in the company added to her attractiveness. I tip-toed past the door, peeking in.

The office was empty, thank God. If I hurried I could get out of the building before she came back from wherever she was and the chaos would be averted.

The sound of someone throwing up pulled me up short. It wasn't uncommon for the models to make themselves sick but they didn't do it around where we could see it and this sounded almost desperate, the kind of retching that made you think the person was coughing up a lung.

I took a step toward the bathroom. A moment later Megan appeared looking pasty and tired. My heart flipped a little. I tried to tell myself it was sympathy, not affection. It had to be.

"Are you okay?"

She flashed a watered down smile and walked toward her office. She wore a pencil skirt that hit her low on her thigh - quite a modest look for her, fit for the office. It looked spectacular on her. Her knees below the skirt line were red like she'd been kneeling on the floor for a while.

I followed her to her office. It was my job to make sure she was okay, even if my motivation was a little skewed. No one had to know what but me. No one had to judge me by it more than I already judged myself.

"Are you sure you're alright? Can I get you something?"

She sat down at her desk and rubbed her hands down her face. When she looked up at me again her eyes were tired, like it was much more than just lack of sleep.

"Really, Brian, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me."

If there was anything I'd learned through my divorce and all the women I'd dated it was that if a woman said she was fine, she probably wasn't. I turned and left the office, walking to the water cooler and filling a paper cup with water for her. I carried it back to her office and held it out to her over her desk.

She looked at me, eyes uncertain before she took it. She drank a bit.

"Why are you being nice?"

Was this a trick question? I shrugged. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

She chuckled without emotion. "Nice of you. I can't imagine what your motivation is."

I sat down on the chair facing her desk where she received visitors. "Just because you did something I felt you shouldn't have doesn't mean I shouldn't care about your well being."

"Because I'm your friend's little girl?" There was bitterness in her voice.

I shook my head. "Because you're a person and no matter what the situation was we still slept together. That puts me in the bracket where I still care about your existence."

She sighed and her lip trembled. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"What is it?"

She shook her head and looked down at the desk although through teary eyes like that I was sure she wasn't looking at anything.

"I can't tell you."

I took a deep breath. "I'm not going to tell your father if that's what you're worried about. I respect you as an individual. The fact that you're Tom's daughter is a coincidence. Inconvenient, but a coincidence nevertheless."

She sobbed, a small, fragile sound.

"Thanks, but I don't think this is something you can help me with."

That sentence just made me want to help her that much more. There was something about a woman crying that awoke the protective primal male inside of me and that fact that it was Megan - delicate and young - that made it that much more.

"Come on, try me. Maybe we can fix it. Maybe it isn't as bad as you think."

She swallowed.

"I'm pregnant."

It felt like something sucked all the air out of the office and I couldn't breathe. My face must have shown it because her face closed.

"Still, think it's not as bad as I think?"

I opened my mouth to say something, couldn't find the words, closed it again.

"And just before you ask if I've been whoring around, I haven't. The child is yours. I'm not expecting you to do anything about it, but I'm not a bad person for what we did together."

She said it with defiance as if she was trying to justify it to herself, rather than me. As if she was trying to convince herself. The truth was, though, I hadn't for one second thought the baby was some other poor bastard's. A man could always hope, but the fact that she'd been a virgin when I'd met her told me everything about the kind of person she was.

Chapter 7: Megan

He asked me to dinner to talk about the baby. I was raw and vulnerable and I felt impossibly alone in the world. I agreed. The fact that he'd cared for long enough to find out what was wrong in the first place made me think that he wasn't a bad guy. Of course, I knew that he wasn't, but seeing a man through the eyes of a little girl versus the eyes of a woman that had gotten to know what adults do were two completely different things.

The restaurant was nice. The kind of place that made sense for Brian. I'd been to it once or twice for business lunches or dinners. Tonight the decor and the music and the food did nothing to cheer me up. The place reminded me of what I would lose as soon as the company found out about the baby. I was four months along and I wouldn't be able to hide it with loose shirts forever. The music annoyed me. The food made me feel sick even when I just looked at the menu. Why did they call it morning sickness when it hit you any moment of the day?

"Brian, it's very nice of you to take me out to talk about this and to care for me when I was throwing up, but this really isn't your problem."

I looked at him sitting opposite me at the table for two. He blinked.

"It's my baby, Megan. Of course, it's my problem."

I shook my head. "I should have been clever about sex. I wasn't. I didn't think that I would fall pregnant right away." I felt like an idiot saying it but I forced myself to do it anyway. There was no reason to keep anything from him now that he knew the truth. "Not sleeping with people for so long has made me naive about these things. I got a rude awakening now. It's still not up to you to do something about it."

Brian took a sip from his wine glass. I had water in mine. When I'd fallen pregnant I was horrified that I wouldn't be able to drown my sorrows in alcohol. I was so sick all the time now, throwing up without any good reason at all, the thought of alcohol was almost alien.

"I'm not going to leave you hanging. I'll pay for whatever you need to take care of this. You just tell me when you need the money and I'll pay it into whatever account."

The salad I'd ordered arrived. It was plain, a few leaves, a piece of tomato or cucumber here and there. Brian had ordered a steak with cheese sauce. The smell made my stomach turn. Brian was willing to pay for me to take care of the pregnancy. Not the baby.

"Brian..." I looked at my salad, not willing to look at him. "I'm not going to have an abortion. I'm going to keep the baby."

He was silent for long enough that I glanced up at him.

"What are you going to tell your dad?"

I was relieved he didn't challenge me on my reason for keeping the baby. I took a bite of lettuce and sat back in my chair My lower back was killing me. Joys of pregnancy.

"He already knows. I told him it's an old college boyfriend's baby."

"You protected me?"

He sounded surprised. I nodded. I couldn't have ratted him out like that. He looked at me for a moment, admiration on his face. It was misplaced. He had nothing to admire me for.

"Megan," he reached across the table and touched my hand. I pulled it away. "If you're having the baby I want to be a father to it. It's not right to let you go through it alone and for the child to grow up with only one parent."

I shook my head. "My dad will know, then."

Brian sighed and nodded." He will, but that's something I'll have to live with."

"You can't do that. What would that make him think of me? I can't tell him I seduced you, he'll be so disappointed. And you can't tell him it was your doing because I don't want you to take the fall for something you did. No, I'm having this baby alone, okay?"

Brian shook his head. "You can't do this. You can't shut me out of the child's life. Let me be there for you. I have a legal right to."

I was angry now. He was bullying me into a corner when I was still trying to figure out my life.

"This is about legality now? Stupid of me to think you wanted to be there for me and the baby because you actually cared."

"That's not what I mean and you know it. But I do have a right to be in the child's life."

I looked at my salad. It suddenly looked so unappetizing. I pushed the plate back a little, feeling sick to my stomach. Again. Always.

"I can't do this, Brian. I don't want to talk about it. I've made up my mind, I've set out my plans. I can do this alone. You're not going to risk your career for me."

"Don't tell me what I will and won't do. You're having my baby and you're just a child yourself."

That did it. My ears started ringing. Almost everything else had been okay but his condescension had pushed me over the edge. I put the napkin on my plate and got up.

"Don't treat me like you're my dad."

"Where are you going?"

"Away."

He sat back. I expected him to fight for me, expect me to stay. I was going to march right out the door if he did. I was just waiting for him to tell me what to do. I challenged him with my eyes, daring him to do it. He folded his arms over his chest.

"Fine."

Fine? Was he fine with me leaving? Was he just going to let me go? It sucked the wind right out of my sails and every argument I'd built up to throw at him fell on the floor. Hello, rejection. I turned around and walked away, but it wasn't nearly as satisfying or as effective if I wasn't wanted in the first place.

Chapter 8: Brian

It was time for the fall shoot. It had been two weeks since Megan and I had argued in the restaurant. We hadn't spoken to each other since. It wasn't just because we were still angry at each other but because the Fall shoot was one of the biggest events in our company and we were all running around without time to catch a breath, let alone talk about the future.

Every time I saw her around the office we both had so much to do there wasn't time to talk, and you couldn't exactly throw in a comment about the weather in passing after the one we'd had in the restaurant.

Now that I knew she was pregnant, though, I looked for the signs and found them everywhere. She wasn't glowing the way pregnant women usually did. She looked tired all the time, and I noticed how many times she ran to the bathroom. I didn't know what morning sickness was all about but it seemed like there was a lot more than just in the morning. And it wasn't stopping. I tried to work out how long it had been since we'd had sex.

Four months? A little more? She was quite far along and not showing as much as I thought. She did wear baggy clothes, though, shirts that were loose, jackets that had a lot of embellishment now that it was colder. She hid it well.

Except I could see the baby bump because I knew it was there.

The shoot was crazy. We all stayed late for it. The floor where we held it was a large open space with the screen and camera and lights set up against the one wall. The rest of the place was divided into a dressing area for the models where they ripped off their clothes all the way down to the nude and got into the next outfit without blinking an eye.

There were makeup stations where artists did what was necessary for the shoot, hair stylists that walked between models and a row of computers that worked on the photos that had already been taken and made sure that the schedule ran as seamless as possible considering what we were doing.

It was chaos. I had created all of this.

I stood to the side, watching the shoot. The models were comfortable in front of the camera, comfortable with nudity in front of others, comfortable with being painted and tugged on at every station before stepping in front of the lights again.

I spotted Megan in the dressing area. She was trying to organize a line of models. She looked drawn and tired, with dark circles under her eyes. She walked like she was in pain and every now and then she put her hand on her lower back.

Lisa, her boss, walked to her and she looked pissed. I knew from experience that Lisa was a tough woman to work for. Many people had tried it and quit, but you couldn't be soft in the fashion world and Lisa knew that.

"What the hell is this?" she asked in a raised voice, looking at the clothes. Megan looked at her, confused, before turning her eyes to the clipboard on the floor at her feet. "This is not until those models there are done. You're screwing up the whole line."

"I'm sorry, Lisa."

"Don't tell me you're sorry. Don't get it wrong in the first place and save me a headache. God, I don't know what's wrong with you lately."

I walked closer. Lisa was coming down hard on Megan. Of course, she didn't know the girl was pregnant, but still.

"Is everything alright here?" I asked. Lisa looked irritated with my presence. Megan looked like a deer caught in headlights.

"Everything's fine," Lisa said tightly.

"Lighten up on her, will you?"

She pulled a face. "Are you telling me how to do my job?"

"I'm just asking you to lighten up on her."

Lisa narrowed her eyes at me. Someone called her and she turned away. I looked at Megan.

"Why don't you sit down for a bit, hand this over to someone else?"

I expected her to agree, to thank me. Instead, she glared at me. The emotion was unexpected.

"I don't need you to come to my rescue when something goes wrong."

"I was just trying to help."

She shook her head, pressing her fingers to her temple. "I don't need your help. I thought I made it quite clear - I don't need anything from you."

I sighed. "Come on, Megan. This isn't necessary."

"You know what isn't necessary? You trying to be the big boy in my life when I've been on top of everything without your help."

I wanted to fight with her, to argue, to say what was on my mind. I wanted to tell her that she was completely out of line. The look on her face stopped me short. Her face was so pale I wasn't sure how she was still standing. Her eyes were glassy, her lips slightly parted and it looked like she was having trouble breathing. She tried to say something, but then her eyes rolled back and her knees gave way. She crumpled to the ground. I jumped forward and caught her, lowering her gently down.

Chapter 9: Megan

When I opened my eyes I wasn't looking at my ceiling at home. The room I was in was clinically white and a chemical smell pinched my nose. I turned my head and realized I was in the hospital.

Brian sat on a chair, elbows on his knees, hands in his hair.

"Brian?"

When he looked up there were worry lines on his face but he looked relieved and then his eyes smiled at me. I knew that we'd been getting stuck lately and the last to interactions weren't friendly ones, but I was so happy to see him now. And I was relieved that he looked happy to see me, too. I shouldn't have felt that way, but I did.

"What happened?" I put my hands on my belly, suddenly terrified that I was here because something was wrong with the baby.

"The baby is fine," Brian said, his voice calm and gentle. "They did scans and checks and everything and the baby - a boy - is completely healthy."

Relief washed through me and I sagged on the pillow. If something happened to the baby...

"What happened?" I asked again.

"You collapsed at the Fall shoot."

I raised a hand to my head. "The shoot. Shit." Lisa had been so mad, God knew if I still had a job after that.

"Don't worry about that, I organized a replacement for you."

"You did?"

He nodded. "It pays to be the big boss. The doctor says you're overworked. You need to take it easy from now on. No more long hours for you."

I shook my head. "I can't take it slower. I need the money." I had to take care of the baby somehow.

"When are you going to understand that I'll help you? I'll be there for you. I've got this, and I have more than enough money to take care of you."

I wanted to argue again, reject his offer, but the truth was that the idea of not having to worry was damn attractive right now. I had been a ball of tension since I'd found out I was pregnant. The idea that I would be able to relax for a change sounded heavenly.

A doctor in a white coat walked in and looked at my chart before looking at me.

"You gave us a scare, Miss Philips," he said. "But luckily everything is still going well. You just need to take it slow. I recommend bed rest. At least six hours a day."

I sat up. "I can't!"

He shook his head. "You're going to have to if you want to have this baby and stay healthy. Your job is too stressful and that's not good for you or for the baby at this point."

My dad walked in through the door. "Oh, honey, you're awake. I was so worried."

The doctor looked at my dad. "She's doing just fine. If it wasn't for the father bringing her in so quickly she might have been off worse."

I looked at Brian. He looked at me. The tension grew. My dad laughed.

"That's not the father!" He clapped Brian on the shoulder. "If he was the baby's father I would have to acquire a shotgun." He laughed. Brian laughed, too, but it was forced. I chuckled nervously. The doctor wasn't amused. A moment later he left.

"How are you feeling?" my dad asked me.

"I'm okay. I'm just tired."

"She's had a bit of a spell, overworked herself, what with the pregnancy and all."

Tom sat on the edge of the bed. The bed was narrow and felt trapped but I didn't ask him to move.

"I guess you know now," he said to Brian. "I'm going to be a grandfather. I didn't want to say anything at the office... you know. These things can come across wrong."

Brian nodded. "I can imagine."

He looked at me again and it felt like everything that was said was loaded with double meaning now. I felt sick. I wanted to throw up. I wasn't sure if it was panic or morning sickness.

"Hundreds of thousands of dollars for an MBA at one of the best schools in the country just to be a mom, eh?" He nudged me and I smiled, trying to look like it was funny. I really wasn't. "Kids these days. But accidents happen."

I knew my dad supported me, but I had a feeling it was just because he didn't know who the real father was. Brian seemed uncomfortable on his chair. My dad's phone rang and he stepped out of the room to answer it. Brian glanced at the door where he'd walked through and then at me.

"If he finds out he's going to kill me."

I swallowed and nodded. Brian was right. If my dad found out he was the father he was definitely going to kill him. Kill him and disown me, or something equally serious. I took a deep breath and let it out in a shudder.

"I don't know what to do."

"Let's just take this one day at a time, okay?"

