Nate
I hadn’t been expecting that, but fuck me! Seriously! Josie was definitely a surprise. A surprise in the best possible way. When I planned to take her out on the bike for the afternoon I’d never expected to end up receiving the best blow job of my life. I’m not going to say it wasn’t a fucking fantastic way to end an evening, but it definitely wasn’t premeditated. Appreciated, but not premeditated. Thoroughly enjoyed, but not expected.
Yanking my pants up and tucking myself back in, I looked around. I assumed Josie would have come out of the bathroom by now. Running my hand through my hair, I grabbed a couple of beers from the fridge and popped the cap before leaning back against the counter. Taking a long swallow, the very recent memory of Josie’s swollen lips wrapped around my cock made my dick twitch. Again.
“Where is she?” I sighed as I drained the last of my beer before placing the empty bottle in the sink and heading towards the bathroom.
Knocking on the door, I was answered with silence.
“Josie?” Still no answer. “Josie? Is everything all right in there?”
The door was pushed closed but the latch hadn’t caught. Nudging it open, I think I heard my jaw hit the floor. There was no sign of her. Even the window was still shut. She’d never come in here. So where the fuck was she?
Racing through the house, I was out the back door and standing in the middle of the yard with my hands on my head, rain battering down on me as thunder boomed above. When the lightning lit up the sky, I got a brief look at every corner of my yard but Josie was nowhere in sight. My heart sped up and I felt the headache building behind my eyes.
“Fuck!” I boomed, unable to control my frustrations a second longer.
I don’t know what I’d done wrong, I just know that I felt like shit. It was more than that, though. I felt guilty and worried. Worried like I’d never been before. Darting back into the house, I found my phone on the floor and called Derek without even pausing to think about the repercussions. I fully expected to get my ass kicked. I deserved it, and I knew it would come. Right now though, right now my priority was finding Josie and making sure she was okay. Then, I planned to do some ass kicking of my own. Namely hers.
“Nate! Didn’t think I’d hear from you tonight.”
There was humour in his voice and I wanted to knock it out of him. Now was not the time for teasing. “Yeah, well…have you heard from Josie at all?”
He coughed loudly. It was that choking cough you made when you fell over your words. “What do you mean? Isn’t she with you?”
“She was…”
“What-the-hell-did-you-do?” All his words ran together. I could picture him on the other end of the line, his face turning red as a vein popped out on his forehead.
“You don’t want to know. It doesn’t matter. Is she home?”
“No. Haven’t heard from her. Hang on a minute, Nate,” he left me hanging while he called out to Mia asking her.
It felt like forever that I was sitting there doing nothing. Nothing except pacing wet, muddy footprints back and forth across my family room. I saw the mess I was making but couldn’t bring myself to care. I’d deal with it later.
“You still there, Nate?”
“Yeah.”
“She’s not answering her phone. Mia’s jumped in the truck. She thinks she knows where she would have gone, so she’s going to have a look. She’ll let me know in a minute.”
“Can you let me know?”
“You going to tell me what happened?”
“Derek, please! Can you just tell me she’s okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll put you out of your misery. But this conversation is not over.”
“Never thought it was.” I disconnected the call and threw my phone across the room, watching it bounce on the couch.
I don’t know if it was five minutes or five hours, but it felt forever. I was freezing and wet. Needing to keep my hands busy, I stacked the kindling in the fireplace before tossing a match in, watching the flames roar to life. The brighter they burned, the warmer the room became, making my damp jeans cling to my legs uncomfortably.
After some more pacing and yanking painfully at my hair, I stripped off my shirt and jeans, dropping them where they fell before stomping down to the bathroom and starting the shower. Maybe once I warmed up and dried off, this uneasy feeling gnawing at the pit of my stomach would ease. At least I hoped so. Feeling like this sucked ass. While the water steamed up the bathroom through the groaning pipes—one of the drawbacks of owning such an old house—I ran through the house and dug my phone out from between the couch cushions. If it rang, I needed to get it. This call I couldn’t miss. I wouldn’t miss.
