Five years later…

“We don’t have time, Sawyer. We have to go to the lecture hall soon,” I said.

Sawyer grinned and bit the edge of his bottom lip, unsatisfied with my protests. “Keep still,” he said.

“If Matthew picks him up from school, that gives us about five minutes,” I said, back pressed against the wall.

Teasing him, I didn’t wait for a response. I bit down against Sawyer’s lower lip and pulled back before kissing him again. Slowly, a smile formed on my face. It was almost like I was there at that party again…

Sawyer held the ropes in his hand, tightly fastening the knots around my lower back. “Hands behind your back,” he said.

“I’m serious, Sawyer. After last time, I’ve become accustomed to worrying about Austin catching us. We do this too often,” I said.

We were five years older, and things had changed a lot since those wild nights in New York City. Time pushed forward quick for us, and having Austin was the best decision of our lives. The only problem was scheduling our fun time together.

But we found our ways…

“Hey! Anybody home?” Matthew called out.

Sawyer clasped his hand around my mouth so that I wouldn’t moan loudly again. Shit, shit, shit! Did he hear us? “Give us a second!” Sawyer yelled.

“Sure thing,” Matthew said.

I could hear Austin asking him, “Is Daddy hiding?”

My face turned flush, and my heart rocked back before frantically pumping in too much oxygen. “I told you this would happen. Untie me,” I said.

“But we’re so close,” Sawyer whispered, practically cooing at me. It wasn’t that cute. “Come on baby.”

I glanced down at his throbbing cock, carefully positioned on the web between his forefinger and thumb. He rocked his wrist up and down, keeping it firm and ready.

How could I say no to that?

“Fuck,” I groaned. “Okay, but hurry up and finish. This is messed up.”

“You love it,” Sawyer whispered.

He slowly pumped his cock inside of me while holding the rope steady. Thrusting his hips patiently forward, he kept his moans quiet and low. “Tighter,” I whispered.

“Yeah? You want the ropes tighter, baby?” I nodded, and Sawyer tied another rope around me, fastening me to the wall.

Sawyer jerked back before doubling down on my ass. “Fuck. It’s coming. Do you feel it?”

His cock was growing inside of me, and I knew it was only a matter of seconds before he lost it. Then, would come the awkward groveling of two sex-aholic parents who just wanted an extra hour of alone time together.

“I can feel it,” I whispered.

Suddenly, I was nothing but a body. A sweet spasm went through me, and I hung in the air, collected by Sawyer’s strong arms. We were wholly one, breathing in unison and falling into a world of happiness and absolute pleasure.

Pressed against me, Sawyer dragged his lips across the crook of my neck. Looking into my eyes, he moaned low and deep. “Feel me,” he said.

As soon as the words fell from his mouth, I felt the wave of cum flood inside of me like a warm torrent or jet stream, complete with the soft rumble of an earthquake. He erupted powerfully.

I looked down and saw his head slide out, glistening against the light coming from the window, dark pink from the strain. Another rope of cum shot across my abdomen, causing Sawyer to fall against my thighs.

Like a long battle, it was over, and the men were wounded, as well as winded. There was no time to talk about our feelings, to hold each other with calm adoration, or to talk about the battle count.

Sawyer simply undid the knots and handed me my long sleeve t-shirt, so that the rope marks would be covered up. “You’re lucky I’m on birth control now,” I whispered.

He winked while stepping into his jeans. “Lucky? I was hoping for a second one,” Sawyer said.

The thought of having a second child was cute enough, but I wasn’t ready for that yet. Right now, one was enough.

Both of us glanced in the mirror and made sure that we didn’t look too disheveled to come out. Clearing my throat, I opened the door to Matthew and Austin playing with a Hot Wheels set in the living room.

Austin turned his sandy blonde head and jumped up onto his little feet. “Daddy!”

He ran toward me, jumping into my chest with kisses. “My baby! I’ve missed you so much today. How was your first day of kindergarten?”

Jumping onto the floor, he ran to the couch to do a horrifying handstand on the cushions on the sofa. “We sang a song about friends, and learned names, and Gus gave me a toy dog. See?”

In Austin’s hand was a small, plastic toy dog. “Aw, he’s so cute!” I threw my arms around my boy, still very much my baby.

Matthew put his hand on my shoulder and sat down next to us. “You excited for today?” he asked.

Fuck. I almost forgot. The big Q & A for my memoir was sooner than I remembered, and I still hadn’t done anything for it to prepare. “Oh, God,” I whispered. “Um… can you be excited and terrified at the same time?”

Both Sawyer and Matthew both laughed loudly. Sawyer put his hand against my thigh and kissed my temple. “You’re going to do fine. The book is selling like hotcakes,” he said.

Matthew deepened his voice and started to talk like a man narrating over a movie trailer. “Corruption. Betrayal. One cop to save the world.”

That time, I laughed. “I have to admit something weird, though. I have this irrational fear that Fulton is still out there, waiting for me.”

“He’s rotting in the Attica Correctional Facility,” Sawyer said. “The guy will never see the light of day.”