Brian put his hand on my leg and rubbed it up and down. It was the first time he'd touched me since that night on the terrace and the touch was warm and welcome and it felt like it was long overdue. I couldn't rely on it, though. I had to remember who I was and what was a reality. I didn't expect Brian to give up his career for something like this. I had to keep in mind that I was going to raise this baby all by myself, that Brian would be introduced as a family friend, if anything and my happiness would from now on always be last on the list.

The baby, Brian, my dad, their happiness had to come first.

Chapter 10: Brian

She was a typical model - tall and leggy with a waist the span of my hand and poofy lips. Her name was Amanda. She wasn't much of an intellectual challenge - the conversation at the dinner table had been drab, but I wasn't with her tonight for her mind. I wanted sex, some kind of release. I'd been edgy for a while now and I needed to get rid of it. I just needed to be able to think straight.

She wore a wine red dress with an open back and a scoop neck that showed too much cleavage and it would probably hit any other woman on the knee but it only covered her ass and other important bits.

"I'm so glad you were available tonight," she said with a purr. She looked at me like she knew what she was going to have for dessert. It irritated me when women were like this, but once again, I wasn't with her for anything else than what she would offer me sexually. If I even started to compare her to someone like Megan I would be put off by her and send her home, but I couldn't keep putting my life on hold for a woman that was determined on pushing me out of her life.

I wanted to give Megan everything she needed, everything she wanted. She was the kind of woman that deserved more than just sex and money and provision. Someone like her deserved to be loved and lately I'd been starting to think that was something I would be able to give her, too. But if she didn't want it I wasn't going to force myself on her. I wasn't going to expect her to return my sentiment if she just wasn't interested.

"After the Fall shoot I thought I wasn't going to model again, but that kind of life is just impossible to get away from, you know? I was born to do it."

I stepped into the elevator with Amanda, irritated with her, trying to smile and pretend like I wanted her company. She'd been talking about her career as a model almost the whole evening. If I had to hear anything else about how she was good at what she did or cut out for the job or looked good in everything I was going to throw her out on the street.

When we got to the penthouse suite someone stood in front my door. The brown hair, the hands on her back, I didn't need to see her face to know who it was. When she turned around her eyes fell on Amanda and she looked the woman up and down. Amada returned the favor, looking at Megan like she was something the cat dragged in. Megan looked like she was upset. There were new lines on her face, worry lines, tiredness, that hadn't been there before. A woman her age shouldn't look like that.

"Are you okay?" I asked, stepping away from Amanda and toward Megan.

"I'm fine," she said. She really wasn't. I turned to Amanda.

"I'm sorry, Amanda." Not sweetheart, like I'd been calling her all night. Not in front of Megan. Amanda frowned. "I'm going to have to call you a cab."

Her mouth opened in disbelief. "You're kicking me out? For that?" She pointed at Megan.

"Don't be rude," I scolded her. In that one sentence, I realized two things. One, I was able to throw about my single, carefree life for Megan in a heartbeat and not feel bad or torn about it at all. And two, I cared for Megan a lot more than I'd been willing to admit. I had a model on my doorstep, a woman that would be able to give me the night of my life, and all I could think about doing was taking care of Megan, the beautiful woman who was pregnant with my child.

Amanda scoffed at Megan and turned, walking away with hips swaying. When she the elevator doors opened she stepped inside and turned around with a look on her face that told me she was righteously pissed.

"I'm sorry to ruin your night," Megan said. "I didn't realize you were with someone."

I shook my head. "Don't be sorry. What's wrong?"

Her eyes welled up with tears and she pressed her thumb and forefinger against her eyelids, trying to stop the tears. She wasn't wearing any make-up, she was dressed in slacks and a t-shirt and she was pregnant, and she was still the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

"I didn't have anywhere else to go. My friends are all upstate where I studied. My dad and I had a fight and he's so mad at me."

I stepped closer to her, slowly, trying not to scare her. She leaned into me when I was close enough and I wrapped my arms around her. That barrier of anger and regret between us was finally broken. We stood like that, holding onto each other, for the longest time before I pulled back. I unlocked my door and switched on the lights.

"Your place is nice," she said, looking around. It was nice but it was a bachelor's place. Everything was expensive and new and it looked like no one lived here. It wasn't the kind of place to raise a child. I shook off the thought. I couldn't think like that.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked. Megan nodded and sat down one of the white leather couches. I sat down next to her instead of on a different one and listened to her talk. She told me about the fight, about the money she wasn't going to make now that she had to take it slow and her father's insistence that she take care of herself because she'd messed up. I tried to be objective about it, tell her that he was just scared of what she was going through.

I wasn't sure she believed me.

"It's just going to take time. I know it's hard but maybe it feels bigger because you're already emotional and struggling."

She nodded and leaned into me again, her face in my neck. With her face this close to mine, I was hyper aware of her lips, her smell, everything about her. She was the one that tipped up her head and kissed me. It wasn't like it had been before - this was purely sensual.

I pushed my tongue into her mouth, then stopped myself and pulled away from her. I wasn't going to do this to her now. This couldn't happen.

"I'll prepare the guest bedroom for you and you can stay the night," I said. She wiped her cheeks and nodded. I wasn't sure if she felt rejected. If she did she wasn't showing it.

"Thank you."

Chapter 11: Megan

I didn't have any clothes with me. I hadn't meant to stay over but when Brian offered the idea of staying away from home for the night was an offer I didn't want to refuse. He gave me one of his old t-shirts.

"You can wear it with your slacks. It should be more comfortable."

It was. Not just because it was better than what I'd been wearing but because it smelled like Brian, and it had been worn so many times it was soft from use. I took off my slacks, sleeping only in the shirt.

For the first time in a long time I slept well, and when I woke up I felt like I'd rested. The room he'd let me stay in was decorated in dark blue and gray and it was classy and homey at the same time. I was willing to bet it was the only room in the house that was homey, but Brian was a man and without a woman's touch nothing would be as homey as it could be.

I checked the time. It was six in the morning. I listened for sounds in the house but everything was quiet. I was sure Brian was still asleep. I walked in sock and the t-shirt to the kitchen and found cereal in the pantry. Milk in the fridge. A bowl after three different cupboards. A spoon in the drawer. I made breakfast and sat down at the kitchen island.

I was halfway with breakfast when Brian stumbled into the kitchen still looking half asleep.

"Morning," he said. I smiled.

"Morning."

He sat down on one of the barstools and looked at me. We sat in silence for a while. I wasn't sure what he was thinking. His eyes kept roaming over my body but not in a way that made me feel exposed or uncomfortable. In fact, the way he looked at me made me feel beautiful. I hadn't felt beautiful in a long time. It was hard to feel beautiful when you were as big as a house. I still wasn't really very big - at five months my belly was still small, but I felt stuffed and ungraceful.

"Do you mind if I have a shower?" I asked. "

"No, please. Make yourself at home."

I nodded, rinsed the bowl in the sink and walked to the guest bedroom. The bathroom was also blue and gray. The water was hot when I stepped under the spray and it felt good. I let it run through my hair, feeling it wet the strands like fingers, and closed my eyes.

A moment later there was a knock on the bathroom door.

"Yes?"

"Can I come in?"

I hesitated. What would it lead to if I said yes? Did I want to say no?

"You can."

My voice sounded hoarse. Brian stepped into the bathroom and closed the door again. The glass shower walls were steamed up so I was sure he could only see a blurred image of me, but I wanted him to look. At my backside, at least. I was unsure about my pregnant tummy.

Brian started getting undressed. He stepped into the shower and stepped under the spray, coming face to face with me. My breath caught in my throat. He lifted a hand and pushed wet strands of hair out of my face.

"My tummy," I said in almost a whisper.

"Don't. You're beautiful." His gray hair got wet and clung to his head and the edges of his face. He lowered his lips to mine and kissed me.

It was different than it had been the first time. It was soft and sensual. Brian kissed me all over, his hands exploring my body as if he was committing every detail to memory.

He was hard and obviously eager to get inside of me, but he took his time. He made me feel like every inch of me was beautiful. When it finally came down to sex and he pushed into me it was completely different than what it had been before. There was no pain, only a hell of a lot of pleasure. He pushed into me and pulled out, slowly, carefully, building up momentum and speed only when he knew I was ready for it.

My body responded to his. The hot water on my skin and his sex inside of me pushed me closer and closer to an orgasm until it washed through me, light filling me up and clearing everything out until I was reduced to nothing but a blubbery mess. He kissed me and held me and made me feel like it was all for me. His pleasure, his release when it finally came, was just an afterthought. This was all about me and it made me feel like it was so much more than just sex.

Like whatever was happening between me and Brian was so much more than just a quickie at a fashion show. Like it could become something so much bigger.

Chapter 12: Brian

She was beautiful. She kissed me like she was unsure of herself. The confident vixen I'd met at the fashion show had been replaced by someone that was unsure if she was wanted, and I wanted to show her that she was. that I wanted her. Even if she was pregnant, even if everything had changed since the last time we were together.

Her body was hot around my sex when I was buried deep inside of her, her breasts mashed up against my chest, nipples hard and erect. The hot water streamed in rivulets down her skin and mine, making our lovemaking - that's what it was, not sex - look like something from a porn scene. Except it was so much better because Megan was real. This was real.

When I released inside of her she shuddered with me and I was so aware that this act was what had gotten her pregnant, what had gotten us here in the first place. When she'd told me in the elevator it was something we both wanted then so there was nothing to regret I'd been irritated with her, but she was right.

It had been exactly what I'd wanted at the time, and it had caused something beautiful to happen. I kissed her, helped her clean everything up, washed her with soapy suds. I helped her out of the shower and took a towel. The towel racks were heated and her towel was warm. Megan looked exhausted. I was guessing her energy levels were low because of the baby. I wrapped a towel around her hair and dried her body off with another one.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked.

"You keep asking me that."

She shrugged."I just didn't think you would care this much. When I met you I just wanted to have sex with you. This is so much more."

I didn't answer her. I helped her get her hair combed and dried and peeled back her covers for her so she could get in bed. She was still naked. She grabbed onto my hand and pulled me onto the bed.

"Please, stay."

How could I say no to that? I climbed in under the covers, too, and lay against her. Her skin was warm and soft, her breathing regular. Her eyes were closed but she wasn't sleeping. I traced the profile of her face with my finger, the curve of her nose, her full lips, her perfectly manicured eyebrows.

"Have I told you you're beautiful?"

She smiled, her lips curling up under my fingers.

My phone rang in the other room.

"I'll be right back," I said. I found the phone and answered. It was a business call. When it was over I looked at the screen. I dialed my secretary.

"I'm not coming into the office today," I said. I made arrangements for my meetings to be postponed and turned off my phone. When I got back under the covers with Megan she turned her face to me.

"You're not going to the office?"

She'd heard that. I shook my head.

"Why?"

"I want to spend the day with you. We can stay in bed, or go out to breakfast, or do whatever you feel like."

She looked at me for a moment, eyes searching my face, and then she smiled.

"I'd like that."

I kissed her again and we messed around a little but I didn't sleep with her again. I didn't want to wear her around. When we were done she lay in the crook of my arm, her head on my chest and it was like we were made for each. We fit like puzzle pieces.

"I'm going to speak to Tom," I said. I'd pushed the words out before I could change my mind.

Megan lifted her head and looked at me, frowning.

"You can't."

"I can. I will. I want to be with you, Megan. I want to do the right thing, I want to be there for you and the baby. I'm not going to sneak around behind your father's back. I need to come clean about this."

She sat up, covers tucked to her chest so that she was decent.

"He'll be so mad."

I nodded. Tom was going to be furious. "I have to do this. Not just for the baby, but for you. It's going to be okay. There's nothing he can do about it, and I know once he accepts it he will be okay. He won't lose you, he loves you too much."

She looked like she was going to cry, and I understood it. It was terrifying. I was forty and telling my friend and business partner that I had gotten his daughter pregnant wouldn't be easy, but it was the right thing to do. I wanted to do right by Megan.

"When are you going to tell him?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. Not today. I will soon, though. But today it's just you and me.

Chapter 13: Brian

Fashion shows are hard work for everyone involved. There are people that do more than others, like the dressers and the stylists and the designers and those responsible for the venue, but there are also those that behind the scenes.

I was a partner that had started up a modeling agency and I even ran around on a fashion show. I tried to get out of it but most of the time there was just too much to do and not enough people to do it.

Megan wasn't going to attend this one, thank God. I'd spoken to her doctor and he'd given her the advice that she had to take off instead of attend. The pressure was far too much for her condition with the baby and she wasn't even that far along yet - problems got worse the closer it was to the birth. I didn't want complications now.

Lisa was too hard on her, the pressure was insane and she was emotional, hormonal and unsure about being pregnant to start off with.

I ran around trying or organize the models and where they needed to be, making sure that Megan's replacement filled her shoes the right way. When there was time to take a breath I made my way outside where the smokers stood. I didn't smoke but I liked being somewhere people forced themselves to take a break. Smokers have no choice - addiction is an ugly business - but how many of us that don't have the bad habit of smoking will take that time to recuperate for five minutes at various intervals throughout the day? It's good to regroup.

Tom came outside a moment later. He looked stressed out. I stood a short distance away from the smokers to avoid the actual smoke, and he came to stand with me.

"It's a madhouse in there."

I nodded. "It always is. Occupational hazard."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'm glad Megan was booked off for this one. I'm really starting to worry about her. I'm scared something will happen."

I didn't answer. I didn't want to say too much and sound concerned where I shouldn't be. The fact that Tom was worried was news to me, though. Of course, he cared about her well-being, but going by what Megan had told me about the argument between them Tom didn't want her to keep the baby if she wasn't in a place to look after the child herself.

"How do you feel about the baby?" I asked. We hadn't had a chance to talk in the past couple of weeks, and before that I'd been avoiding him.

Tom shrugged. "There's not really much of a choice. She's going to keep the child so there's nothing I can do. I think she's making a mistake, though."

I frowned. "Why?"

"Because she's just out of school, she has nothing to her name - no career or reputation or money - and she's going through this alone. That scumbag that got her pregnant would do better than just leaving her to go through it alone."

I swallowed and a fist of nerves grabbed my gut and twisted a little.

"Of course, I understand why she wants to keep the child, and being a new parent is the most wonderful thing. I just wish her circumstances were different."

I nodded. These were the standard worries of a parent. I cleared my throat.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." I had to do it now or I would never get the courage to. Megan needed me and I had to be there for her. I couldn't keep hiding it - it would prevent me from doing what I needed to do.

Tom looked at me. "God, I hope it's good news. I could do with some right now. '

I swallowed hard. I was going to be a hell of a killjoy.

"I'm the baby's father." The words were out there and the tension in my body clamped down even more. It felt like time froze. I waited for the reaction. This was the moment of truth.

Tom frowned. "What?" He looked confused.

"I slept with Megan. I'm the baby's father."

Tom's face was a blank for a moment before what I said dawned on him. His eyes laughed at first like I was making a joke, but when I didn't retort with 'Naw, just kidding', the laughter drained and anger set in.

"What the fuck?"

I nodded, looking at my shoes for a second. "I know. But I want you to know that I'm planning on caring for her and giving her the life she deserves. If there's anyone that can do that, it's me."

