DRAKE

Practice at the O'Riley's bar on Sunday afternoon went well despite the fact I'd been away for months and hadn't picked up an instrument the entire time.

We started out playing some really old stuff – The Dave Clark Five, early Beatles, and then some Zombies.

It went well enough considering.

"I'm a bit rusty," I said, apologizing when I flubbed a few songs, my fingers not quite as nimble on the strings due to lack of practice.

"You're slipping, Doctor Morgan," Ken joked while I played the riff a few more times to get it down.

"Hey, old man," I countered. "This is a battle you don't want to fight. You'd lose."

"Oh, yeah?" Ken said, laughing. "Wanna have a go at it?"

Of course, the two of us couldn't resist a play off and so we did a battle of the guitars, him on lead and me on bass. It was all in fun, and of course, a lead guitar will beat a bass guitar any day.

When we were finished, we both laughed and slapped each other on the back. I was considerably more warmed up as a result and the rest of the practice went smoothly.

Kate would join us for dinner and so when we felt we'd gone over our repertoire enough, and had crossed songs off our playlist, we put our instruments back in the basement below the restaurant and went upstairs to the dining room to wait for family to arrive.

"I've got to finish inventory," Ken said and waved me off. "I'll join you in fifteen. Go say hi to Mom. I know she's eager to see you."

"I will."

I passed through the kitchen on my way to the office to talk to Mrs. O, enjoying the scent of the meal preparation. As usual, the cooks were busy, finishing meal service for the restaurant and preparing the family meal on top of it. Once everyone arrived, we'd go to the special private room off to the rear of the main dining room for our meal.

I found my way through the back of the restaurant to the office and Mrs. O's desk. She turned when she saw me and stood, giving me a huge hug and kiss.

"Drake," she said and smiled. "When are you two moving back? We miss you terribly and Ken has been morose ever since the band broke up. They can't replace you, you know."

"I'm irreplaceable," I said with a laugh and sat beside her at the desk. "We actually may be moving back sooner than we thought."

"Really?" Her eyes brightened. "How come?"

I shrugged. "There's some drama on the family front with Liam and Maureen."

She frowned and peered at me over the top of her reading glasses. "That's too bad. Is she giving you a hard time about seeing him? He's your son!"

I shook my head. "She wants to go to Indonesia with her husband, but can't take Liam until he's clear for five years after the transplant. It's why they split the first time. I guess he was unhappy back in California and wants to go back to his job in Indonesia. More money and seniority or something. That means that Liam has to move back to Manhattan to stay with his grandmother. Unless I can get joint custody and he stays with me. But, I've had some issues at the hospital in San Francisco and quit. So..."

"Oh, Drake, that's terrible. I feel selfish wanting you back but under happier circumstances."

"Kate wants to move back but doesn't want to be too far away from her father, given his health. I don't want to be too far away from Liam. We're going to work on Ethan and see if we can get him to come back for the fall but maybe finding a better place to live where he can get out more than his penthouse on Park Avenue allows. He's wheelchair bound now."

She nodded. "He needs a house with a garden. Maybe a townhouse somewhere nice."

"Kate's really torn. She wants to move back but can't imagine leaving her father. I don’t want to miss being in Liam's life and Maureen will fight me if I try for custody."

Mrs. O sighed heavily. "You have to try, right?" She took my hand and squeezed. "If you need anything, let us know. You're like a son to me, Drake and a brother to the kids."

"I know," I said and leaned over and gave her a kiss. Then, I told her all about my new family in California.

"That's amazing," she said, her eyes wide. "I'm sorry your mom is so sick, but to find your brothers and a sister? That's priceless."

"It is. So, you can understand how torn I am between staying in California and coming back to Manhattan."

"What a decision. I don’t envy you but at the same time, how exciting to discover your new family and your mother..."

I thought about how confused my mother was and how there was no recognition in her eyes when she saw me. "She doesn't recognize me but I like my brother and sister. But Liam and Ethan are the priorities."

"Family is always the priority. Everything should be viewed through that lens. In the end, your business and your accomplishments will mean little if you're alone."