My stomach tightened as I took a deep breath in. I hated thinking about those men, but I was glad the jury sentenced them quickly. I picked up Austin in my arms and tickled his belly. “You ready pumpkin?” I asked.

Wriggling from my grasp, he shouted, “I’m ready!”

Grabbing my coat, I turned to Sawyer and Matthew, and asked, “What about you guys? Did you get ahold of the folks?”

Sawyer quickly checked his phone to make sure they were situated. “Looks like they’re already there. They’re holding our seats.”

My nerves were already getting the best of me, but I was ready. “Okay,” I whispered. “Great.”

As we drove to the lecture hall in the city, I reflected on that crazy chapter of my life. Without Sawyer, I wouldn’t have survived that time.

Whenever I thought about that time, I couldn’t believe there was a moment where Sawyer and I split apart. I felt so lost. I almost threw out my protector, my white knight, and man who would do anything for me.

But Sawyer never let go, not even once.

Standing in front of the stadium was my father. In his hands was a large bouquet of carefully arranged flowers. I ran toward my father and collapsed into him, hugging him. Austin followed suit, yelling, “Grandpa!”

My father scooped Austin into his hands, laughing with love in his eyes. “Hey, kiddo! Are you ready to see your dad kick some butt?”

“He always kicks butt,” Austin said.

“He is a butt-kicker, isn’t he?” my father asked.

Matthew smiled. “More like butt-kisser. Am I right, Austin?”

Austin, of course, had no shame. He burst out laughing. He tilted his head back with endless cries of hilarity.

“Okay, stinkers. Let’s go inside.”

I didn’t know where life would take us next, but I held onto the hope that the next stop would be somewhere incredible. Now that Matthew was a man, he was going to have to figure out his path. Would he find an alpha of his own? It was possible, but whoever that was going to be needed to be deserving of his love.

Closing my eyes, I stood by the entrance to the stage. The cold auditorium sent chills rushing across my skin. “It’s with great honor that I introduce our hero tonight, Marcus Flanagan.”

The applause was overwhelming, but I choked back my fear and faced the appreciative audience. “Hey everyone,” I said. “Um, I’m Marcus Flanagan. I used to be an NYPD police officer, and I worked under a man known as Chief Flegenheimer. Well, until the department put me in the center of a large conspiracy.”

Wild applause filled the room. A short and surprised laugh left my mouth. I did not expect this reaction to my story. After all, it was just a part of my life that happened. But on this night, I finally got to feel like a hero.

“I’m going to get to some passages from my book shortly, but first, I want to say something quick about family,” I said.

The auditorium turned silent, but they kept their eager eyes on the center podium where I stood. However, I didn’t have a speech planned. No, I merely saw my family sitting together, and I knew what to say almost instantly.

“I never felt strong. I never felt wanted, or good enough. I sure as heck didn’t feel capable, and no man was going to figure it out for me. I had to be the one that pushed myself to learn.” I said. “My husband never gave up on me. Not once, not ever, no way. I tried giving up on him too many times because I was scared.”

Some of the audience members, including Sawyer and our families, looked over to their significant other. “Yes, I was scared of what might happen if we ended up together. Yet, he was willing to talk it through and hear me out. Most important, he was willing to forgive me,” I said.

I cleared my throat before continuing my speech. “The point of my story isn’t that revenge should be celebrated, or that organizations naturally turn corrupt from the top down. All of that may be true—although, I’m not willing to place a bet on it.

What I am willing to bet on is love, respect, and adoration. Real power comes in through these avenues. It does not come from greed, not dominance, and not through hurting someone you love. The point of my story was never to glorify what happened,” I said.

“So, what is the point?” I asked myself on that stage. Silence filled the auditorium. “Anyone?”

Someone raised their hand, so I pointed toward them and waited for their response.

“Love,” they said. “The point is to love at all costs.”

“Yes and no,” I said. “Anyone else want to give it a shot?”

A woman raised her hand and shouted, “The answer is to give yourself over to something.”

“Close,” I said.

Finally stepping away from the podium and taking the microphone in my hand, I said, “The point of my story is not to love blindly or to give yourself to just any idea. In reality, there is a lot that comes at all of us, right? We all strive for change. If there are people in your life who can’t seem to make the sacrifices needed, make sure to let them know how much they’re worth. Sometimes, all it takes is a simple acknowledgment that you care.”

I used to think that love was just something people fell into, but I can see the person I became with Sawyer. All of the negativity that once surrounded my life started to chip away.

As I told my story in front of hundreds of people, I could see myself reflected in Sawyer’s eyes, gleaming with tears. We didn’t know how far we’d come with this, but I knew I was bound to him throughout time.

Now, lost in the present satisfaction of our love, I get to wake up in his arms and kiss him every single day. I get to hold our child against my chest and kiss his sweet face. I get to wake up knowing that my world is the way it is because of those around me.

Know what the best part is? They always return their love tenfold, knowing that we have the rest of our lives together.

End.

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