"You bastard!" Tom launched at me, remembered we had an audience and stopped before he did any damage to my face. I was aware of his hand curled into a fist. "How could you do that to me?"

I took a deep breath, still struggling to fathom how close I'd been to a broken nose. "It wasn't planned if that's what you mean. It just happened. But I plan on taking responsibility for her."

Tom opened his mouth like he wanted to say something. He was so angry, though, he couldn't, and instead of having an outburst like I knew he wanted to he turned around and walked away. It was the epitome of self-control. I had to respect his ability. I didn't respect his space, though.

I followed him. I needed to have this out now, once and for all, or I would never have the courage again to talk about it.

"I'm all in with this, Tom. I love her."

He froze, his back to me. I tried to decode it - his stiff neck, his tense shoulders. When he turned around he had fire in his eyes.

"You knock her up and you want to tell me you love her?"

I pushed through. "I didn't when it happened but I've been spending more time with her and I do. I've fallen in love with her. She's a stunning person and she will be a great mother. And I would like to stand by her and be the father the child deserves, the man she deserves. You know me, Tom. You who I am. You said yourself I'm a man of integrity."

"I was talking about the damn company when I said that!" He threw his hands up in the air. "I wasn't talking about you sleeping with my daughter and then being with her."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the black velvet box that had been nagging at me since the beginning of the night. I opened it and showed Tom the ring.

"I intend to marry her, Tom. She's not just a floozy to me. She's everything. I want her to be everything. You said I can build an empire with the business, you said you trusted me to do the right thing."

Tom shook his head, looking over my shoulder. "It's still not the same thing, Brian. My company versus my daughter? How can you compare the two?"

I nodded. "I understand, but I want you to know that I intend on doing right by her and never disappointing you as a father."

Tom looked at the ring again. He sighed and his shoulders sagged. "I can't say this is what I would have chosen for her, but if it's what she wants..." He looked up at me. "She's old enough to decide for herself so if she's happy I'm happy. But if you do anything to hurt her, I swear to God I will kill you with my own two hands. I'm not exaggerating."

I nodded. I knew he wasn't.

Chapter 14: Megan

I didn't go to work anymore. I accepted that I was too far along with the pregnancy to keep going at the pace the fashion world asked for, and I wasn't going to be able to hide it, anyway. Besides that, I was letting Brian pay for things the way he wanted to. I'd accepted that he was going to be in my life. It wasn't what I'd ever imagined would happen, but it wasn't a bad thing.

Brian was kind and caring and honest and dedicated. I could see why my dad wanted him as a business partner. I imagined he would be just as committed as a life partner.

I wanted to be a part of the fashion world even though I couldn't work there. When he visited me he told me things about what happened at the office and I ate it up. When there were fashion shows I read about them in magazines or papers and I started attending them as a guest.

Tonight was another one of those. The show was in a conference center that had been turned into an extravaganza. It was barely recognizable. It was one of the biggest shows of the year and everyone involved was going mad with stress and panic. I was relieved I wasn't a part of it. I was six months along, swelling by the day and I was perpetually tired or in tears or both.

I made my way to the seats and sat down where Brian had reserved one for me. When I attended he made sure I could sit in the front row with him so that I wouldn't miss a thing. I developed a new love for fashion seeing things from this vantage point and I realized that even if I wasn't in the back working my fingers to the bone I wanted to be involved with the fashion world somehow.

The seats were filling up. Background music filtered through the air, laced with the chatter of the already-seated guests and an excitement about the upcoming show that was addictive. I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of Brian. My dad walked past and waved at me before moving on. I waved back. What would he think if he saw me sitting next to Brian? He wasn't usually at the shows. Lately, he'd been doing a lot more paperwork and a lot less schmoozing.

The show started and it was spectacular. It was swimsuits and lingerie and the designers had come up with some next level garments that would take the fashion world by storm. I could almost tell what the articles would say.

Brian appeared a little late and sat down next to me.

"Sorry, there was so much to do," he said. I squeezed his hand and we watched the show together.

When the designer came out after the line was presented he waved.

"I'll be right back," Brian said and hurried away. I watched him go. There was a lull where no one was on the ramp and people murmured and look around. I looked around, too. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Brian appeared on the ramp and walked to the middle of it. Oh God, what was he doing?

"Ladies and gentleman, can I have your attention, please?"

The audience fell quiet, everyone eager to hear what he had to say. This wasn't how it usually worked. I expected him to inform us of some kind of emergency or something.

"A short while ago I met a woman at one of these fashion shows and she turned my world upside down. I thought I'd had it all covered, I thought I was living the life - models, money - but I was wrong. I didn't need models and money. I needed that woman – I needed Megan."

Blood drained from my face when he said my name. When he looked at me I mouthed 'What are you doing?' He smiled and held out his hand like he wanted me to join him on stage. That wasn't happening even if I could climb the ramp.

"Megan Philips, will you marry me?"

A collective gasp rippled through the crowd and my heart nearly stopped. Had Brian Waters just asked me to marry him? Everyone turned to look at me. Brian looked at me expectantly.

"Are you going to stay up there?" I asked Brian smiled and jumped down the side of the ramp, coming to me. He took both my hands in his.

"I love you. I want to be with you. I want us to be a family. Say you'll marry me."

I took a deep breath.

"I'll marry you."

The truth was I'd thought about this for a while now. I wanted to be with him. I wanted to marry him. Where I hadn't wanted him to be part of the picture before, for his sake, I had become selfish. I wanted him to be part of it now.

He smiled and produced a velvet box. He opened it and it contained a ring that made me clap a hand to my mouth. Brian removed it but before I gave him my hand I looked around, looking for my dad. I spotted him in the crowd. He was looking at me, smiling.

I looked at Brian, who was smiling at me too, and gave him my hand so that he could slide the ring onto my finger.

And in that one second….I felt different….I felt complete…happy…satisfied…..in love forever!

A GIFT FOR MY COACH

CHAPTER 1

James

I watched the team jogging around the track as I ran my hand through my tousled brown hair, trying to ignore the vibration of my cell phone in my pocket. I didn’t like to bring it to practice, but my future ex-wife was being a pain in the ass about our divorce and her attorney was hounding me. It didn’t help that I worked as head coach for the pro football team in Philadelphia and they both wanted all of my money. Why was it on me? She was the one that hooked up with a player from Maryland, not me. He made plenty of money as the team quarterback, so let him support her. I sighed and looked down at the screen of my phone with an annoyed expression.

I married her when I was thirty-two, ready for my coaching career after a brief stint in the pros myself. Wendy was blonde and gorgeous, ten years younger than me. I don’t know why I thought that it would work out. Maybe I had too much hope. At least I still had football and I was only thirty-five now, still in great shape so I wouldn’t have any issues getting the ladies into my bed for a rebound fuck every now and then. I just wouldn’t choose greedy young women anymore and stick to ones that were closer to my own age so the situation would be clear.

I glanced at the sky and saw that the late afternoon sun was setting in and shoved the phone back into the pocket of my track pants. “Ok, guys. Get back over here!” I yelled as they glanced over and started to jog in my direction. “You played like shit today. I know that it was Rob’s bachelor party last night but use some common sense. We’re close to the Super Bowl and I don’t want to lose our chances because you guys are acting like you play for a college team. Understand?”

They shared long glances, knowing I was right. I kept myself in the loop and the party at the high end strip bar was the talk of the league right now. I wondered what the fiancée would think if she heard about the shenanigans, but that wasn’t my problem. Rob was quarterback for another successful team made millions so she might be willing to overlook his transgressions from the evening. “Sorry, Coach.” I looked at the quarterback and nodded sharply as the others echoed his apology.

“I was young like you once. I had fun but I also had priorities. Go shower and get some rest. I’ll see you here at nine tomorrow morning.” I watched as the headed to the locker room and shook my head for a moment. I was being generous with the time, all things considered. I also figured that I could get a run in early to start my day. All of this divorce shit had my head spinning.

I started to leave the field and walk back to my office, just near the locker room. I was going to shut down my computer and close up for the day and go to the gym. Then I’d grab some dinner at that BBQ place I liked and relax at home.

I was still learning to call the brand new condo home. I bought a house when I married Wendy, but she was hell bent on holding onto the ten thousand square foot palace. I didn’t need the space so I just rented a condo from a buddy in real estate for the time being. It was three bedrooms and spacious enough for me. I brought my great Dane Jack with me and gave him a room to himself for when I wasn’t around. I also had a dog walker that took him out on the regular, a kid next door that had more time than I did.

I heard voices as I rounded the corner and saw the owner Gary Ridge with his daughter, Tory. He popped in every now and then to check on things, though I didn’t know why she was with him. She was in school for engineering, first year I think. Tory was all about her studies and I barely saw her at the house when I went for dinner every now and then. “James. How are you?” Gary called out as I watched the girl type something into her phone. She was a pretty enough girl, even though she didn’t do much with herself. Tory had pale honey colored hair and bright blue eyes but she kept things simple. She was too damn young to even be thinking about and I saw her look up at me before I glanced at her father.

“Good. The team was a bit off today, but I sent them home for some rest, and I’ll work them tomorrow,” I replied as I felt Tory’s eyes burning into my skin.

“The party. I heard it got wild,” Gary responded as he glanced at Tory with a guarded expression. She made sure to look back down at her phone, and he rubbed her shoulder gently.

I didn’t think that he had too much to worry about. Tory didn’t put out the vibe that she would be wild in any way, and I wasn’t concerned about her having any interest in a bachelor party. I’d only known Gary for the last year since he bought the team and it was evident that his only daughter was his princess. I also knew that his wife worried about her, and it was probably going to blow up in their faces at some point.

I was glad that I never had kids with Wendy.

We made some more small talk and I couldn’t help but to steal glances at Tory as I followed along. She was wearing some skinny jeans and an oversized shirt that covered her body, and I wondered what she looked like under all of that. She wore glasses almost all of the time and looked like she was always solving a problem inside of her intelligent brain. I couldn’t help but to notice that she resembled her pretty young mother more than her father, pushing the thought away as he told me to have a good night.

What the hell was wrong with me? I knew that there had been some sparks between us tonight but she was twenty-one at the most. Did I learn nothing from my marriage? Stick to over twenty-five and do not think about your boss’s daughter. That was a surefire way to lose my good job, one that could afford this divorce and keep me close to the lifestyle that I was accustomed to.

I went into my office and cleaned up the desk as her eyes played back through my mind. Damn it, I didn’t need this kind of distraction but she pleaded with me to bring out her bad side with just one look.

I shut down the computer and called into the locker room for the guys to have a good night and sleep. No drinking. Then I walked to my car in the garage and got inside as I felt someone looking at me. I glanced over to see Tory leaving with her dad and I waved with a polite smile.

I needed the gym and an easy woman.

I glanced in the mirror as I finished at the gym. I was a good-looking guy with a head full of messy hair that women seemed to love and forest green eyes. I kept my body in tip-top shape and ate good ninety-nine percent of the time. I had my shit together on the outside but was a bit cluttered inside of my own head.

I knew that there was a waitress that had a crush on me at restaurant and I figured that I’d order it for there and lay on the flirting. She was still young but well older than twenty, so I figured she was good to go. She also knew the drill from previous times and went right along with it.

Amber was working her way through college and didn’t want anything serious. She wanted to study Psychology and make her own money that way, never looking for a handout from anybody. She just enjoyed a good time and was wild enough to have a repeat with.

CHAPTER 2

Tory

I rolled my eyes when Dad said that he wanted to stop by the stadium on the way to meet Mom for dinner. I could’ve met with my study group for the test in a couple days for the time I knew he’d spend there. This was the fifth team that he owned in twenty-five years, and I knew the drill.

I had no idea how gorgeous the new coach was, though. James had to be six-foot-tall, with a muscled body in his track shorts and a fitted t-shirt. He had the kind of hair that you just wanted to drag your fingers through and deep green eyes that promised sin on a stick.

I couldn’t stop looking at him, trying to figure the man out. I guessed that he was in his thirties mainly due to his job, but he looked like he could be in his upper twenties. I was drawn to him, more than I’d ever been to a man in my life. He was sexy and looked like he could handle a woman in bed, unlike any of the guys that had paid me any attention through school. They were all as into school as I was and had the moves of a turtle. The few kisses that I’d had were dull and awkward, but James had full lips that promised a good time.

Jesus, my hormones must be in full gear. Way to go at twenty years old when I was trying to solidify my life and goals. I needed to keep that way from Dad’s work, but there was some heat between James and me that I couldn’t ignore.

All of the other coaches that he’d worked with were more of a fatherly age. There was no sex appeal whatsoever, and I’d be able to talk to them anytime without feeling a single flash of heat. It was business as usual. James made me want to get to know him better and become a part of whatever world he was hiding underneath those clothes.

I saw him going to a shiny black Escalade in the garage when we were leaving. He waved and I swear that our eyes locked for a moment before he was gone and I was left with the team heading out around us as they greeted Dad and tried to give me sly looks. They were young and dumb, jocks to the fullest degree. Not my type. I wanted someone that could have a real conversation with me, challenge my mind. I wanted someone that knew what to do and when to do it. Athletes were not my bag but nor were the guys that I knew from classes or labs.

“What’s his story? He seems young,” I observed as I got into my father’s brand new gray Range Rover.

“He played for San Francisco until he got hurt a couple years back. It was a knee injury, and he was out of the game but had a lot of skills to offer a group of guys. I didn’t hire him, but I would have if I’d been the owner at the time. James is going to take this team far this year.”

I played with my messy bun and watched as he drove out of the garage and turned to head to the excellent steakhouse that he favored. “So you might be going to the championship?”

“I hope so. This town needs it,” Dad told me as I looked over at him and pushed my glasses up with my left pointer finger. “Maybe you’ll actually get into the sport that way.”

I grinned at him. Dad was always giving me a hard time for not loving sports the way that he did. “That’s why you have Ryan and Thomas, Dad. They watch the sports with you.” My brothers lived for games. I think Dad gave up with me early on when it was obvious that I was more of a bookworm.

“True, but you’re always invited.” I nodded and looked forward as we kept driving down the crowded road.

My body was still hot and throbbing in places that were new to me. I nodded and leaned back as we got lost in traffic. Maybe I should get into football, at least to see more of James.

We went to Barclay Prime, since it was Mom and Dad’s favorite place to eat. It was nice inside with the black and white floors and architecture inside, very pleasing to the eye. The food was also good, though I leaned more towards ordering salmon than I did any red meat. I wasn’t a vegetarian by any means, I just preferred the fish and artichoke for a meal than the standard meat and potatoes.

I ordered an iced tea and smiled as my brothers joined us, ready for a night of sports talk. I didn’t think I’d mind it if I could watch James discuss it. He could make anything sexy and I shivered at the idea of him teaching one of my classes. God, what a divine thought that was. When you’re in a major such as Engineering, most of the professors matched the subject to a t.

Mom listened to her men with a loving smile on her face but also asked me about school. Her and Daddy were protective of me, though I wasn’t sure why. I’d been one of the best behaved of the three of us, always quiet and responsible. Maybe it was because I was the youngest and a girl and it was natural for parents to want to protect daughters. I guess I might come off as naive sometimes as well, but I was observant and sharp when it came to people. I just didn’t give in to what they wanted most of the time.

