Kane
“Rocco, are you at the restaurant yet?” I asked my best buddy at ten minutes after ten the next morning.
“I am. What ya got, Kane?” he asked.
“I’ve got a problem.” I turned the car in his direction, heading that way. “You see, I’ve found Zandra Larkin.”
“You’re shittin’ me!”
Laughing at his response, I went on. “No, I’m not. And you’ll never believe this.”
“Believe what?” he asked.
“That waitress at Mynt on Saturday night was her.” I stopped at a light and tapped in a text to Zandra, asking her to please meet me at Rocco’s restaurant, The Lights of Italy.
“No way!” came his quick response. “So, what’s the problem?”
Looking at my cock, which had swollen with just the knowledge that I would be seeing her in person soon, I answered, “I’ve still got it bad for her.”
“And what’s wrong with that, might I ask?” A logical question, unless you were the father of an impressionable young son.
“I don’t know much about her, except that she’s a waitress at a bar. That’s the problem. I have to take things slow with her, for Fox’s sake. Get to know her. I never really knew her, you know what I mean?” I asked him as the light changed to green and I took off. “And I want to meet her somewhere where I have a little support. Yesterday I had a difficult time keeping my hands off her. If Fox hadn’t been about to come back into the office, I would’ve taken her right on top of my desk.” I thought about the night before and decided to add, “And last night we had phone sex.”
Surprise rang in his deep voice, “Goddamn, you guys just don’t know how to wait, do you?”
“Apparently not.” I knew that wouldn’t be an issue if it weren’t for our son. “But I’ve got to rein in my libido this time, and I’ll probably need your help to do that, Rocco. Let me meet her at your restaurant this morning before you guys open for lunch. That way we’ll have some privacy, but not enough to haul ass to the bathroom and do the thing that will surely make me lose all of my paternal instincts and forget all about my obligations to my son.”
“Ah, I see it more clearly now.” He laughed. “Yeah, come on down. That’ll be fine. And I’ll try to keep an eye on you two.”
“Thanks.” I turned onto the road that the restaurant was on. “I’m almost there. See ya soon.”
After ending the call, I saw that Zandra had texted back that she would be there shortly. My cock grew a little more, and I gave it a dirty look. “You’ll just have to wait this time, until after I get to know the girl. You know that Fox is worth it, you headstrong idiot.”
Talking to my cock wasn’t part of my usual routine, but that woman had scrambled my brains, and suddenly I was doing all kinds of things I never did. Or didn’t do much anymore. The last time I’d had phone sex was in my first year of college.
Maybe it was her soft voice that had done it to me. I didn’t know. I did know that I hadn’t made that call with that in mind. I had other things I’d wanted to talk to her about. Instead, I’d gotten all hot and bothered with her.
She brought the bad boy out of me, no matter that I’d successfully stuffed that part of me away somewhere for the past few years. I didn’t know what to do about it, either.
In my son’s younger years, years when he wasn’t aware of his father’s promiscuous behavior, it had never mattered to me to be anyone other than who I was. And who I was then was a guy who liked a little variety, trying new flavors on a regular basis.
After Fox’s third birthday, things changed. At the end of the party we’d had for him, my date for the evening had shown up. Fox seemed to be overjoyed that I had a woman next to me. And when he asked if she was his momma, I knew I had to be very careful who I brought around him.
That very night, I’d had some wild sex with the woman and then pledged that it would be the last time I did anything like that.
Of course, it didn’t work out exactly that easily. I scored, but never dated. And none of the women I was with ever did much for me. It’s not that I was thinking about Zandra all the time, either, but none of those other women ever hit me in the right place. My heart.
Pulling into the parking lot, I found myself getting excited about seeing Zandra again. “Calm down.”
Rocco met me at the front entrance, unlocking the door and pushing it open. “Good morning, Romeo.”
“It is a good morning,” I agreed as I walked inside. “And help me put the Romeo away, please. I’ve got to admit that I’ve got a damn hard-on just from knowing I’m about to see her.”
A loud laugh came out of him as he shook his head. “Damn, dude!”
Gesturing to the empty dining hall, I asked, “So, can I take a table anywhere?”