Setting it on the chipped bathroom counter, I stepped in the shower, throwing one last look over my shoulder while my phone laid there lifelessly, taunting me. Groaning, I stepped under the hot water, hoping it would wash away my frustration and annoyance. That’s when it hit me. As much as I was worried about Josie, as much as I needed her to be okay, I was as pissed at hell at her too. I was annoyed. Pissed off. Confused. Fucking livid. And all of that was before Derek got his hands on me. I couldn’t understand what the hell happened. One minute we were hot and heavy, my cock in her mouth, then the next I had no idea where she’d run off to. As much as I wanted to wring her soft, sweet-smelling neck, I was more worried about where she was and what was going through her pretty little head. Something had gotten in there and shaken her.
Three hours and half a dozen beers later, I couldn’t stand it a minute longer.
Nate: Any news?
I didn’t want to message Derek but I had no choice. I was going out of my mind.
Derek: She’s home.
“What the fuck!” I boomed through my barely furnished house, hearing the echo bounced back at me. Josie was home. I’m assuming safe and sound, and Derek, the fucktard, hadn’t even bothered to let me know. I wanted to smash his face in. Right now though, I had bigger issues.
Nate: And???
Derek: She’s okay.
Nate: Okay? Seriously?
This whole night had gone to hell in a handbasket. All I wanted was a nice night with a beautiful woman. And I’d gotten it. Then before I’d even had the chance to enjoy it, something had spooked Josie in a big way. I wasn’t sure what exactly what I’d said or done, I just knew I didn’t like it. Not one little bit.
Dialling, I didn’t even bother to look at the clock.
“What the fuck?”
Okay, I know I should have led with a simple ‘hello.’ Instead I’d snapped and lost my shit. Probably not the best way to start a conversation with someone who already wanted to kick my ass.
“Nate, calm down.”
“Don’t, Derek. Just don’t.”
“Nate…” There was warning in his voice.
“What the fuck happened? What’d I do? I just don’t—I don’t get it. Not at all.”
“It’s late, Nate, and I’ve had a shitty night. Josie’s home and safe and asleep. Just leave it until tomorrow. Please. I’m begging you, just give her some space.”
“She told you what happened?”
I hoped she hadn’t. I didn’t need Derek, who was pretty much my only friend in this god forsaken town, wanting to kill me. I didn’t need him to get the wrong idea. I couldn’t even remember the words we’d exchanged. I’m sure I’d done something wrong, something stupid to send her sprinting out into the rainy night.
“Yeah, she did.”
“I don’t know what exactly I did…”
“It wasn’t you, Nate. I’m not one hundred percent sure what’s going on in Josie’s head right now. Hell, I’m not sure what goes through her head most days, but I don’t think it was necessarily you. Just give her some time and space. Once she settles, I’m sure she’ll talk to you.”
“Wait. Just wait. That’s what you’re telling me to do? That’s your profound words of wisdom? Am I hearing that right?”
“Yeah, Nate! That’s what I’m telling you.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah, okay.”
“Just trust me. Look, I’ve gotta go, it’s been a long night. Matilda wouldn’t settle and go to bed. I lost count how many times I sang “Twinkle Twinkle.””
I heard myself snort. Derek wrapped around a tiny pink bundle singing “Twinkle Twinkle” wasn’t an image that popped into your head naturally. He didn’t seem the type. Or maybe that was just me projecting.
“Sounds like a wild night. I’ll let you go. Thanks, Derek. Let me know if I can do anything.”
“I will. Get some sleep, Nate.”
Derek hung up, and as soon as I heard the line go dead, I released a deep breath I was holding and let my arms fall loose. Every muscle in my exhausted body ached. I’d been so stressed, so tense that I hadn’t even realised what I was doing. Rolling my neck from side to side, the loud crick made me nervous. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, I flicked off the lights before walking through my dark house and collapsing onto my bed, not even bothering to pull back the covers.
I woke with a pounding headache and a hard on that wouldn’t go away. The dream I’d been having was so vivid I didn’t want to even be awake. The image of Josie on her knees, my fingers tangled in her hair, her cheeks flushed and her lips swollen as they wrapped around me filled in my memory. It was a sight I wouldn’t soon forget. I may not ever see it again, so there was no way in hell I was about to let it go. Not now. When I wrapped my hand around my rock hard cock, it was already weeping. Embarrassingly, it only took a few rough strokes before my balls tightened and a I groaned out my release. Puffing and panting, I pulled my sticky hand away, disgusted with myself. My hand, stomach, and the sheets were covered in my mess. Something I hadn’t had to deal with since I was a horny, frustrated teen trying to hide my night time activities away from my nosy mother.