"I know. I learned that lesson when my father died. We didn't spend enough time together and then he was dead. I think Kate feels that really acutely and is afraid to be away from her father for too long."

"You guys will find a way to balance things. Kate, Sophia and Liam – they're your priorities. Then us old fogies."

"Old fogies," I said and kissed her cheek.

For the next half hour, while we waited for the last diners to finish their meal and the wait staff and bus staff to finish their shifts, I helped out in the private dining room getting it set up for our family dinner. Every Sunday it was the same – serve the guests supper from five until seven, and then have a late supper prepared by the cooks. We would sit down after and eat.

I was finishing setting the table when Kate arrived. Of course, there was a huge fuss made over her, with everyone crowding around. I went over and kissed Kate. Once everyone said hello, we all went into the dining room and sat at our places. Mrs. O had the table set up so that Kate and I were the center of attention, and we sat and had a drink and waited for the first course to arrive.

The meal was fantastic – high end but still family food. Two different roasts – beef and chicken plus all the trimmings. The wine flowed, the plates were passed and passed again, and everyone was smiling and laughing. I sat beside Mrs. O and watched her family talking and enjoying themselves. This – this is what I wanted for myself and for my family. Big family meals around a table like this one, with great food and conversation. Everyone felt comfortable with each other and truly liked one another. I had been denied a family like this one growing up but I was determined to make a family like this for myself – and become a part of every other family I could, whether that was with Ethan and his family, the O'Rileys, or my new family in California.

One day, if we were lucky, Kate and I could host a big family dinner like this one in our house. I imagined the day and all the preparations, choosing the menu and wine, buying the food and preparing it and then welcoming everyone into my home. Our home.

One day...

When we finished dessert and had our coffees, we talked about the future and what was on the agenda.

"Drake, we hope you move back and take back up with the band but I realize that things are up in the air right now," Mrs. O said.

"They are. We'll figure it out. We'll probably come back for the temperate weather and maybe visit Ethan and Elaine in San Francisco during the holidays. If Liam does live with me, he'll be going to school and we can't be going back and forth between the two locations. His school would come first.

One thing I did appreciate was that no one asked me about the trial. They all knew it was a sore spot with me and a personal embarrassment. Luckily, I didn't have to think of any answers.

They asked Kate how she was doing with her art, and she was pleased to talk about her studio and the pieces she was working on.

"We saw that you had an exhibition at the Ballantine Gallery before you went to San Francisco. Will you do more?"

"I hope so," Kate said. "I'm going to finish this series of paintings from Africa and then I might finish my MA. I'll play it by ear. It depends on so much – what my father decides, what happens with Liam."

"Whatever you decide will be great, my dear," Mrs. O said, always the supporter.

It was getting late so we said our goodbyes and left the O'Rileys after ten, driving through the streets of Manhattan to our place on 8^th Avenue.

"That was fun," Kate said and took my hand, squeezing it. "There's so much love for you in that family, Drake. You're lucky to have had them."

"I know," I said and kissed her knuckles. "I survived and thrived because of them and my friendship with Ken and the boys. Mersey really helped me make it through the years after my father died."

"Speaking of which, I can't wait to come and listen to you play on Tuesday night."

"I'll love to have you there, watching us play."

She smiled. "I always get a little giddy when I see you up on the stage."

"You do, do you, Mrs. Morgan? Giddy?"

She narrowed her eyes. "Like I'm a groupie and you're my rock star crush. I'd do anything you wanted when I see you standing on the stage with the guitar strapped around your shoulder."

"Anything?"

"Anything," she replied with a knowing grin.

"This sounds like a role-playing scenario I'd love to play out. How about if I wear that white shirt you like so much and my leather pants. You show up dressed in that little black dress I really like – the one that's really sexy and shows a lot of cleavage? I'll pick you up and we can get it on in a limo then I can bring you home and tie you up and torture you with pleasure."

I wagged my eyebrows at her suggestively and she laughed.

"You don't know how much that appeals to me."