“Take that one in the back. It’s the nearest one to the kitchen, and I’ll be able to keep an eye on you better.” He led me to the back of the large room. “How about I make the two of you something delicious for brunch?”
“I think that sounds great.” I took a seat then wondered about having wine so early in the day. What the hell. “And how about a nice bottle of wine?”
“Of course.” He went into the kitchen and I stared at the door, waiting for her to walk through it.
I hadn’t intended for this to be so much like a date, but it definitely began to look and feel like one. When Zandra came into the restaurant, pulling her Ray-Bans off her gorgeous face and tossing her dark hair back over her shoulder before waving at me, I knew it was a date.
I got up, meeting her halfway, taking her hands in mine as I looked at her. “Damn, you’re pretty.” I kissed her on the cheek, even though my lips yearned to touch hers. My tongue wanted to tangle with hers too. But I kept myself in check. “This way, please.”
She let me hold her hand as I led her to the table. “Isn’t this the restaurant your friend’s family owns?”
“It is.” I pulled out a chair for her. “And he’s here, making us some brunch.”
As she took her seat, she gave me a dazzling, heart-melting smile. “How nice.”
I took my seat. “Yeah, he’s a pretty great guy.” Looking at her as she sat just across the table from me, within touching distance, I couldn’t help myself from teasing her a little. “Last night was pretty fun.”
Her cheeks went pink, and she ducked her head. “It was.”
That shyness was still there, just beneath the surface. “You’ve gotten over a lot of your shyness, but not completely I see.” I didn’t want her to be embarrassed, so I let her know what I thought about that. “I think it’s adorable.”
She lifted her head to look at me with a surprised expression. “You do?”
With a nod, I said, “I do.” Then I moved my hand over the table, barely touching the tips of her fingers. “I think you’re adorable.”
On cue, the door to the kitchen opened and Rocco came out. “Nice to see you again, Zandra.”
She smiled at him. “You too, Rocco. Kane tells me you’re making us brunch. That’s such a nice thing to do. Thank you.”
He put two wine glasses on the table in front of us then filled them. “You’re very welcome. I’ve got cannelloni in the oven as we speak. A cream cheese filling, a savory meat sauce on top, covered with ricotta and mozzarella cheeses. To start you guys off, I’ve braised some mushrooms in a red wine reduction and paired them with some fresh green beans that I’ll spoon over a fresh bed of mixed greens. I’ll be right back.” He gave me a wink. “Right back, Kane.” Then he looked at where my hand was on the table.
I moved it, knowing he was only trying to do what I’d asked him to. “Thanks.”
He left us alone, and I noticed Zandra taking a drink of the wine. “Yum.”
“I know it’s early to be drinking,” I said as I watched her lick the red wine off her pink lips.
She looked a little confused. “Then why did you order it?”
With a shrug, I answered honestly, “I’m not quite sure. Maybe to help ease the tension between us.”
“You feel tense?” she asked as she put the glass down.
“Yeah.” I picked up my glass and took a drink.
“I make you feel tense?” she asked, seeming genuinely confused.
“Yeah.” Putting the glass down after taking a small drink, I clarified, “Sexually, you make me very tense.”
The little smile that curled her lips only made me want her more. “I see. And you would rather not be so attracted to me, because of our son. Is that right?”
“Kinda.” I didn’t know she would see right through me the way she had.
“Funny how our son’s the reason we have to take things slowly, isn’t it?” She ran her hand through her hair and the overhead lights glistened off her shining silky strands. “Kinda seems like it’s too little too late on that front,” she said with a sexy, deep-throated chuckle.
I wanted to run my fingers through her hair. “I wish I could find it funny. Instead, I find it frustrating. But it is necessary.”
I could see by the way her blue eyes glistened that she liked the effect she had on me. “I’m sure you’re right.” She leaned forward, her breasts resting on the table. “So, how are we going to do this then, Kane?”
“I wish I knew.” I looked at Rocco as he came back out with the salads.
Sitting back, Zandra smiled at Rocco. “Those look good, Rocco.”
“Thank you,” he said as he put them in front of us. He looked at me. “I’ll be back soon.”
