Moment of Truth: A Never Before Published Romance!

Description

Forbidden love. Ageless desire.

She didn’t even know what she was missing. It came on like a summer storm.

Unexpected and intense, it was a whirlwind of emotion that left her breathless.

Darla was never the kind of girl to fret over boys; she had her own idea of the life she wanted to live.

To many, it appeared that Frank had already had a full life. Yet, upon meeting Darla, he discovered that his life was only just beginning.

However, between the threat of those closest to the couple, between her life and his, obstacles ascended, seeming to be unsurmountable and threats were made.

Yet, their love, their passion, and their exuberance for one another yearned to prevail.

Will the two unlikely lovers be able to persevere, or will the social constraints that plague their love swallow it until there is nothing left?

Are they supposed to be together? Or is this simply a trick, convoluting their starving hearts?

Only time, patience, and trust will unveil their true path.

Chapter 1: Darla

Attraction can be strange. What should attract people, isn’t always the taste of their pallet and sometimes, what should be abundantly obvious is often overlooked, or dismissed, due to social taboo.

I learned this the hard way, upon my eighteenth year.

While I was still, admittedly, new to the world and hadn’t yet left the safety and sanctity of my parent’s house, I still knew enough about myself to understand what I wanted; who I wanted.

Growing up, I was often an outcast in the circles that I should’ve wanted to be a part of, but it wasn’t because I was fat or socially awkward.

I simply preferred older company.

I was always told that I had an old soul and I took that to heart, realizing early on that I wasn’t like other kids. I wasn’t attracted to men my own age and I often found girls my age to be weird. I was never one to gossip. I was a very private, driven person. I had my goals and usually, those goals did not align with the strange boast of immaturity that resonated with people my age.

It seemed that all, any of the girls wanted to talk about, was boys and I had no interest in them…I wanted a man. While I had no interest in the pimply, baby-faced, apparently handsome boys that went to my school, I understood that with age, came maturity and that was what I was truly after.

Sure, I had met a few old-souls in high school, but none of them were really the person that I needed in my life.

While I didn’t know exactly who the person was that I needed, I could tell within ten minutes of a date, or social gathering whether that person was or was not my type.

Now, because I was extremely mature for my age and just as observant, I was rarely ever surprised. Usually, social cues would give away enough evidences to help me figure out exactly what was going on.

However, during this get-together, I could’ve never guessed what was about to happen. After all, I wasn’t even looking for love; especially not like this.

Yet, as I found out, attraction can be a strange, condescending, and sometimes even forbidden instinct.

“Do you think he’s going to be here?” My mother asked my aunts, as they worked together to prepare the meal.

My aunts giggled as I entered the room.

I looked from one, extremely accomplished woman to the next, looking slightly ridiculous as they giggled like schoolgirls.

“Who are you talking about?” I enquired, wondering who could possibly make these women have such a strange reaction.

“Oh, you probably don’t remember him, dear,” my mother answered, with a stupid smile still spread across her lips.

“Yeah, but when you see him, you sure as hell aren’t going to forget his fine ass,” my Aunt Patrice exclaimed. She was the youngest of my mother’s three sisters and still had a twinge of childlike disposition, when she was relaxed, around her family.

Unlike others who showed this immature reaction, I was close to Patrice. She was someone I could talk to, without having to worry about judgement.

My mother was always worried by my lack of friends and made me feel like a social pariah because I was more concerned with following my dreams than dating or even having many friends. Even though I told her, on multiple occasions, that I was emulating her success and idolized it, she never seemed happy with that. Instead, she insisted that I was a kid, had fun, enjoyed my life before I no longer had the ability to do so freely, without worry.

I didn’t resent my mother for this, of course, but she never seemed to be able to understand that I did enjoy achieving. I thought of my childhood as free years, where I could home in my passion and achieve as much as possible, before my life took me in a different direction.

Going to the movies, hanging out at the mall, and incessantly talking about the opposite sex with kids my own age wasn’t fun to me.

“Patrice!” My mother exclaimed, her eyes widening as my aunt laughed at her over the top reaction.

“Seriously, sis? She’s eighteen. If he is coming, I want to warn her. It’s only fair.”

My mother laughed, never able to stay angry at her little sister long.

No one could.

Patrice had this way about her that was innocent, charming, and charismatic, without coming across as naive or childish.

In fact, considering the startup she founded was international, and she had to fly into the airport this morning, so that she could be here for this event, told me that she had the worldliest experience out of everyone in the family.

Plus, I had seen her at work. She was a bad ass. Patrice earned her right to have fun, when the situation allowed it.

“I guess you’re right, but he hasn’t shown up in years. His wife is an evil bitch,” my mother responded, which surprised me. My mother was normally far more diplomatic than that.

Patrice laughed as my other aunts, Sadie and Sandra returned to chopping the vegetables.

They were my mother’s middle sisters. They were twins; spinsters, who were extremely well-respected lawyers; though they lacked the personality to be much of anything else.

In court, they were the smartest women in any room, but outside of court, it seemed as though they were always out of their element. They stuck together, giggling when appropriate and speaking when asked a question, but they rarely added anything unique to any conversation.

Even the conversations where they were being acclaimed. People would say something to them and they would politely thank them but gave nothing more to the conversation. It was strange and slightly creepy, at times.

However, that was simply the way they were.

“Yeah, she keeps him all to herself, like she’s afraid if he sees how normal women act, he will run as fast and as far away from her as possible,” Patrice replied, shaking her head.