That’s why I was still a virgin. I didn’t want a clumsy excuse for a first time with someone my age, just to get it out of the way. I wanted someone that knew what they wanted, someone that could show a more dominant side with me. I was the smartest kid in school since the beginning and it seemed like a lot of people did what I wanted as a result. I needed a change for that and my virginity was a subject that I would be stubborn about.

I pretended to listen to the conversation as I picked at my plate and daydreamed about James, knowing that he was the man that I wanted.

CHAPTER 3

James

I heard the alarm go off and took a deep breath. I wanted to go for a long run and I looked beside me to see that Amber had left. She was good about taking off when the sex was over, almost as if she was never there. It had been a great night and she’d been a willing recipient to my cock that was hardened by a young dangerous girl.

I imagined Tory’s messy hair piled on top of her head as I felt my body responding and reached down to give myself a little tug. There was something in her eyes that went against her clothing and appearance, a need that I didn’t see often in a woman. It was something that screamed for me to take care of it but I knew that she was off limits.

I jerked off in the shower despite the numerous positions I’d had Amber in last night. It felt good to shoot all over the blue tile and I jerked forward with it as I tried to picture her naked. She looked like she had some decent tits and I wondered if her nipples were large or small. Did she liked them sucked or bitten? Jesus, I was fucking hard again and I rinsed off and changed into my shorts and tank top to jog in before practice.

It was still early and the sun was just rising as I hit the city streets. There were always a few people around running along with me, but for the most part the city wasn’t alive quite yet. This was the best part of the day in my eyes and I took it in as I set an even running pace. I listened to the alternative rock playing in one ear and stared forward as I tried to think about my team.

They were a good group of guys ranging in age from just out of college to a few years in. They worked well together and for the most part, focused on the game. I sometimes had to ride their asses to pay attention to the moment but that was part of being young. I thought I had forever in my career when I was younger, but it turned out that I didn’t and I wanted these guys to appreciate every moment. I never had kids with Wendy but my team was like a whole group of them to me, despite my young age.

I stopped at a light and jogged in place for a moment as I watched a woman move in front of me, my eyes dropping to her ass in the tight black running pants that she wore. I eyed her slowly as I waited for the light to change and she moved in place as my eyes rested on her neck with her hair pulled up into a ponytail.

Honey colored hair…I wondered if this was Tory as the light changed and she jogged across the street in a fluid motion, much different than what I’d expect from the girl in the baggy shirt that I saw yesterday. Her ass was round enough to move with the running, but tight enough to make me hard all over again as I followed her. She jogged to the next corner and moved to the right to enter the gym, and I watched her every movement as she disappeared from sight.

I did hear someone say the name Tory as the glass door closed though and I wanted her even more now. I considered working out instead of jogging, since it was the same gym that I belonged to keep working out separate from the team and my job. I settled for running a bit longer and then going in for a quick workout, as least as much as I could before I had to be at the stadium.

I stepped into the gym and glanced around as I headed to the treadmills. I didn’t need to jog more but I wanted to see her again and I took my spot on the machine, turning it on as I took another look around. I was acting like a horny teenager but now that I caught more of a glimpse of her, I was even more turned on by her. I reminded myself of Wendy and the hell that I was in because of her.

The hell I’d be in if I was caught with the owner’s daughter was far worse than anything that could happen in divorce court. I’d lose my job, possibly my career. Gary would blacklist me from the NFL.

I needed to calm my shit down and pretend that she didn’t exist. There were plenty of women that I could spend some time with and Tory was never going to be one of them.

I was getting into a good run on the treadmill and watched the news as I started to relax. I was almost done when I heard laughter and looked over to see a group of women leaving a class, dressed as skimpily as they could be and still be decent and sweaty. Tory walked behind all of them as she tugged a large tank over her black sports bra and raised her arms over her head. They headed to the door to leave and I looked away as her head swiveled my way.

There was no way I would make eye contact with her.

There was no reason to, since nothing could happen.

CHAPTER 4

Tory

I started to see James around town. We went to the same gym and I’d see him jogging on the road the same time of morning that I was out. I always looked at his muscled legs and tight ass with hunger in my eyes. I even thought that I drooled sometimes. I never saw him look my way or acknowledge me and it made me want to try harder.

I knew that Christmas coming. Daddy always threw a huge party at the mansion and invited the team and everyone involved with them as well as several other celebrities on Christmas Eve and I needed to up my game by then. He didn’t notice me right now and there was no other man that I wanted. I was working out a lot more and doing yoga before classes, just to tone up my already athletic body. The closer it got to the holiday, I had some more time off and I hit a salon one day when I was Christmas shopping for my family. I cut off my long hair to a long A line bob and added some caramel lowlights and lighter blonde highlights to the strands. It looked beautiful and I felt like a different person as I stared in the mirror. I left with a smile on my face and felt the eyes on me as I hoped that I could affect James the same way.

I went home with all of my bags and unloaded them from my Lexus to the door before bringing them upstairs to my room on the second floor. I was the only one on my level and I had a lot of privacy. I unpacked the gifts and also a dress that I’d purchased for the party as I held it up with a smile. It was going to make everyone give me a second and a third look.

I didn’t anticipate my parents cock blocking me.

I was in the red dress with the spaghetti straps and tight bodice that ended mid-thigh with a sexy ruffle. I was doing yoga enough to have toned up enough to rock this outfit and I bought some makeup to make my eyes pop with a dark smoky look. My hair was sleek and soft around my shoulders, something that Mom had falteringly accepted after I explained that a friend wanted a salon day and I agreed. Wasn’t it cute?

My glasses were on the dresser and I had my new contacts in and some stiletto black heels. I turned to leave my room and my father was staring at me with a deer in the headlights look. “Tory, what the hell is that you’re wearing?”

“You look great too, Dad.” I smirked as I spoke and looked over his crisp suit as my mother walked in wearing something similar to my dress, except that it was silver. “Really? Did you see her dress?”

“Tory, there’s so little to that. Don’t you want to cover up more?” She fidgeted and I looked between them.

“Mom, I am turning twenty-one next month. I think it’s time that I start trying out something new. I’ve been a nerd all my life and I want to be a woman,” I told her as my eyes flashed.

“Is this about a man, sweetie?” Mom asked and I rolled my eyes. They’ll never know the truth.

“No, it’s about me. I want to have some fun with clothes for a change.” I spun around. “Everything is covered. Nobody is going to see any more than this, because that’s not what I’m looking for. I just want to change my style a little bit.”

“Fine, just…be careful.” Mom turned and left the room on her own silver stilettos as Dad looked from the doorway to me.

“Are you sure? You know who’s going to be here tonight and they don’t all have great reputations. I think I prefer the innocent version of my daughter, to be honest,” Dad told me as he came over and hugged me. “Prepare for your brothers to act like guard dogs.”

“I know,” I replied as I added a layer of clear gloss to my lips and pulled my door closed behind me. They were likely at the bar in the game room and I smiled as I wondered if James would be here.

We walked downstairs and I started to greet the arriving guests, feeling my parent’s gazes on me as our friends told me how different I looked tonight. They used words such as sexy, gorgeous, stunning and so many others that made me blush and thank them as my hopes rose higher. Would James think the same thing? I’d masturbated to him so many times in my room at this point that I forgot my own name sometimes and tonight was going to be the night I got him. I bought sex toys in the mail to use as I moaned his name night after night. I had to have the real thing.

I was near the bar in the game room telling my brothers to stop acting like overprotective apes as I saw him enter, dressed in a sexy suit with his hair mussed perfectly. I made eye contact and watched his widen as he took me in with a hungry gaze. I excused myself from my brothers and walked across the room, lifting my head as I met his eyes and passed him with a brush against his body as I felt his erection. I felt my thong dampen as he inhaled my cherry blossom scent and walked up the stairs, offering him a fine view of my ass.

I’d never felt so powerful in my life.

CHAPTER 5

James

That little bitch had the upper hand. Seeing Tory’s body squeezed into that red dress with a hint of her cleavage made my body go rock hard, and I headed to the bar for a whiskey on the rocks to ease the tension in my body.

I watched her at the gym for over a month now, working her body to perfection. I slipped in my fight to not want her more and more each time but reminded myself of what would happen if I took a taste of her. I jacked off nightly to try and work her out of my system. I fucked more women than I normally would, just to scratch the itch that Tory caused in my body but nothing worked.

Tonight, I knew that I was damn close to giving in and I finished the drink in one burning gulp as I heard Gary’s voice. “James, good to see you. Thanks for stopping by.”

There was a part of me that knew it was a bad idea. I’d seen Tory’s new hair and had a feeling that she was changing herself to be the woman that she hid until now. “No problem. I don’t have to be anywhere until tomorrow. How are you?”

“Doing well,” Gary replied as some of the team came over and we started talking business. The team was heading to the Super Bowl and we were slotted to win. For the life of me, I could not focus on it. The Super Bowl was a dream of every coach and every team and I was thinking more about the girl in the red dress. The girl that was forbidden to me, that could take away all of those dreams. I asked for another drink and excused myself to get some fresh air outside.

My skin was hot and I felt like my tie was choking me as I stepped out onto the extensive back balcony. It was cold but I needed the reality check and I stepped forward and leaned against the railing. I inhaled the cold air in deep breaths as I closed my eyes, downing the drink before I set it down on a glass table close by. I heard a door open and turned my head to see a woman silhouetted in the doorway in a dim light. It was Tory and she raised her arms over her head as I dragged my eyes over her body. “Hi, James. Having fun?” Her voice, mature over the last time we’d met, traced over my skin and I sucked in my breath.

“Your dad throws a great party,” I offered as she laughed and stepped forward. I knew that the party was inside, several feet away from us. I think that she knew it as well and was working that in her favor.

“So do I,” she offered as I shook my head.

“You’re my fucking boss’s daughter, Tory. I can’t do this with you.” She smelled so good and I inhaled the sweet scent of her skin. Tory was right beside me now and I looked over her shoulders and down to the hint of cleavage that she was giving me. “You’re too young.”

“I am old enough for you. I want to be dominated by a man that knows what he is doing,” Tory told me, slipping her hand in mine and pulling me over to the room she’d come from.

“What is this place?” I asked as I looked around the room with a bed and some furniture.

“One of the pool rooms as well as a guest room. We have many of them so nobody will think about coming out here and looking for us. Everyone loses themselves at these parties and there can be a lot of scandal that goes unnoticed.” Tory closed the door and walked towards me as she locked gazes with me in the light of the room. “My brother fucked an entire group of cheerleaders one year, one by one. I didn’t see them and nor did anyone else, but I heard about it the following month. They all think that I’m the nerdy girl that doesn’t notice anything, but I notice everything.” She slipped her hand between my legs and found my cock hard and throbbing for her.

“You were beautiful the first time that I saw you,” I groaned as her fingers tightened and stroked me. “Fuck, Tory.” I clenched my fists before I reached out and took her arms and forced her hands away from my body. “This is wrong. So wrong.”

“It’s just one night, James. Nobody will ever know,” Tory’s eyes were alert as she stared at me

I wrapped my hands around her body and pulled her close to me before I kissed her, feeling all of my inhibitions disappear as our tongues met in a wild dance. Tory groaned against me and nibbled at my lower lip as I cupped her ass and ground my cock against her. “I want to bend you over and fuck you harder than you’ve ever been fucked before,” I told her before I kissed her senselessly again. “I want that ass slapping against me as you scream my name.”

“You’re the first person, James. I’m giving you my virginity tonight. I want it to be you that makes me come for the first time,” Tory said against my lips as I froze for a moment. “Think how tight I’ll feel around you.”

I hadn’t had a virgin since high school and I swear that I hardened more as I plowed her mouth with my tongue. I pushed Tory back to the bed as I asked her if she locked the door and she cried out that as I found the zipper in the back of her dress. I pulled it down and the material pooled around her ankles as she shimmied her hips to force it to drop. Her full breasts were bare and small nipples hard for me as she slid her hands over her body to cup them.

I stripped off my tie as I watched her and unbuttoned my shirt. Her eyes took me in hungrily and I slipped it off and loosened my pants before I stepped towards her.

Our lips met as she wrapped her arms around my neck and fell back onto the bed. My pants were halfway down my legs and my cock pressed against her thigh as she rocked against me. Her pussy was hot and wet and I dragged my lips down her jaw and dragged my hardness against her needy folds. I sucked on her neck as she arched her back and pressed her hot nipples against my wife beater that I wore under my shirt.

My desire for Tory released into an uncontrollable urge, leaving behind all sense and logic. I forgot that she was forbidden as I kissed my way down her body and dragged her skin between my teeth as she jerked against me. Her tits were pressed against me as I found her nipples and sucked hard as I pressed my cock between our bodies and fucked the lace of her thing. “James, oh God. I want you to fuck me so hard,” Tory begged me, sounding every bit the young woman that she was as I pulled up and looked at her.

“Are you on anything?” I asked her in a hoarse voice as she nodded.

“Bad periods. I’ve been on the pill since I was sixteen,” Tory told me as I slid my hands between her thighs and pulled off her underwear. She moaned as she spread her legs and I fingered her before sliding a finger into her tight entrance. “Make me come.” I stared at her as my thumb found her hard clit and stroked it as she dropped her head back.

CHAPTER 5

Tory

The feeling of his hand stroking me and inside me was almost too much to bear as I closed my eyes. This was what I’d dreamed of as my own hand stroked my clit and slipped inside of me in the darkness of my room. I knew that I was close and I begged him to make me come as he increased the pressure against me. I hadn’t lied about the pill but I wouldn’t mind a mistake. I wouldn’t mind a future with James and give him a baby. I would just focus on this right now, this night. It was going to be perfect and memorable.

James moved over me and kissed my neck as he whispered that he would move slow for me. I knew that he would take care of me and that was in part why I chose him, though I preferred older men to begin with. He lowered himself between my legs and spread me open as I cried out and tried to lift myself to him. He pressed against my entrance and I slid my legs around him and pulled him down to me for a long kiss. That was when he slipped inside, little by little, kissing me sweetly as our tongues slid together slowly.

Oh God, the pressure. He filled me and I grabbed his head and strung my hands through his hair. “Are you okay, baby?” James asked me as I nodded and begged him to keep going. He just had to move a little further and the pain would be over and I could enjoy this. I could have my dream.

There was a sharp pinch of pain as me moved forward and I cried out as he stilled and looked down at me before he kissed me again. “I’ll stay here for a minute. You feel so good around me and I know you will love this in a couple of minutes. Just bear with me.”

“I know I will. Just keep going,” I urged him and sighed as he slipped further inside. Pain blended into pleasure and I was soon wrapping my legs around him and rocking against him to feel him deeper and harder. Oh God, it felt so good and I never wanted him to stop. I felt something snap inside of my body and I was crying out his name as I came long and hard. I didn’t want him to wait but he swore that I was going to come around him so he could feel me.

I did.

James kept moving until he stilled and I felt his heat filling me. He murmured that this was the best Christmas ever and that I was a great gift as he held me tight in his arms.