"Oh, but I do. And that's exactly what's going to happen on Tuesday night."

We drove up to the parking garage where I kept the rental car, both of us smiling and imagining it.

After we parked, I took her hand and we walked to the 8^th Avenue apartment, enjoying the sounds of the city at night time, the traffic still busy even at that time of night, people out walking along the streets. When we arrived back in the apartment, Karen was sitting in front of the television, a magazine in her hand.

"How was everything?" Kate asked after taking off her shoes.

Karen stood up and stretched. "She went down for the night at nine. I know you said eight but she was wide awake and so we read a lot of books until she started to pull at her ear. She went down without a fuss once she got her bottle."

"That's the sign," I said and hung up my jacket. "She always tugs at her ear when she's tired."

"Thanks so much for agreeing to sit for us on Tuesday when Drake plays with his band," Kate said. "We'll need you for about three hours from nine until midnight, if that's okay."

"Absolutely," Karen said. "Like I said, I have nothing scheduled this week so I'm totally free."

"I'll make sure she's already down for the night so you can come and watch a movie or whatever you want," Kate replied.

"Sounds good," Karen said and we said our goodbyes.

When the door was closed, I wasted no time. All the talk about Tuesday night had me aroused and so I pushed Kate against the wall beside the door, my hands splayed against the wall on either side of her.

"And now, Katherine, I think I need you on your knees."

She smiled slowly, and the look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know.

"Yes, Sir."

She slid down to her knees and began to unfasten my belt, her moves slow and deliberate, her gaze moving from the considerable bulge in my pants to my face and back again. Before she unzipped my pants, she pressed her face against my groin, her mouth open around the outline of my cock, which strained against the fabric of my pants, running her lips along the length from the tip to my balls.

She knew how to tease me.

I closed my eyes and just enjoyed the sensations. When I heard the sound of the zipper, my cock jumped, and I had to watch once more as she pulled my slacks and boxer briefs down over my buttocks, exposing my erection. It sprung out of its confines and hung heavy in front of her face, the tip wet with pre-cum.

"May I suck you, Sir?" she asked, her lip running over her bottom lip suggestively.

"You may."

I couldn't suppress a groan of pleasure when her tongue reached out to lap the head, a throb of lust making me exhale. She took the head in her mouth and sucked, running her tongue around the rim. With her other hand, she cupped my balls.

"Oh, Katherine, you do know how to please me."

I guided her head as she moved on my length, taking in more and more with each attempt until she gagged. She pulled back and recovered and then began once more, her lips tight around my cock, one hand stroking the shaft while she sucked and licked.

"That's so good," I murmured, the pleasure building inside of me.

She pulled off, stroking my length.

"Stand," I said, reaching down to lift her up.

She and I lifted her up, carrying her to the sofa. She wrapped her legs around my waist, her arms around my neck.

I rested her against the back of the sofa and entered her, sliding inside her tight wet heat.

Then I began thrusting, my thumb on her clit, stroking in a slow circle as I thrust slow and deep.

"Tell me when you're going to come," I managed through gritted teeth.

I watched her and when her eyes closed, her mouth opening in pleasure, I knew she was ready. Soon, I was there as well, my balls tightening with that familiar sensation, white hot pleasure coursing through me.

"I'm coming," I managed to grunt as the pleasure spread white hot from my balls to the tip of my cock, the feel of her pussy clenching around me making it all the sweeter. I spasmed with her body spasming around me, our orgasms timed perfectly.

"Oh, God..."

When I was through, I leaned against her, my cock still deep in her body, her legs still wrapped around my waist. We both recovered, panting in each other's ears.

I kissed her, my arms around her.

"Was that to your liking, Sir?" she said coyly when our kiss broke. She gave me this playful expression that suggested she knew damn well that it was very much to my liking.

"Yes, it was, Katherine. It was very much to my liking. Don't get too relaxed," I said, my eyes narrowing. "That's only one orgasm. I think you deserve something another. I think I'd like to strip you naked and eat you until you scream out my name."

"That would be very much to my liking, Sir."

And so I did.