“Shit!”
Cleaning myself up the best I could with the corner of the sheet, I jumped from the bed and headed for the shower. After quickly washing off, I wrapped the towel around my hips and headed for my kitchen. I needed coffee.
After downing my second cup, I tugged on some work boots and worn jeans and got busy. I figured if my hands were busy busting up the walls in the laundry, then I wouldn’t have time to think. Turns out, yet again I was wrong. It seemed no matter what I did, I saw Josie’s face. When I mowed the lawn, when I tossed the plasterboard sheeting that once clung to the laundry walls into the oversized bin, not even when I found myself halfway up a tree cutting away rotten branches could I shake the picture in my head. At least the R-rated images had taken a break, for now. Now I was haunted by the look on her face when she thought I’d taken her into the middle of nowhere. A picture that brought a smile to my face.
***
On Monday, everything sucked. The kids were little shits, more than likely from being kept cooped up inside all weekend. With the wet weather, most of them had played computer games or watched movies, now they were feral, wanting to get outside and play. By two that afternoon they got their wish. I was exhausted and frustrated, and there was no way in hell I could get them to concentrate on handwriting, so I conceded. Not something I did often, and definitely not something I enjoyed.
Marching them across the concrete quadrangle, I spotted a tiny woman up ahead, her hand resting on her cocked hip. There was something intimidating about her posture, something that made me fortify myself. If this obviously angry ball of woman was about to let loose, I could only pray she had enough sense not to do it in front of the kids.
“Come on, guys. Into the hall. Eloise, can you get the balls out of the cupboard? Hayden and Tyson, can you guys grab the bins and set them up?”
“Are we playing bin ball?” Hayden asked hopefully.
All day, he’d been one of the worst behaved kids I’d ever seen. Practically bursting with energy, my choice had been easy. Either give him something to do or slap him. And slapping children was frowned upon in the education system. Unfortunately.
Mia fell in step beside me but remained silent. I was thankful but surprised. I didn’t know her well, although I could read her body language, and she was ready to burst. Maybe I should pit Hayden against Mia and see who came up trumps. At least that way, I’d be safe.
In the hall, I quickly separated the kids into teams and set them in place before stepping out of the way. The moment I stepped to the sideline, my back plastered against the cool metal wall, the lower part of my arm burned. Looking down I soon realised why. Mia was plastered against me, a sad, tortured smile on her face.
“You going to yell at me?” I asked.
“Should I yell at you?”
“Probably.”
“Feeling guilty?”
“Feeling like shit, actually,” I answered honestly. I didn’t want to play games. I didn’t want drama. I’d lived through enough of that and I’d barely survived it the first time. I had no interest in going through that shit again. “I think I’m more scared of you than Derek.”
“You should be,” she deadpanned.
I almost choked on the lump that had taken up residence in my throat. Mia was a tiny little thing, but there was something about the way she carried herself, a confidence she possessed that set me on edge. Squeezing my eyes shut, I willed the headache that was forming behind my eyes to go away.
When I opened my eyes, I spotted Elizabeth sitting on her butt, crying. There was nothing I hated more than tears. I hated them with kids and I hated them with adults. At least with kids, a band-aid and a kind word usually cleared them up. With adults, especially women, they held onto that shit forever.
Blowing the whistle that hung around my neck, the balls rolled to a stop as I crossed the hall in long strides to where Elizabeth sobbed and rubbed her knees. Set on target, I didn’t even notice Mia trailing me.
Crouching down next to her, I asked, keeping my voice soft and steady, “Where did you hurt yourself, Elizabeth?”
“My knees,” she whimpered as she wiped her nose on her sleeve, leaving a sticky, shiny stain.
“Can you show me?” Mia cooed as she nudged me out of the way, instantly taking control of the situation.
I stepped back and turned my attention to the other kids, who were getting restless. I could hear Mia behind me, speaking in hushed tones to Elizabeth. She seemed to know what she was doing. She was so good with her. I guess being a mother would do that to her.