James kissed my body as I stared at him and smiled. I knew that this wasn’t the last time that I would have him. I would make sure of that.

We made love again, this time with me on my knees as he took me from behind. It felt so good and I gripped the sheet as he pounded into me. He was thick and I knew that I’d never want anyone different, at least until I got what I wanted.

James realized the time after we rested together and stood to dress. He fixed himself as best as he could and hit the restroom that was closest to the entrance while I sat on the bed and played back my night. I had sex, sex with a real man that knew what he was doing. All of the changes that I made were worth it and I could feel that my life was about to change.

I dressed and crept through the door that led to my locked room as I washed my face and took off my dress. The party was over for me and I got what I wanted. I smiled as I closed my eyes and snuggled under the covers, completely oblivious to the noise of the party. I looked forward to future times with James and the path that my life was headed as I drifted off to sleep with the cool air blowing in the cracked window.

Our chef Mary was cooking breakfast when I woke up and made my way downstairs. The house was empty and messy and I looked around as she laughed. “I think there’s a few stragglers in the basement, though I’m not sure. If so, I’m making enough food.” I wondered if James was still here, what he’d done after our time in the guest room. Was he still thinking about me?

I decided that there was no way that he couldn’t be after the way that he looked into my eyes as he was giving me my first experience with sex. James was so concerned with me and my feelings throughout the experience, so caring and good. It was perfect.

I made plans for our future as I ate and looked over the pool before my parents stumbled downstairs. As always, they’d been drunk the night before and didn’t remember the small fight over my dress or the fact that I’d disappeared for the night. Nobody really remembered anything from our infamous parties and I’d planned my night based on that.

It was easy to go with Dad to the stadium on my break for business that he had to attend to and I even agreed to work on some of his accounting since his normal accountant was on a month’s leave for the holidays. It was easy to me and I could come alone there when I needed to, or at least pretend to need to. Dad would never know.

I also went to the gym a lot and waited to see James there so I could casually say hello. It took a week but finally, I saw him on the treadmill watching something on the television screen in front of him. I was just finished with my yoga class and I approached him as I forced a flirtatious smile on my face. “James, hello.”

“Tory. Hi. How are you doing?” He looked me over in my tight pants and cropped tank top and I felt my body heat up inside.

“Good. I just finished class.” I glanced at the clock and got an idea. “Want to grab something to eat when you’re finished? I was busy today and never really got around to it.”

His want was all over his face and James swallowed after a moment. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea, Tory.” He glanced around but we were alone and he licked his lips. “I don’t know if anything should ever happen with us again.”

“Didn’t you like it?” I asked as his face flushed pink.

“Of course, I did. I’m honored that you wanted me that way but your father would kill me if he ever knew.” James gave me a long look and licked his lips.

“He’ll never know, James. Dad’s busy with the team and the investments that he’s always involved with. I get out on my own all of the time and I’d never tell him.” I looked around carefully. “I don’t want you to lose your job.” My words were low and he glanced around as he seemed to consider my words.

“Give me your number,” James suggested as he handed me his phone. I sent myself a text so I’d know his number and he looked at me for a long moment. “I’ll send you my address and you can meet me there in half an hour? I’ll order in.”

I grinned and nodded. “That sounds perfect. I’ll see you soon.” I made my way to the locker room and showered quickly before I changed into some skinny jeans and a long sleeved shirt before I pulled on my gray fleece jacket.

By the time I was in my car, I had his address and I entered it into Google maps as I let the car warm up.

CHAPTER 6

James

I must be out of my fucking mind. I should have told Tory no and that this could not happen again. My job was on the line if anybody found out and possibly my life, but the way she looked at me made me weak. I remembered how she felt, so tight and hot as I claimed her for the first time. I hadn’t had a woman for the first time in years and she addicting to me. I thought that once more wouldn’t hurt before she worked me out of her system and I could just go back to my casual flings.

I couldn’t wait to see her hot little body again as I parked in my garage at the end of my long driveway. I was away from the street in a quiet neighborhood and I knew that we would be left alone. Gary didn’t come over, since we weren’t friends like that. I was his employee and I’d see him for the occasional dinner to talk business or a party, like the other night.

I don’t even think he knew where I lived, to be honest.

I ordered some Thai food from the place a few miles away and was told that it would be delivered in about twenty-five minutes. That gave me time to tidy up and start a fire in the massive fireplace that was the focal point of the room. It was a lot of why I’d purchased the house and I looked around at the warm glow from the flames as I heard the doorbell.

Why was I trying to romance a young woman that I wasn’t going to see again after this? Tory didn’t care about these details and I shook my head as I went to answer the door.

“Hi. Beautiful house,” Tory told me with a bright smile as I ushered her inside and looked out.

“Thanks. It’s not up to your standards, I’m sure but I like it.” I joked as she laughed.

“My house is too big for me. I like the idea of something cozy like this. Maybe once I finish school, I can find something.” She walked to drop her purse on the coffee table and slipped her coat off.

“You’ll have a good future. I’m sure you can get a beautiful house.” Tory smiled as she looked up at me. “I ordered Thai. Is that okay?”

“Delicious,” Tory replied as she sat on the couch and looked up at me. She was gorgeous, and she knew that as I met her gaze with a hungry one of my own.

“Want something to drink?” I offered as I thought for a moment. “I have some beer in the fridge and maybe some wine. As far as non-alcoholic, there’s some soda and milk, since you’re young.” That got a laugh from her.

“I don’t think you care about my age that much, do you?” Tory asked as I pressed my lips together. “I’ll take a beer.”

“I’ll be right back,” I told her and walked into the kitchen to grab two bottles from the fridge. I looked at the wine from a date that I’d had some time ago from a date that didn’t call for a repeat and looked towards the living room. Did I want this night to call for one?

I looked at her settled back against the couch as I walked back in. She was beautiful in the light of the fire along with a couple other lamps I’d left on. Tory was fresh faced and young and I knew that the guys at her school had to be interested in her. She was beautiful before but the changes that she made turned her into a bombshell and after this break, they’d be breaking down doors to get to her. I could enjoy her until that day came and I glanced up as there was a knock at the door. I asked her to wait for a moment as I went to pay for the food and bring it into the living room. “Eat by the fire?”

“Sure,” Tory agreed as I went to get some plates and forks. We filled our plates as I found a movie on television and settled in beside her.

“You don’t seem twenty to me,” I observed as she took a bite of Pad Thai and looked at me. “You seem mature and smart.”

“I’ve always been smart, James. Maybe maturity comes with that.” Tory shrugged as her shirt slipped off of her shoulder and bared her pale skin. “Maybe I’m not too young for you.”

“Fifteen years is quite a gap,” I disagreed as she reached up to let her hair down. It dropped around her shoulders in waves and I watched her for a moment. “You’re not ready for anything right now, anyway. Finish school first and then see about a relationship. You’re beautiful and you’ll have no trouble getting a guy.”

“I want a man, James. I want a man the way that I had one the first time,” Tory told me as she set her plate down and took a long sip. She set the bottle down and moved to crawl over to me with a cunning smile on her face. Fucking hell, this woman had me. I shoved my plate onto the table as she moved into my lap and kissed me. Her mouth claimed mine hungrily as our tongues moved together with the taste of beer and spicy food on our lips.

I lifted her shirt over her head as she moved up, finding her nipples bare and pebbled for me before I leaned forward to suck on them. Tory had showered while I was still a bit sweaty from the work out, but I didn’t care at this moment. I wanted to drench myself fucking her all night long. I gave both nipples equal attention before I moved up to kiss her lips.

Tory slipped my shirt over my head and kissed down my chest before she drew my nipples between her teeth as I groaned her name. “Have you slept with anyone else since the party?” I murmured as she teased me with a laugh.

“No, why?”

“You don’t seem like you were a virgin just a few weeks ago,” I observed as she reached down for my pants and pulled them down. “You seem like you know what you’re doing just fine.”

“I had a good teacher,” Tory told me before she moved down my body and took me into her mouth. Jesus, her mouth felt good. I slipped my hands into her hair and tugged her close as I moaned Tory’s name. She sucked hard and slow to tease me before bobbing over me as I cried out her name. I came within a few moments and Tory drank me in as I jerked forward.

She moved up and I stared down at her as my mouth watered. “Take your pants off,” I demanded as she dropped onto her back and slid them down her legs. It took me no time to kick off my pants and crawl towards her as she watched me with bright eyes. God, she was so bare and I spread her thighs wide to smell her as she sucked in her breath.

Our first time had been heated and quick, but this time I was going to worship Tory. She was sweet like honey and I kissed the soft skin of her inner thighs as she arched her back and slid a hand into my hair. I buried my face against her pussy and licked her thoroughly before I circled her clit with the tip of my tongue. Tory moaned as she rocked against me and I wrapped my hands around her toned thighs to keep her still as she cried out.

“Fuck, James. That feels so good,” Tory told me as he hands ripped at my hair to try and make me let her go. I held firm and drew her between my teeth as I sucked her clit and she screamed as she came into my mouth. I drank her sweet juices in and felt my cock throbbing for her.

I always like the feel of a woman after an orgasm so I released her thighs and moved over her body to enter her. Tory stared at me with glazed eyes as I slid inside and moaned softly. I knew that she was overwhelmed right now but I had to feel her.

She pulled my face down to hers for a long kiss, tasting herself. I started moving faster to make her come again. She moved with me once she had some time to adjust, and soon we were rocking together in the search for a mutual release.

CHAPTER 7

Tory

I read a lot of books and watched a lot of porn in my research about sex. It was easy to assume that the books were embellished, and the porn was scripted right to make it seem far more exciting than it was.

Not that I didn’t get myself off to it all of the time. What kind of person would ignore that opportunity?

When James was between my legs with his mouth attached to me, I was in Heaven. He knew just what to do and how fast to do it. He knew every trick, and I almost ripped a handful of hair out of his head when he locked his arms around my legs to hold me still.

Sweet torture.

His mouth sucked on my sensitive pussy and drew the part that needed him the most between his teeth. Fuck me running, but that felt amazing. I felt the release coming painfully before it exploded and released to every nerve ending in my body. I have no idea what James did because I was too overwhelmed to feel it for a few seconds, but he was quickly crawling up my body and inside of her, thick and hard.

He felt too good inside of me, and I moaned to try and tell him this even as my body wrapped tightly around him. Traitor. I gave in to the feeling and started to move with him, rocking against him in search of another perfect orgasm. I found it just before he did and the feeling spread through my body just like before as his hot seed filled me. “Tory, baby. You feel so good.”

I told him something similar as our bodies locked together and we enjoyed the feeling of our heat combining.

We rested on the couch after for a few moments as I felt numb. James was the perfect lover, and I was not going to let him go. I would assure him constantly that nobody would know about us just to keep him inside of me like this.

No man would ever compare, and I watched as he stood on weak legs to put the food away and get some fresh beers. The light was dim, but I could see every muscle on his body. I couldn’t believe that this man was mine, even if he didn’t know it yet.

“Want to go to bed?” James asked as he stood naked before me with the bottles in his hand.

I was in. I smiled and nodded, moving slowly to a standing position as James’ eyes raked over my body. “That sounds great.” I knew that drinking the beer would prevent me from driving home too soon and being in his bed would hopefully make us fall asleep together. I reminded myself to assure him that I had a private entrance to my room, and I was with friends, so my parents wouldn’t worry. They’d never dream that their sweet daughter would be fucking the coach, and I’d make sure it was never a thought in their minds.

I looked around his room, complete with a smaller version of his beautiful fireplace and decided that a house like this would be perfect for me. I didn’t need the square footage that my parents did. I just wanted this with a man by my side and our family. “Want a fire?” James asked, and I nodded at him with a slow smile. There was a lamp on, and he made quick work of starting something while I went to the attached bathroom.

His semen was dripping out of me, and I looked down as I sat on the toilet. Would part of him manage to break past the barrier that I’d formed, giving me my dream? James was gorgeous, and I knew how beautiful our baby would be, and I wiped as I said a silent prayer.

The room was bathed in a warm glow as I went back in to find him on the bed, still naked as he waited for me. He was gorgeous, and I joined him on the mattress against the pillows as he wrapped an arm around me. “I love your house,” I murmured as I kissed his neck.

One kiss quickly led to me on top of James, riding his cock like it was a bucking bull. I’d worried about my lack of experience for a moment when things started, but his hands guided me, and James was happy to thrust up inside of me as I moved. I dropped my head back when I came as a howling noise escaped my throat and probably shocked the both of us.

He joined me, and we sipped the beers as we relaxed back against the pillows. “Do you watch porn or something?” James asked her after taking a deep breath.

“Who doesn’t these days?” I teased as I watched his jaw set into a firm scowl.

“Do you get yourself off to it?” James pressed, and I felt my pussy tingle again.

“Every time,” I admitted as his eyed moved down my body to the apex of my thighs. “I’ve been thinking of you a lot these days, James.”

“Fucking hell, Tory. That image will never leave my mind,” he growled as I smiled and dropped my legs open a bit.

“I’ll show you sometime,” I promised, sealing the deal for another tryst as I reached for my beer and took another sip.

I was on top of the world right now, and nothing could change that. I was going to keep fucking this man, and I couldn’t wait for the next time. He was perfect.

CHAPTER 8

James

Tory’s pussy was a magnet. I listened to all of her assurances that her parents were not as protective as they came off, both of them being so busy. She had an alibi for every time that we were together, which must have turned into at least ten times over the next couple of months. We’d see each other at the gym and be at my house, fucking every possible way that we could like animals. Sometimes one would text, and that was all that it would take.

I fucked her at the gym late one night, out by the pool. It was one of the hottest things that I’d ever done, and I’d always remember her muted orgasm.

She masturbated for me every morning that we woke up together and I’d claim her like a wild beast after she came from her hand.

My team didn’t go to the championship that year due to a few severe losses and everyone was disappointed. I buried myself inside of Tory when I could and tried to keep the team spirits up as needed.

Gary told me that we had next year with a grimace on his face and I knew that I’d disappointed him. What would he think if he knew that I was nailing his daughter? There was always that chance that a coach could be replaced after a tough season and I worried about that as I sunk into a depression of my own.

Tory was back in school, so I had some time to myself. I ate horribly and slept a lot in that time and at some point I realized that a couple months passed by.

Tory hadn’t been around, and while I was in something of a blackout state, I wondered why. Was it school? Was there someone else in her life?

We were never more than casual, and I knew that Tory moving on was a distinct possibility. I hated the thought, though. She was a smart, beautiful girl, and I enjoyed the time that we spent together, a lot of which included conversation.

I missed her sweet body, though. I couldn’t help but think about her in the morning when I was finally coming out of my cave, just as we were going to start a camp to get back into shape as a team. I’d jack off, sometimes angrily, before showering and heading out to the stadium to meet my guys.

Something was missing in my life. I saw Gary there, watching us. He was always alone and I knew that I couldn’t ask him why his daughter wasn’t responding to my calls and text messages. It would out us since as far as Gary knew, I had only seen her a couple of times.

My divorce was going through and I didn’t have to give Wendy as much as I initially thought. It was a generous amount but I had plenty to keep living my life and I was happy to put that behind me. I knew that next time, I’d listen to my brain instead of my cock even as my mind drifted to Tory.