With a nod, I let him know that I knew he was watching us. “Thanks.”
We ate in silence for a few minutes while I tried to think about how things could be done. Finally, I said, “I want to get to know you, Zandra.”
“Good.” She wiped her mouth with the white linen napkin. “I’d like to get to know you, too.”
While we both were on the same page, which was great, I still didn’t know exactly what page that was. “Okay. So, let me start by asking you about your living arrangement.”
“I’ve got a roommate. Taylor and I work together at the club. You’ve met her. She’s the blonde with rainbow spikes in her hair.” Her eyes clouded just a bit. “And for the record, I know she came onto you. And if she ever does again, I would really like it if you told me about it, as I’ve asked her not to do that anymore.”
I could see the jealous spark in her eyes, and it made me happier than it should. “I see. Is that because you see me as yours, Zandra?”
Shaking her head, that pink blush stained her cheeks once more. “I know you’re not mine, Kane. But you are the father of my child, and I don’t want any friend of mine messing with you.”
“I think I can agree with that.” I pushed my empty bowl to one side. “I don’t want any friend of mine messing with you either.”
Her eyes caught mine. “So, we agree again, then. Maybe all of this will work out just fine, Kane.”
I hope so.
I couldn’t stop looking at her lips. So plump, so juicy, and so completely kissable. “Yeah, it might.”
“I’m an open book, Kane. Ask me anything.” She moved the empty bowl away from her just as Rocco came back out, making her turn her attention to him. “That was the best salad I’ve ever had, Rocco. You’re a genius with food.”
“So I’ve been told.” He put the plates down then picked up the empty bowls. “I’ll be back to refill your glasses shortly. Enjoy.”
“I’m sure we will,” she said.
All I could do was gaze at her. I wasn’t a gazer. But with her, I was different.
As soon as Rocco was out of spying distance, I reached over, taking her hand as I looked into her eyes. “I’m going to need your help, Zandra.”
“With what?” she asked innocently.
“With not going too far, too fast.” Pulling her hand to my lips, I kissed the top of it. “You do something to me that no one else has ever done. I don’t know if it’s purely biological, or if it’s because we already have a child together. But if it weren’t for our son and the fact that I know we have to handle this whole situation carefully then I would take your hot ass to the bathroom, push you up against the wall, rip those panties off you, then thrust my cock into you so hard you’d feel me for days. I’m already hard as a rock for you.”
Instead of blushing, she licked her lips. “So why don’t you do just that then?”
My cock thumped, begging me to do it. She wanted it. I wanted it. Why not just go for it already?
Slowly but surely, sanity pushed its way into my sex-addled brain. “Because we’ve got to be Fox’s parents first, together, before we can become anything else.”
“Oh.” Her eyes went to the table. “Okay, then.” She pulled her hand away from mine. “Can you tell me how to do that? Because I only have my mother as a role model and I sure as hell don’t want to be like her.”
A thought came to me. “How about I introduce you to my aunt and uncle? Aunt Nancy is a great mother. She can teach you everything she knows.”
Stunned, she asked, “You want me to meet your family?”
“Well, of course I do. Zandra, you’re Fox’s mother. You’ll be in our lives from now on. If that’s what you want. My family comes along with us.” I sat back as I watched her think.
“My family wasn’t normal, Kane. And it’s been such a long time since I was even a part of them. I’ve been a loner.” She looked at me for answers that I didn’t have.
“You’ve always been that way, Zandra,” I reminded her. “But that doesn’t mean you’ll always have to be like that. Fox wants you as his mother.”
Her dark brows furrowed. “And what do you want me as, Kane?”
That answer didn’t come so easily to me. “I don’t know the exact answer to that just yet, and I don’t want to lie to you. I want you. I want your smoking hot body. I also want you to be Fox’s mom, and I won’t feel one hundred percent comfortable with that until I know the real you. I guess you can say that what I want is for you to let me in. And in turn, I’ll let you in. That’s not a thing I’ve ever done for any woman.”
I was ready to do that for her. But I couldn’t ignore the burning fear that I might not like what I would find if she let me in.