It took a few minutes before the game was back underway and Elizabeth’s tears had dried on her cheeks and she sat on the wooden bench beside Mia chatting animatedly. Feeling relieved that Mia’s attention was diverted elsewhere, I concentrated on what I needed to be doing. When the bell rang, everyone looked at me, stunned. The afternoon had raced by. Quickly the kids dropped the ball and the game officially ended.
“Okay, calm down. We need to go back to the room and grab your bags.”
If I thought for a second having them running and throwing the ball at each other would tire them out, I was delusional. But thankfully, they weren’t my problem a moment longer. Now they could go home and annoy the crap out of their parents while I headed home to collapse with a beer.
Ten minutes was all it took for everyone to be sorted and out the door. Silence fell across my empty classroom. I slumped, exhausted into a chair, my fat, adult ass hanging over both sides.
With my head in my hands, I didn’t have to see Mia to know she stepped into the room. I’d been waiting for my berating from the moment I’d spotted her. “Just hit me with it.”
“You’re really not feeling good about this, are you?”
Her words shocked me. What the fuck did she think of me? Obviously she had no idea who I was or what I was about. I mean, I wanted to be pissed at her for that, but I knew I couldn’t be. It wasn’t her fault we were barely strangers. I just couldn’t help but hate what she did know about me. We’re always taught as kids, hell, I teach the kids the same thing, that you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, and now I was faced with the reality that’s exactly what Mia was doing.
“No.”
“Thought as much. That’s why I’m here.” I quirked an eyebrow. Wiping my sweaty palms on my thighs.
“What happened?” I asked, not really sure if I wanted to know the answer.
“Josie is my sister and I love her, but she’s got more than her fair share of issues. It’s not my place to spill her secrets. I’m sure she’ll tell you what she wants you to know when the time’s right. But I can see this is haunting you, so I’ll give you the Cliffs Notes version.”
I gulped. Hard. Adrenaline pumping through my body.
“Josie comes across as cocky, confident, and full of sass. The truth is, it’s all bullshit. Josie made some decisions, some mistakes, and got judged pretty harshly. It’s pretty much the main reason she’s here.”
“Here?”
“Staying with me. She needed a safe place. Somewhere she could put herself back together. Josie and our parents, well, let’s just say that relationship is pretty much dead and buried.”
“That sucks.”
“It really is. Josie made some mistakes and she knew it, but she needed their support and they couldn’t give it. The girl you met, the girl you took out, is what’s left after all that. Josie’s a good girl and she has a massive heart, she’s just got to deal with her crap first.”
“And you’re not going to tell me what that is, are you?”
“Nope. Like I said, not my place.”
“Fair enough.”
“Just be patient with her, okay?”
This was starting to sound like a hell of a lot of hard work. I didn’t even know if I wanted to deal with it. I couldn’t say that to Mia, though. She hadn’t kicked my ass yet, but I wouldn’t put it past her. Instead I offered a pathetic nod, not really trusting my words.
“Thanks.”
“The other night…is she…is she all right?”
“Yeah. I found her sitting in the grandstand in the rain crying.”
“Shit!” I leapt to my feet, running my hands through my hair.
“Don’t be so hard on yourself, Nate,” Mia stated calmly as she reached out and took hold of my forearm. “She just needed some space to work through things.”
“I didn’t…I didn’t force her or expect anything…”
“No one thinks you did. Trust me, if we did, you’d know about it. Honestly, I think Josie’s biggest issue right now is her own embarrassment. She’ll be okay.”
“Should I go talk to her?”
“Not yet. Give her time. She’ll come to you when she’s ready.”
“Okay.”
Mia reached up and kissed my cheek before whispering in my ear, “You’re a good guy, Nate. Don’t give up on my sister just yet. She’s worth the effort. I promise.”
I didn’t answer.
I didn’t know what to say.
This dating thing seemed like a lot of work. Hard work. Admittedly, it’d been a long time since I’d dated, and I was more than a little rusty, but it just seemed so damn hard. I wondered for a moment if it was even worth it.