I worried as the communication went on to be ignored and tried to assure myself that Tory was just dating someone her age, as she probably always should have done. I would find someone for me that I could show off in public, not a girl that I had to hide in my bedroom for fear of losing my job.

I was miserable when I wasn’t at practice or the gym, which became less and less. I never saw her there.

When Gary invited us to his house for a BBQ to celebrate summer and the upcoming season, I felt my heart shoot into my throat. I knew that this invite meant a family atmosphere and a place for the guys to bring their families while Gary included his own family.

Tory would be there. My cock ached for her, and I needed to see her beautiful face again. I wanted to talk to her about everything that I was feeling and see the same emotions in her eyes.

The weeks passed slowly before the big day, and I dressed in shorts and a button up shirt as I looked in the mirror. Thanks to my obsessive gym routine, I knew that I looked good, and I hoped that she wouldn’t be able to resist me.

Had I fallen for this girl?

I left to drive to his house, joining the cars on the sidewalk as the guys and their families walked with me to the door. One of the brothers opened it and greeted us as he invited us in, telling us that everyone else was by the pool.

I tried not to appear manic as my eyes searched the house for Tory while I made small talk with the players.

I saw her in the kitchen with her mom, still as beautiful with her hair a little longer and back to its natural color. She looked a bit tired, and I felt the electricity when she looked up and met my eyes. I could only see above her neck where I was before the guys opened the door and went to the back.

I had to bide my time and I walked around with a beer, talking to everyone about what a great season we were going to have. I played the part of the coach well and appeared like I was here to party.

It took everything that I had not to drop the bottle onto the deck as Tory descended with her mother, carrying food down to the tables that were set up on the grass. Her belly was rounded, and she had to be at least four months pregnant.

I did the math and realized that there was a good chance this was my baby that she was carrying. A mixture of anger and disappointment filled me as I watched her walk, dressed in a green sundress that hugged her new curves.

Tory was beautiful and she had some explaining to do. I held in my rising emotions and waited until we could talk alone, which ended up being after we ate.

I managed to follow her to the second floor without anyone seeing me, catching her by surprise as she opened her door. “What the fuck, Tory?” I hissed as her eyes grew wide in shock and fear.

“You scared the shit out of me, James!” She admonished me as anger flashed in her eyes. Yep, the hormones were getting to her. Her big round tits looked amazing though and I eyeballed them for a moment.

“When were you going to tell me?” I asked her as I pushed her into her room and closed the door behind us. There was so much activity going on downstairs and outside that I knew we weren’t going to be bothered.

“I wasn’t, to tell you the truth. You have a job to worry about, and my parents think that this is the result of a one-night stand, so you’re safe. I can do this on my own,” Tory snapped as she turned her face away from me and walked over to her window.

“This is my baby, too. I want to support you both…I want to know it once it’s here. Do you know what it is yet?” I asked her in a broken voice as she looked at me with shimmering eyes.

“Soon,” Tory said as I took a deep breath. “I don’t need you, James.”

“I want you, Tory. I want you and this baby. Can we work something out?” I asked her as she took a slow breath. “Please, baby. I miss you.”

“I…” Her youth showed on her face as she looked at the floor. “I don’t know how to tell my dad about the baby, so I shut you out. He was livid when I lied about the one-night stand but it’s all I knew to tell him. It took him at least a month to calm down and he’s still not happy. He thinks I am going to quit school, but I can do both.” Her full lower lip jutted out and I wanted to suck it into my mouth.

“I can help you. We can work on a way to tell him,” I assured her as I stepped closer. I reached out for her and she melted into my arms as I held her. “I’ll do anything you need me to.”

“I’m doing okay, James. This is a safe pregnancy…I knew it would be. I feel healthy, and I am doing everything that I need to. Just sleeping more,” Tory tried to joke as I looked into her eyes.

“Can I see you? Can we work something out?” I asked her as I cupped her face in my hands.

“I’ll answer your texts, but we have to be careful,” she told me as I saw the fear in her eyes. Tory wasn’t the girl that she was before, willing to push the boundaries. Now she was soon to be a mother and scared of her future.

I kissed her as she moaned into my mouth. I wouldn’t take it further here or ever if that’s what she wanted. I just wanted to support her and do what I could.

My mind already moved forward to decorating one of my rooms for the baby and then I saddened as I pictured not having Tory there was well.

We agreed to have dinner this week before I made my way back to the party and she cleaned herself up from crying with me.

My heart was twisted as I drove home that night, not sure of what to do. I wanted Tory and the baby, but I was fearful of telling her father and losing the job I’d worked so hard for.

CHAPTER 9

Tory

Seeing James broke me. I was so strong until I met his green eyes. I was staying away from him to protect him after finding out that my wish had come true.

I’d never forget the day I took the test. I was so excited, and when I saw the positive result, I wanted to scream.

Then reality set in, and I knew that James would lose his job for a baby that he didn’t plan. We were casual lovers, nothing more. He wouldn’t want his entire future ruined by a baby with me.

I ignored his calls and texts as I cried alone in my bed. I played the strong woman for everyone else, pushing through my lies to my parents as Dad ranted on and on and Mom cried.

How could their brilliant daughter be so careless? How could I slip up this way? I’d never admit that I stopped taking my birth control pills towards the end of my affair with James, wanting this until I actually had it.

Mom was accepting of it now and even getting excited. She couldn’t wait to find out what the baby was so she could plan for it and start buying things in earnest.

Dad was sullen, but I knew that he loved me. I tried to show him that I had this together every day as I continued about my life with a child growing inside of my stomach. I knew that he’d come through at the end, but now that I’d agreed to see James again, I couldn’t help but worry. I knew that I still had feelings for him, and I didn’t know where we’d end up.

A big part of me hoped that I’d be in his bed soon. I was horny as hell, and my hand wasn’t enough anymore. I wasn’t about to sleep with some random guy to satisfy my needs, not with this baby inside of me. I deserved the best. I knew that sex would be hell on my emotions, but my pussy ached for him every night, and I cursed that part of pregnancy. I had a great thing with James and I hated giving it up.

I made my way back to the party with my make-up fixed and a smile on my face. It was hard not to move towards James, towards the pull that he had on me. I just talked with everyone and played the part of the owner’s daughter. I acted excited about the baby and kept the tears at bay until I was in my room that night, alone under my covers.

The next day I received a text. Dinner was at his house, just like before. I smiled when he asked me just what I wanted, making sure that it met his requirements for being healthy. I was obsessively healthy with this pregnancy.

I wore a pair of capris and a t-shirt, since I was supposed to be studying with friends. It was casual on the surface, but there was a heat that filled the room as he ordered in some big salads and poured me some ice water.

James drilled me about every aspect of the pregnancy as I answered his questions in between bites of food. He’d already done this in texts and calls and it was sweet somewhere under all of the obsessive nature of it. But hell, I was still obsessed with him.

Yes, I was eating healthy. No, I never had any real morning sickness, which made it a bit tougher to figure out for me. It wasn’t a problem to keep going to school and I’d be taking a little time off when the baby was here. It was all planned out…without James being involved. I wasn’t losing my future in all of this and I didn’t want him to, either.

Were my brothers pissed off? Livid, actually. I never revealed who the father was, claiming a stupid drunken night at a party so they never had a face to attach their rage to. Now they were warming up to the idea of being uncles and helping me raise the baby, which I wasn’t certain about quite yet.

We ended that night with just a kiss, though I wanted to rip his clothes off with my bare hands. He was sexy and the way that he wanted to take care of me was more of a turn on than I ever could’ve imagined.

The next time I was there though, I attacked him. I told him all about what the hormones did to me between hungry kisses and his fingers moved to ease my ache as his lips claimed mine. Sex had never felt so good and I begged him for it again and again, throwing us right back into the affair that we’d started.

I rode him once I assured him that sex wouldn’t hurt the baby. He took me from behind when I wanted it rough and hard and found ways to make missionary some of the hottest sex that I’d ever had. I made the visits to his house more than once a week once I realized that I’d found the itch to my deep scratch.

Once we found out the baby was a girl, he started shopping. I went with my mom to find out, still sticking with my secret and James cried when I called him as soon as I could to tell him.

He made such a beautiful room for her and I snuggled close to him in bed as looked down at my growing belly. We hadn’t decided to tell my parents yet and I felt like I was living a lie, in some ways. I wanted to tell them that I was happy and falling in love with him though I was acting like I was doing this on my own. I lied every time that I was with him, telling them something about school or studying. I knew that it was affecting my grades and my life and after two months of seeing each other behind everyone’s back, I looked at him in bed one night.

“I hate this. I want to tell them so bad, but Dad is just getting excited about her,” I told him as I rubbed my bare belly. Thanks to my hormones, I focused on sex more than talking and when we did talk, it was about the baby. We didn’t deal with anything else, staying inside of our bubble when we were together. “He’s going to kill both of us when he finds out and we won’t know our daughter at all.”

“Baby, I can quit as a coach. I have money saved up, and I can start a business to support us,” James told me as I looked at him. “I’ll tell him. I’ll ask for your hand in marriage.”

“He’ll kill you. We can’t tell him now.” I sighed and rested my head against his shoulder. “When did this get so complicated?”

“It wasn’t planned,” he assured me as I looked down at the sheets.

“I messed up with my pill. I think that I’m at fault.” I knew about his divorce and the details now, and I felt guilty, knowing what he went through with that. I didn’t know too much about it at all before the pregnancy. “I don’t want to trap you like this.”

“I’m happy with you, Tory. I don’t mind that this happened,” James assured me as I stared at him. “I could’ve walked away once I found out about her, but I didn’t. I want to be in your life.”

“Are you sure?” I asked as I read his expression. He was giving up everything for our daughter and me.

“Yes. We’ll work through this.” James kissed my head as I closed my eyes. I always fell asleep here, and I was glad that my parents didn’t pay that much attention to me at night, even though they grew more concerned as the pregnancy moved forward. I was always home when they woke up in the morning.

Around the sixth and a half month mark, they started to call me more and more if I was out late. I felt worse lying now and I’d go home earlier, taking time away from James. I knew that he was trying to focus on the beginning of the season in a few weeks and that the team was working hard to prepare. I knew that my absence bothered him since he was as worried as my parents were behind the scenes.

I didn’t want to be a burden and I reconsidered us telling my parents all over again, though I’d have to either way. He’d want to see his daughter whether or not we were together. James was going to be an excellent father and I’d never take that away from him.

We started to fight as I stayed home more and more. I was getting more tired as my stomach grew and school work was dragging me down more now. I talked to James and texted him as much as I could, but he said that wasn’t enough. My hormones agreed and I made a point of going over on the weekends to try and pacify the situation.

I wanted to make everyone happy and it was taking everything out of me. I couldn’t wait to be on a break from school and be able to focus on all of the other chaos in my life.

CHAPTER 10

Jame

I was relieved when Tory agreed to see me again, not at all surprised that we began to sleep together immediately. We already had a strong pull, and she was pregnant, so it seemed natural. I didn’t want her with anyone else, and she assured me that she did not want anyone else.

That happened after I questioned whether or not the baby was mine. Tory was pissed and threw a glass across my kitchen, reminding me not to mess with her out of balance hormones. She insisted that there was nobody but me and how could I think that there ever could be?

She was a firecracker when mad as well as in bed, and I was falling in love with her. I let the issue of us go for a few months after we got back together to keep her relaxed, but I knew that I couldn’t do it forever. I needed to know that she and my daughter were going to be a part of my life.

I didn’t even tell her that I loved her and she never said the words to me, though I was sure that it showed in the way that we looked at each other. It was in the way that we loved each other behind closed doors. It was in the way that I hoped out daughter looked a little more like Tory than she did me, because her mother was beautiful.

Even the team asked me what was going on in my life. There were times that I was content and relaxed with them as well as days that I was on edge. They teased me about a new girlfriend and I was frustrated that I couldn’t tell them the truth. I couldn’t tell them anything. These were like my sons and I wanted to share my news with them, knowing that they’d be the overprotective uncles to this baby. At this rate, I wouldn’t be with her mother since we kept fighting with all of the stress hovering around the situation. It was terrible and I grew more on edge being alone in my house as I worked on a pretty pink nursery for my baby girl.

The season started and I was busy with that, but missing Tory. She only came over on weekends since her parents were acting worried, something they had the right to when I didn’t.

It was making me crazy and I picked up the phone one day to make some calls. I had to find a way to make Tory mine so we could be a family once and for all.

I decided to give everyone until the upcoming holidays to drop the bomb. It would be a break for Tory and we got together for a big Thanksgiving party every year. I’d skipped it last year since my mother had come down with a serious flu that put her in the hospital, but this year I’d be home and able to go through with my plan.

I made some calls and hung up with a grin on my face as I stared at my phone and considered calling Tory. No, this as a surprise to her as well and one that I hoped was well received.

I had just over a month to plan and I took what Tory could give me in that time. I knew that she was stressed out and the upcoming due date wasn’t helping matters. Her parents were being overbearing and school was nothing but studying for her right now.

I let her study at my house in the evenings, watching her on the couch one night as I went over plays. She looked beautiful with her long hair and growing belly, and I saw her glance at me. “What?”

“I want you to move in,” I told her, nudging the subject as she stared at me.

“How? You’re lucky that I’m here at all. I doubt that they’ll let me leave the house once she’s born.” Tory was crabby, and I reached over and took her hand.

“Just study. We’ll worry about this later.” I assured her as she smiled at me and looked down at her book.

She finished with all of her tests just before the middle of November, and I saw her a little more than usual. It was hard to leave her house, but Tory told her parents that she wanted to shop herself for things, even though there was a shower coming up just before Christmas. I sat back and let my plan form.

Tory took advantage of her parent’s party planning and came by to see me more since she wasn’t allowed to help this year. She looked gorgeous even though she claimed that she was a beached whale all of the time. I disagreed.

CHAPTER 11

Tory

The party was next week, and I was so glad to be done with school. I helped Mom from the couch as she planned the caterers, called the bartenders and scheduled delivery of the additional tables that we’d need. As stressed as party planning made my mom, she loved it. Nothing made her happier than keeping busy.

I knew that she had a baby shower planned for me as well, though I’d asked for something smaller. I didn’t want it to be one of the events that they planned for the team or the extended family. That was intimate.

I left the house when I could to see James, loving the feelings of his arms around me. He soothed me in a world that seemed so uncertain, though he didn’t bother me about moving in anymore. He just acted happy when I was there as though he didn’t want anything else and I got scared with that. My mind was mush. I didn’t know what I wanted anymore, and I grumbled about the party.

“It’ll be fun, Tor. Lots of good food, the team. It’s tradition,” James told me as I rolled my eyes. “Maybe we can sneak off into that little room for old times’ sake.” I smacked his shoulder for that and crawled over him as I kissed him. It wasn’t easy, but we managed these days, and he seemed happy.

Too happy.

I managed to help Mom decorate for the party here and there, looking forward to it being over. Maybe then, James and I could sit down with them and tell them what was going on, just the four of us. I knew that there was going to be a fight afterward, and I wanted to keep it as calm and quiet as possible.

This was so nerve-wracking for me.

I wore a beautiful purple dress the night of the party with some black flats. It had cute cap sleeves and hugged my chest while it draped over my stomach down to my knees. I looked in the mirror after I lined my eyes with some dark liner and added some mascara. I didn’t want the bombshell effect from the party the year before since I got what I wanted, just without the man. I just wanted to be pretty because the cameras would be going off and my daughter deserved a beautiful picture of her mother before her birth.

Then I would go cry for what I didn’t have in my life; the man that I loved but was too afraid to say the words to.

James hadn’t told me that he loved me either, even though there had been hints about my moving in here and there and his telling me that he wanted me in my life. That was all I had and I wanted love for us. I wanted love for our daughter.

I went downstairs when the guests started arriving and forced a smile on my glossed lips as I descended carefully down the stairs. The team was arriving and I greeted them as they passed by me on the way to the bar to grab a drink, accompanied by their cute kids and beautiful wives. I told the family members that were walking in and hugged them as they told me how beautiful I looked.

James took my breath away when he came in, dressed in a classic suit with his hair slicked back. He shook my father’s hand and kissed my mother’s cheek before he moved to me. “Looking beautiful as always,” James told me before he leaned down and pressed his lips gently to my cheek before moving into the house. I felt wrecked with the idea that I couldn’t join him, holding his hand and walking around with him. I imagined him here with a date and the idea killed me as I watched him smile at everyone as he chatted, looking happy and content. What was his secret?

We sat to eat dinner and I considered myself lucky to be at the same table that he was. My father said a blessing as he always did at big meals and he teared up when he mentioned the baby and looked at me. I fought my own tears after all of the silence and stress I’d seen him go through over the last year. I glanced at James, who was smiling to himself as he raised his glass.

Why was he so damn happy? I wiped the tears away that were more than just a reaction to my father. I wanted to stand up and scream that I was in love with James and that he was the father of my baby. I wanted them all to know.

I was done with my plate and I pushed it away as James stood and cleared his throat. I stared at him, wondering what the hell he was up to. “I have a few things I’d like to say here.” He looked at my father and smiled. “Gary, I have been blessed to coach for your team. The guys are like my own kids but I’ve made the decision to resign and my assistant coach is happy to step up and take over for me. I have something else that I want to pursue in my life.”

“James, what’s going on?” My father stood and looked at him with angry eyes. “Is it money?”

“No, sir.” He stopped in front of my chair and dropped to one knee as my mouth dropped open. “I am in love with your daughter and she’s giving me a beautiful gift. The baby is mine and I want her to marry me more than anything and be a family.” I felt tears slide down my cheeks as the room reacted, but nobody stronger than my father.

“You did this to Tory? She’s a kid, James. What the hell is wrong with you?” I winced as we were all a witness to Dad’s anger and I looked at him.

“I’m going to be twenty-two soon, Dad. I am young but not too young to be his wife and a mother. I love him, and we’ve been seeing each other for months, only secretly. We didn’t know how to tell you, and I didn’t expect…this.” I looked at him and wiped my eyes. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve been dying to say all of this to you, Tory. I wanted to do it big and prove to this entire room that I’m in love with you.” He stood and looked at my dad. “Can I have your daughter’s hand in marriage, sir? I promise to take the utmost care of her and our daughter. I will make them my everything and give her the world. I just know that I can’t live without her.”

“Shit, James. I don’t know whether to punch you or kill you right now. She’s my baby…” He looked at James and me. “You two are really in love?”

“Desperately,” I told him as the tears ran free down my cheeks.

“Take care of her,” my brother said as he stood with my father, joined by the other one. “Take care of her and the baby.”

“For God’s sake,” I said as I wiped my eyes and looked down at James. “I know he will.”

“You bet your ass he will,” Dad said as Mom looked over his shoulder and glared at him. “Go ahead, James. Do what you’re going to do.”

James swallowed and looked at me. “Tory, I have loved you for far longer than I might be willing to admit and I’d love for you to be my wife. I want to make a home together for our baby. Will you marry me?”

“Yes, yes and yes. I’ve been waiting for you to say this to me.” I laughed nervously as he pulled a ring from his pocket and slipped it on my finger as I started to cry again. It was beautiful with a band covered in diamonds surrounding another rock that was big enough to sparkle but not gaudy. I loved it, and Jack stood and pulled me slowly into his arms as everyone started to clap.

He kissed me softly and whispered that he loved me. He whispered that he always loved me, and I agreed before kissing him again. We pulled away and looked around at the faces staring back at us. Some were shocked, others were smiling, but the most notable faces in the room were my parents as they lifted their glasses in a toast.

“I am going to offer you the job back as well, James. I don’t mind keeping football in the family, but don’t expect any special treatment from me. I still expect the team to win it all this year.” Dad said as we both stared at him. He winked and James looked at me.

“What do you think?”

“What do you think? I get to keep you either way,” I told him as I stared at him.

“I was going to take some time off with you, travel once the baby is here and maybe join a business with my friend. I want to be home with you,” James told me as I smiled at him.

“You’ve taken the team this far already this year, and I’ll be busy with the baby once she’s born. We won’t be traveling anywhere for a while. We can go on a great trip in a few months. Stay for a while,” I urged James as he kissed me.

“I’ll take that offer…Dad.”

Dad groaned, and I pulled James closer for another kiss.

I knew that we could make it. I knew that we had the love for each other as well as our baby.

The End

DADDY’S BEST FRIEND

"It's good to have you home again, Max," said Sam.

Would that I could say the same, she thought. But her modeling career, in as much as she had one, had gone bust, so while her parents thought it was great that she was at home again, the sting of failure was still a bit hard for Maxine Sawyer to stand.

Her mother, a small, lean woman with frizzy hair and 1970s-style aviator glasses, led her upstairs, back to her old room. It felt weird, being treated like a guest even though she already knew where everything was. Her parents hadn't done much to her bedroom--they'd donated or otherwise got rid of all of her old clothes and cleaned out her trove of high school art projects, from the time she'd thought she wanted to be a designer. They'd kept some of her better pieces, though, she was glad to see. But otherwise her room was much as she'd left it when she landed her first modeling contract in Los Angeles--the white lace bedcovers were still there and the walls were still the warm shade of butter-yellow and her old crocheted rug was still next to her bed.

"Wow," Max murmured, as she threw her suitcase on her bed. "This brings back memories."

"Your father and I were hoping that you'd stay, go to college--"

"Mom, not now, okay?" Max said. Her parents had never liked the idea of her being a model. They said it was a career path fueled by drugs and alcohol, one that turned pretty girls into old women before their time. Max could see the truth of that, even as a willful teen, but she was determined to make a living of it all the same.

She did everything right--she worked whatever jobs she could find, her green eyes and blue-black hair landing her opportunities that most models couldn't get. She had a "charming, beguiling look", as the modeling agency that hired her maintained. But after three years, the contracts started drying up. She wondered what it could be--certainly not her weight, which she'd maintained at a steady 112 pounds since the beginning. And her reputation--eager, hard-working, creative, intelligent--was stellar.

"Sorry kid," Gerry had said. That was the Gerry O’Connell, the manager of the All Occasions modeling agency she signed with, when she called to ask him why she had no work. "These things come and go. One moment you're in, the next everybody wants sun-kissed blondes. Right now it's a Brazilian moment—deep tans, tousled salt-sprayed hair. Maybe you'll have better luck in Ireland."

Well, she would have gone to Ireland--she'd thought about it, and even started the visa application, at least until she realized that just filing the papers would cost her $500, and that was $499 more than she could spare. Damn the EU, she'd thought. Only later did she realize that even the cheapest flight to Ireland was easily in the four digits.

So it was on to Plan B, which she would have been okay with if Plan B actually paid anything. In LA, if you couldn't make it as a model then you hacked it as a waitress, worked bit parts as an extra in movies and shows, or you signed up for making porn. Waiting tables was a hellish hustle, which would have been worth it nonetheless until she realized that every diner would have to tip her at least 18%, and she needed at least 30 hours a week, before she could make rent. And given that the management always skimmed a bit off the tips and she could have her hours cut without notice, it became impossible to both pay rent and eat, and while CopaCopa did give the wait staff free meals it was only one meal in a day, and that was barely enough for even a model. She wound up going through Whole Foods, because they at least had free samples, but after the second assistant asked her if she needed any help she realized that it would be suspicious to go to Whole Foods and never buy anything. Working as an extra was mostly about free food and strong coffee. Porn actually did pay, but just the process of getting cast was more humiliating and degrading than she had the stomach for. For some reason her being a virgin was supremely desirable--but when they began talking about lessons on how to give proper blow-jobs suddenly calling her parents and asking to come home didn't seem so bad.

"I'm just glad you're home, sweetie," her mother said, now. "Dinner at six, okay?"

"Thanks," Max said. She wondered how to tell her mother that her diet had changed—when she’d tried to explain what veganism was her mother just nodded blankly (they were using Skype) and asked if organic butter would be all right. She’d sighed and nodded. Her mother would still be cooking luscious meaty casseroles and heavy, creamy soups, accompanied by thick slices of cheesy, buttery bread---and in the meantime, she'd added gluten to the list of food that she didn’t eat, so that was another thing she’d have to explain. Basically, if her mother cooked, it was off-limits.

But as the smell of chicken pot pie wafted into her room, she found herself wondering if maybe eating a full meal for the first time in three years could really be a bad thing. Her parents did mean well, after all, and they'd taken her in again without any "I told you so" or making her feel guilty about not heeding their advice. Maybe college wasn't such a bad idea--as she looked over the pieces of her portfolio that her mother kept she realized that they weren't half-bad--she could get a job somewhere while she worked towards a degree in graphic design, and maybe even design clothes one day that people would fight to model.

Irony was a funny thing, she thought as she put her clothes away. Still, this was a second chance, and she knew that most people didn't get one. And it began with eating her mother's chicken pot pie and telling her parents that she was going to enroll in college.

It’d been a long time since she was back in Maryland. She’d forgotten a lot about it—she’d fallen asleep on the drive home from the airport and therefore missed a lot. But now, in the morning, she woke up in her bedroom which felt bigger than the entire apartment that she’d shared with four other girls, also all models, to the sight of the sun coming over the trees in their backyard—it felt a little like she’d landed on an alien planet, where the hot water worked and there weren’t hair clots the size of her fist in the shower. She pulled on a long shirt/short dress, depending on whether she was wearing leggings with it (it was leggings weather), going for “boho chic”, but she realized that she’d sold all of her turquoise jewelry for the plane fare home. She still had some cheap costume jewelry, though—some dangly feathers, a string of wooden beads—so just plain “boho” it was, then.

As she went down the stairs and into the kitchen and smelled eggs and bacon it was amazing how badly she wanted some, even though she was a vegan (until last night).

“Good morning,” her mother said.

“Hi,” Max said, as she sat down at the table, sheepishly—unable to hide how much she’d missed having eggs and bacon. Her mother gave her a sidelong look and plated out one egg and a strip of bacon, and added an English muffin to it for good measure. “It won’t kill you,” her mother had said the night before, when she’d tried to explain (again) what being gluten-free meant.

“How do you know?” she’d asked. “Did you know that we’ve only been eating wheat for five-thousand years? Before that we were hunters and gatherers—”

“The world didn’t change overnight,” her father had said. “You think they invented plows and tamed oxen and built cities in two days?”

“No—”

“Then we’ve been eating wheat and cows and chickens before then, too,” he said, gruffly. “This is our home, and if you want to stay here then you have to live by our rules.”

It had seemed gauche to start a ruckus about lifestyles and living decisions on her first night home, so she’d bitten her tongue and ate the chicken pot pie. But now, she could tell that her mother wanted to discuss something with her, and it wasn’t about her pseudo-reluctance to eat the eggs and bacon. Her mother was putting away the dishes in the dishwasher, a focused frown on her face as she composed her speech. Max waited.

“They’re hiring at Lincoln,” her mother said, finally, picking up a mug of coffee on the counter and sitting down across from Max. Lincoln was the main strip mall in the area—for all that they said that strip malls were dying Lincoln was still doing a bustling trade, not the least because it was the only place in twenty miles to get anything.

“Thanks, mom,” she said, not-saying that she was so not going back to retail, or waiting tables. Everybody at CopaCopa had told her that at least they weren’t getting robbed outright, like they did in the suburbs. She’d worked at the Gap, herself, in her teenage years, for a pathetically low wage, and there was one thing she was certain of: nobody ever made it anywhere by working in retail.

“You’ve got to start somewhere,” her mother said.

“I know,” she said. “Can we just agree that it’s going to take me a little while to come up with some kind of plan, though, please?”

“How long do you need?”

“I’m going to go to Montco today to see what their requirements are for enrollment,” Max said. Her mother smiled, as Max knew she would. “Maybe see about a work-study while I’m there, and then go for a swim.” Her mother had a family-wide membership for the local YMCA—it was cheaper than getting three separate memberships, especially since her father used the gym irregularly and she was only in two a few times a year. And she did have to work off the chicken pot pie from the night before.

“Work-study would be good,” her mother agreed. “At the very least, you’ve already worked, so you know what they’ll expect.”

Didn’t you spend three years telling me that modeling wasn’t a real job? Max thought, but she kept her mouth shut. She wasn’t in a mood to pick a fight with her mother now—and her mother really did have good intentions for her, she reminded herself. It was just that, having been a housewife for almost twenty years, she really had no idea how things really worked out there in the real world.

Max ate the egg white and scraped the rest of her plate into the trash, while her mother sighed. “I told you,” Max said, as she pulled on her shoes. “I’m gluten-free and vegan now.”

“Bring the car back before three,” her mother called.

Max nodded. It’d been a while since she’d last driven; she was always the designated driver when she and her modeling friends had gone out—the stories about girls getting drugged and raped were too common for it not to happen, and her friend Jenny had had a close call. If Max hadn’t walked into the men’s room at the club by accident, there was every possibility that Jenny would have been raped—her dress was pulled down to her waist and the man had just whipped out his cock, and Jenny was clearly out of it. So she never drank in public places—and anyway, after her modeling gigs dried up she was too busy scraping together rent money to party, anyway.

So it was rather incredible how fast and automatic everything still was—look left, look right, check her blind spots, scope the mirrors, turn, merge. She wondered, briefly, if this meant that she was supposed to be living in the suburbs, with its perfect tree-lined streets and two cars in every garage, stifling her with its Stepfordian perfection. It was what had drawn her to the city—or rather, pushed her out of the suburbs—and now, as she pulled into the parking lot of Montgomery County Community College it was hard to think of this as a way out, instead of as a prison.

She got the standard admissions tour, which came with a run-down of the amenities (a library with 134,682 books, as if someone had actually sat down and counted them all) and a brief explanation of how work-study worked. Her GED, which she’d taken to become emancipated at the age of sixteen, was still good, so she didn’t need to take that again. The arts program was nice—they worked in traditional media but also alongside programmers and animators—and she thought that there was something in it for her, especially when she saw some of the students’ projects.