After I watched Mia sashay out of my classroom, I cleaned up some of the mess. Pushed in chairs, picked up stray pencils from the floor, and cleaned off the white board, before I grabbed my bag, slung it over my shoulder, hit the lights, and headed out the door. I took the long way home. And by long way I meant I made the five minute ride last forty. By the time I got there though, I had more questions than answers in my head. Mia’s words and half hints had left my mind spinning.
The next four weeks went by in a blur of routine and fatigue. I went to work, worked on the house, and tried to teach myself to cook with very little success. I saw Josie a couple of times a week when I went to the club to get a decent meal. She was always polite but distant. Although I couldn’t prove it and I’d never call her out on it, I would have bet money that the blush that tinted her cheeks each time I saw her was because of the memory she had of us. It was a memory I couldn’t shake loose, and really, I didn’t want to. I’d spent more than a handful of cold, lonely nights remembering the way her warm mouth felt wrapped around my cock.
It was pouring rain, blowing a gale and freezing cold, and I was not in the mood. I’d had enough of a lot of things. The Parents and Citizens’ Association meeting at school tonight had been the most torturous and wasted two hours of my life. I thought for a while the argument over what their next fundraising venture should be would never end. Thank fuck it did. Forcing open the door to the bar, it was pretty much deserted. It was only a Wednesday night, and in this weather I guessed most of the guys, the regulars I’d come to know, would rather stay home and eat baked beans on toast than venture out. Not me. I couldn’t stay away. And it wasn’t my rumbling stomach drawing me in.
“Hey Josie,” I greeted her, plastering on my best panty-dropping grin.
“Hi Nate. You’re out late.”
“It’s only nine.”
“On a school night.”
“Been at a meeting.”
“Ah, makes sense. What can I get you?”
“I’ll just take a steak, medium rare, with mushroom sauce.”
“Chips and salad?”
“You know me too well.”
“You’re in here enough. You must like the food.”
“Or the company?” I tossed out haphazardly. I was fishing for a reaction. I knew it the moment the words escaped my lips.
Josie’s cheeks burned under my gaze. “Can I also have a serving of calamari salad?”
She raised an eyebrow but didn’t question my order. Instead, I watched as she noted it down before turning her attention to the cash register. Quickly I handed over some cash before heading towards my usual table in the corner.
I never thought I’d have a regular spot. I may have spent more hours than I could count and more money than I had, working on my house, but I still never expected to put down roots. Not here anyway. It wasn’t part of my plan. When I’d accepted the position I knew exactly what I wanted. I was going to come out here, do my five years, gain the experience I needed, and head back to civilization. Back to the beach. Back to life. Fixing up the house was just supposed to be something to fill in time.
I don’t know what compelled me to force the issue, all I knew was I’d had enough. There was just something about Josie I couldn’t stay away from. And my conversation with Mia, the warning she’d tossed out, didn’t deter me either. If anything, it intrigued me even more.
“Here you go,” Josie said as she placed the plates down in front of me before adding silverware.
As she spun on her heel and went to head back to the bar, I reached out and wrapped my fingers around her wrist. The black long sleeve shirt she wore did nothing to contain the warmth from her skin from seeping into my hand.
“Sit down, Josie.” My voice was strong, firm, and left no room for argument. I watched as indecision flickered over her beautiful face. I might not know about the demons that haunted her, but her gorgeous, innocent face, as it stared wide-eyed back at me, had me wanting to. “Sit down and eat your dinner.”
“My—what?”
“Your dinner. I know you haven’t eaten yet, and I’d like some company.”
“You just think—”
“Josie, please,” I huffed. Standing up, I pulled out her chair and waited. After a long, painful pause, Josie dropped her ass into the seat and picked a piece of calamari out of her salad and bit down, groaning.
My dick twitched at the sound. It was a sound I’d only heard once before, and looked forward to hearing again. Soon, if I was lucky.
Sinking into my chair, I cut off a piece of steak and stuffed it in my mouth before I said something stupid. Every thought in my head right now was stupid, it was only a matter of time before one of those traitorous thoughts escaped.
“How’s the salad?”
“Not bad. Why?”
“Nothing.”
“Nope. It’s never nothing. You got something to say, Nate. Spit it out.”
I coughed. Choked on the words stuck in my throat. “I got nothing.”
“Bullshit.”