Her mother and father would be pretty darn furious about it, though. A fine arts degree from a prestigious university was pretty darn useless as it was—never mind one from a community college. But she could spin graphic design as a good skill and a worthy degree to have. If there was one thing living in LA had taught her, it was that people were suckers for good design.

It was barely noon when she left the admissions office, resolved to talk out the financials with her parents that evening. That gave her three hours before she had to get the car back to her mother—plenty of time to take a dip and do a few laps.

At noon in the middle of the week there were very few people there, and the people that were there were mostly old and saggy. Still, swimming was swimming, and as she dived into the pool she felt her body come alive again, and what a joy it was to be weightless in the water. She could still do nearly a full length of the pool without taking a breath.

Freestyle, breaststroke, butterfly—she did them all, and as she hung onto the pool after a series of laps she heard someone behind her say, “You’re quite a swimmer.”

She turned around, expecting to see one of the old men who were doing languid laps in the pool—there were always older guys around looking to flirt with her, and that went double because her swimsuit had cutaways in the sides, enough to be interesting but not enough to be risque. He was treading water behind her. He was definitely older, but his arms were lean and ripped, and she thought she could make out a well-defined six pack despite the water. His face was vaguely familiar—she had the feeling that she’d seen him before on TV, which was ridiculous because there were no celebrities in Bloomsdale, Maryland. But he seemed pleasant enough, open and honest, with a nice smile. “Thanks,” she said, pleasantly surprised. Most of the men who wanted to talk to her were old enough to be her grandfather, which she found sketchy as hell.

“Name’s Jack,” he said. “I’d uh, shake your hand but I’m kind of busy right now.”

“Max,” she said. “That’s all right.”

“Race you to the other end,” he said, grinning.

Oh really, she thought. He must have only just arrived—otherwise he wouldn’t have made such a silly challenge. “What’s the prize for winning?” she asked, as he slid under the lane marker and into the one next to her.

“If I win, a date with you, if you win, how about twenty bucks?”

She should’ve known that he would go or something like that—not that she planned on losing to him. “One date,” she said, “that’s it.”

“One date,” he agreed, “though I may ask you out again.”

“You’re assuming that you’ll get that lucky,” she retorted, grinning.

“Oh ho, getting cocky now, are we?” he asked.

“Not as cocky as you are, thinking that you can beat me,” she said.

He shook his head, smiling. “I knew I’d like you the moment I saw you,” he said.

“Make it fifty,” she said, trying to decide between her butterfly and crawl—the butterfly was a faster stroke, but it took a lot out of her. But then again, there was only one lap—

“Fifty it is,” he said.

He must be loaded, she thought, as she braced herself against the pool

“Go!” he shouted, and she took off, kicking against the water with both legs in an explosive burst that took her almost a quarter length of the pool before she had to kick again.

The butterfly was faster but it was harder to get right, and if she didn’t time every movement, from the sweep of her arms to the rippling kick with both legs, it would be a sure way to lose. But she was good at the butterfly, if only because it was more fun than lifting weights to keep her upper body toned for her modeling career. She flexed herself, snapping her legs into the water again, certain that he was behind her—three more strokes to go and victory would be hers. He was nowhere in sight. Two more strokes and she would be fifty dollars richer. One more stroke—

And then all of a sudden he rocketed past her and touched his wall just a fraction of a second before she touched hers. “Ha!” he shouted, ripping off his goggles.

She stared at him, bug-eyed with disbelief: how did this happen again? He wasn’t Michael Phelps, was he? “Don’t feel bad,” he said, reaching over the rope to shake her hand. “I should’ve told you that I was the state champion and an Olympic contender.”

“That—that wasn’t fair!” she sputtered angrily. “If I’d known—”

“You’d have still raced, don’t deny it,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t think I’d beat you.”

She scowled and pulled herself out of the pool, heading to the bench for her towel and flip-flops.

“Oh come on,” he cajoled now, following her. “One date with me isn’t so bad, is it?”

She bit her lip and rolled her eyes as she headed into the women’s locker room. You did make a bet, she thought reluctantly. One date—not the end of the world. She would survive. “Pick me up tonight at seven, 1725 Wynwood Lane,” she said.

“Wear something hot,” he called, as the door slammed shut in his face.

“You what?” her father sputtered.

“You what?” her mother gasped.

I probably should have told them, thought Max, now, turning red. She wore a short skirt and high heels and a sequined, silvery camisole top, with a cute little black bolero. It was a far cry from the jeans and sweatshirt that she’d worn earlier that day, and when her parents saw her outfit they, predictably enough, flipped out. And then, when she told them why she was dressed “like a two-bit whore” as her father put it, she thought they were going to ground her or something absurdly childish like that.

“I’m not a child anymore,” she said, which set off another round of apoplectic anger and speechless stuttering noises from them both.

At that moment, though, the doorbell rang, and she could see the conflict: politeness for the stranger, or scolding their daughter for her bad decision? Max didn’t care: she straightened her back and opened the door. “Hi Jack,” she said, as he stepped inside. He was wearing rather tight jeans, she noticed appreciatively, and a simple white form-fitting t-shirt that showed off his slim waist. He carried a black leather jacket over his arm. When he saw her parents, he nodded and said, smiling, “Sam, Darlene, nice to see you—”

“Wait—you know my parents?” she gasped. “Are there any other secrets to you that I should know about?”

He shrugged, grinning. “Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her,” he said, to her parents, who were still trying to figure out what to say.

“Max,” her father said, now, a low, dangerous anger in his voice. “Can we talk?”

“Dad,” she said.

“Now,” he said.

She looked at Jack helplessly, but he waved her towards her parents, saying, “I can wait. I was expecting this.” He sat down on their living room sofa, while her father pulled her into the kitchen.

“Max,” her father said, before she could protest. “Jack and I have been business associates for most of our adult lives, now. I know the guy—he’s sketchy as fuck—yes, I just said the f-word. That’s how bad he is—”

“Dad,” she said, “I know you think I’m still a little girl, but I’ve been living on my own in LA for three years. It’s just one date, okay? No big deal.”

“You say that—” he began, but she was already on her way back out and she walked out the front door quickly, before her parents could catch up. She knew her father would be trying to run after her, trying to say something that resembled a coherent sentence instead of useless, futile rage. Jack followed her out and opened the door to the car for her.

“What was that about?” Jack asked, as he settled into the driver’s seat and pulled on his seatbelt.

“My dad says you’re a terrible person,” she said.

He laughed. “Yeah, yeah, he would,” he said, softly.

“Well, I don’t think you’re terrible,” she said. “Rude, maybe. Pushy, sure. But you don’t kick puppies or anything, do you?”

He smiled at her. “You know, I knew you’d understand.”

***

For an older guy, he definitely knew where all the fun things were. She’d had her share of men in LA; the younger ones would take her to skanky clubs where the cover was only a dollar and drinks were three for five. The older ones would take her out to classy restaurants and take her dancing. Thirty seemed to be the age of demarcation—she’d never dated anyone older than thirty-five, and now here she was with a guy old enough to be her dad, in a wine club on the outskirts of Bethesda, sampling glasses of wine, olives, figs, and roasted nuts. “I’m not twenty-one,” she’d hissed as they approached the entrance.

“I’ve got that taken care of,” he said.

And he did. Somehow, he merely whispered something to the man standing outside—a bouncer, perhaps, except the place was hardly rowdy enough to need a bouncer—and she was escorted in with him. They took their places next to each other in a booth, and every few minutes someone would come up to the table pushing a cart with a bottle wine and a small plate of food, and they could either take a glass or send it along. It was sort of like dim sum but for wine and tapas, and as she popped a stuffed olive in her mouth she felt Grown Up in a way that she’d never felt before. On her previous dates, the guy would order the wine, and try to tell her how she should swirl the glass, what to look for, how to taste, but Jack would merely say, “Oh, this looks like a good bottle. Shall we try a glass?”

“You’re not going to tell me how to aerate my wine?” she asked now, sipping at the dark, rich liquid on her tongue.

“Why should I?” he asked. “Presumably if the wine needed to breathe, they’d have done it already.”

“Most of the guys that I’ve dated want to teach me things about wine, that’s all.”

“Do you want to learn?”

She shook her head. “If it’s good—like this one—the that’s enough for me.”

“Not a fan of tannins,” he remarked.

“Is that what makes your mouth go dry?”

He smiled at her. “You’re good,” he said, approvingly. “I knew you were smarter than most people think you are.”

“Try telling that to my parents,” she said. “They still think I’m a stupid fourteen-year-old who has her mind in the clouds thinking that she can model. What do they have against you, anyway?”

He darkened a bit, a combination of embarrassment and anger. “My ex-wife. She says that I beat her.”

“Did you?”

“Not exactly.”

She blinked at him, wondering what on earth he could possibly be talking about. He tilted his glass down his throat and gulped it down. “What the hell,” he said, finally, his voice harsh from the wine. “It’s not like we’re going to fuck tonight, anyway, right? I mean, you’re probably still a virgin, right?”

She blushed. Now it was her turn to be embarrassed and angry. “What’s it to you if I am?” she demanded. “Just because I have standards for the men that I will go to bed with doesn’t mean that I’ll never sleep with anyone.”

He leaned back and studied her for a minute, debating whether to tell her. Then he said, “I know what the stories are about me, but I didn’t beat my ex-wife. But my sexual tastes run into the realms of the—shall we say, perverse.”

“Oh my God, you’re not into children are you?” she asked—a bit too loudly, it seemed, because all of a sudden he seemed to panic and tried to shush her. Fortunately if anybody noticed they at least had the decency to ignore her remark.

“No, no—nothing like that. I mean things like—well, blindfolds, whips, handcuffs—that sort of thing.”

She had to stifle a giggle when she heard that. For some reason she always associated “handcuffs” with “pink fuzzy things that never really locked” and it just seemed absurd imagining him with them, his arms above his head—probably getting tickled with a feather duster. “Sorry,” she said. “It’s just—not something I’d expected to hear from you.” He was her father’s age, after all—granted, he was far better-preserved than her father had ever been—and for some reason she never thought of older men as being into anything kinkier than maybe having the woman on top.

He shrugged, relieved that she wasn’t going to blurt out any more incriminating insinuations about him. “I am what I am,” he said, stopping one of the waiters and pointing to the bottle on her cart. She poured, and when she walked away he continued, “My ex-wife thought she would be into it, but when push came to shove, no pun intended, I hurt her—that part is true. But it was always part of the game, you see—for people like me, pain and pleasure go together. Our pleasure is heightened when there is an edge to it. It transcends the act of sex and turns it into an—well, an experience, to put it mildly.” He was getting excited as he spoke and she could feel herself getting drawn into his words, her curiosity making her wonder if maybe she could have done it, after all. When she’d been looking into doing pornos the guys who directed those kinds of videos had surprised her when they said they didn’t pay—they didn’t have to, they explained. Women actually paid them, and that had never made any sense to her—they were getting penetrated, shocked, chained, bound, and gagged—why suffer all the extra humiliation if they weren’t paid? But now that he’d explained it to her she began to wonder if there wasn’t something else to it, after all. “You have to know what you’re doing and know your limits and trust your partner completely,” he said, now, looking into her eyes. “There’s an element of faith involved—there’s no middle ground, no ‘I’ll trust him if’. You’re either all in or all out.”

“You must really need to know someone before you try that,” she murmured. Strangely, she found herself thinking, I could trust you. But why was that? She’d only just met him—objectively there was no reason for her to trust him, other than that he seemed to be, well, trustworthy. But unlike her parents, he didn’t make her feel like an idiot, he didn’t twist her words to mean what she clearly didn’t—he respected her enough to take her opinions seriously, even if they didn’t always agree. As a case in point: another bottle of wine and another plate of tapas floated by—crispy eggplant, covered in aioli sauce.

What the hell, she was thinking. It wasn’t as if she would ever model again—at nineteen, she was officially “middle-aged” as a model, and if she reached twenty-one without obtaining supermodel status the most modeling she’d ever do would be as one of the nudes for the art department at Montco. And what the hell, too: her parents would be furious with her anyway for going on a date like this—she might as well give them a reason to be infuriated. It was a shitty reason to have sex for the first time—but at least he would know what he was doing, which was more than she could say for any of her other dates.

He sighed and continued, “And then there are people who aren’t wired that way—for them, pain is just pain. There’s no pleasure in it, and no matter how much they want it they just can’t feel it, you know? My ex was one of those. We tried for six months—and then she filed for divorce, and the rumors began. I spent a small fortune settling that—and, well, my reputation has never recovered.”

“That’s hardly fair,” she said, sympathetically.

“It is what it is,” he said, popping a crumb-covered fried mushroom into his mouth. “But that’s why your parents don’t like me, and truth be told, I wouldn’t approve of you dating me, either. I’m quite the disreputable charmer, according to those who know.”

“So charm me,” she said, “if you can.”

“Are you sure?” he asked. “The kinds of role-play I like aren’t for virgins who have yet to discover what turns them on.”

“I haven’t had sex yet,” she said, evenly. “That doesn’t mean I don’t know what turns me on.” It was a lie—she didn’t know what she wanted just yet—but she did know that his description of pain and pleasure had excited her curiosity like nothing else.

He frowned at her, studying her. “You have to want it because it’s what makes you happy,” he said. “I can’t give you that.”

“Then teach me,” she said.

“All right.” He reached under the table and rested his hand on her thigh, tracing his thumb back and forth across the tender skin on the inside of her thighs. A shiver ran through her, and from it, came a tiny little spark of anticipation.

His hand moved slightly higher up her thighs, but his thumb was still making that slow sweep back and forth, back and forth, setting off tremors of anticipation all over her skin—but just when she was getting turned on by it—just when she could feel herself getting wet and hot—he stopped.

“What—” she began, her voice hardly more than a whisper.

“Rule number one,” he said, softly. “You can always say ‘stop’. It won’t always be that word, exactly—but when we get to my house we can pick a safe word. Until then, though—if it ever gets to be too much, you can always say ‘stop’, and I will stop, and I’ll bring you home, and we’ll never speak of it again.”

“Got it,” she said, wishing he would resume.

“Rule number two,” he continued, “total honesty. I will always tell you what I’m going to do to you—but it is up to you to tell me what you think is all right.”

“I can live with that,” she said, and then she felt his hand work her skirt up all the way. She gasped—not at the embarrassment of being exposed like that—there was nobody to see, not where they were sitting—but at the suddenness of it, the audacity the man had. And what she felt was glee.

“Rule number three,” he said. “Complete submission. As long as I tell you what I’m going to do and as long as you say it’s all right, you must obey me. Even if it means getting down on your hands and knees, right here and now, and blowing me in front of the entire restaurant.”

“Do you really want that?” she asked.

“No, but I do want to cut those spaghetti straps, so that the only thing between you and a public indecency charge is that bolero that doesn’t quite close all the way.”

She looked at him, feeling as though it was some kind of test. She had no compunctions about showing off her breasts—she’d modeled half-naked before, and between the lighting guys and the cameras and the makeup crew modesty was one of the first things to go on set. But here—this was a restaurant. He was right that the bolero would keep her breasts covered, but neither did she want to spend the entire night worrying about a nipple accidentally popping out.

“Not here,” she said, finally. “The company’s too nice.”

“But elsewhere?”