“He should,” my mother seconded. “How he got involved with her in the first place is beyond me.

“She’s not even pretty…”

“And he has the money.”

I rolled my eyes, turning away from them, so that they wouldn’t see. This was exactly the conversation I had tried to avoid.

“Hey! I saw that,” my aunt chastised me in a playful tone, “Honey, you need to see it before you did it.”

“She’s eighteen,” my mother insisted, “She probably won’t even appreciate him…and besides, he hasn’t been allowed to even come here in years. There is likely no way he is going to show up today.”

“You invited him, didn’t you?”

“Of course, I invited him. He was like a big brother to Chase. There’s no way I wouldn’t at least try,” my mother responded.

Chase was my father.

“What’s this mysterious man’s name?” I asked, more to keep in the conversation than caring.

“His name is Frank,” my mother answered.

“Frank?” I insisted, raising my eyebrows at the women. “You guys are falling all over a man you haven’t seen in years and his name is Frank?”

“You just have to see it to believe it,” my aunt insisted, shaking her head slowly.

After that, conversation shifted to something else, more adult and less Sixteen Candles, while I helped my aunts prepare for the meal.

As usual, I was the runner, bringing chips, salsa, sides, finger food and other treats out to the long table, while my father, uncles, and my father’s friends watched football in the living room.

I wasn’t much into sports, though at times, I wished I was, so that I could have a closer relationship to my father.

Although, he always seemed distant from me. Unlike myself and my mother, he was the fun guy. He was always ready for a party and although he was successful, he knew how to balance work and play.

My mother and my father were a great match but for some reason, I could never connect with my father. I knew he loved me and I could never say anything bad about him; we were just never close. We never quite understood one another.

I was quiet and reserved, while he was always the life of the party. I couldn’t say that I didn’t like that about him. I did. It suited my father well and I was certain that was one of the attributes that attracted my mother to him.

However, that simply wasn’t the kind of person I connected with. So, I connected more with my mother. She was far more reserved and while she didn’t speak her mind while she was in the presence of strangers, she certainly was able to speak her mind when she was comfortable with the company.

She didn’t have a lot of friends either, which was why I found it so strange that she insisted that I was friendly.

Although, I was sure she was trying to do what she felt was best.

Nevertheless, I was almost done putting out the appetizers, I was startled to see a man sitting at the bench seat, by himself, observing the men in the living room from afar.

“Oh! Hello,” I grinned, trying to be polite, but also trying to stop myself from asking the man what the hell he was doing in my house.

“Hello,” he answered kindly, turning toward me and grinning in a friendly manner. He was close enough that when he turned, I received a waft of his cologne, which was clean and fresh. “I’m sorry, dear. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

The man was wearing a suit, which was strange, considering this was an informal, family party.

Yet, it didn’t look out of place at all. He had a salt and pepper beard that was close-shaven and a mustache to match. His hair was white, with a few silver streaks, which looked strangely natural and his cobalt suit was pressed to perfection. He wore a crimson handkerchief in the breast pocket of his overcoat and his brown loafers were equipped with tassels.

He seemed, perfect.

Automatically, I felt a twinge of attraction to him, which startled me more than realizing his initial presence.

“No, you’re fine,” I answered, trying to figure out a way that I could make him speak again, without sounding obvious.

After all, his slight Irish accent was intriguing. It was washed out by Americanization, but there was a twinge of it at the end of his words that was entrancing.

He nodded, his eyes narrowing, as they flicked up and down, carefully taking in the sight of me. It wasn’t in a creepy manner, though; or at least, I didn’t take it as such. It seemed more as though he felt I was a puzzle piece and he was trying to mentally decipher where I fit.

“I’m sorry, is your name, Darla?”

I nodded, feeling another twinge of excitement upon hearing my name cross his lips. There was something about my name being rolled off a tongue with such an intriguing accent that made it sound unique and more beautiful than it had ever sounded, when said by anyone else.

“Yes,” I replied, trying my hardest not to giggle, or sound like the stupid schoolgirl that I looked down on so many others for being in the presence of a man. I swallowed hard and felt my beam grow.

“My God, it’s been too long,” the man responded with an easy, appreciative expression, “You are gorgeous.”

At this, I nearly lost it. The compliment was almost too much for my mind to help me control my actions.

“Thank you,” I replied, barely able to get the words out.

Thankfully, he mistook my reaction to him, as his eyes illuminated with what he thought was an epiphany, “I apologize, young lady,” he answered, “You probably have no idea who I am. My name is…”

“Oh my God! Frank!” My mother exclaimed from behind me.

I felt my eyes widen and my stomach drop.

This was Frank?! I thought, now feeling as though I was punched in the gut.

“Amy!” The man called in a delighted voice, standing up and hugging her tightly.

“Oh my God! I’m so glad you made it!” She exclaimed when they broke apart.

“I am too,” he answered in a genuine manner.

My mother looked him up and down as she kept her arms opened, either waiting for another hug, or out of excitement.

Behind me, I heard my aunts scuttle around the doorway, leading to the dining room. Patrice was in the front and I heard her voice first.

“Wow! You haven’t changed a bit!” She exclaimed, running toward him and throwing her arms around him.

“Hello, Patrice!” Frank exclaimed and when my most vocal aunt had let him go, he nodded toward each of the twins, with a friendly grin, calling them by name.

However, they didn’t advance toward him and he didn’t offer a hug to them.

I found this odd, though, since there was so much already filling my head, I figured I should stop trying to piece together how this mysterious, elegant man fit into our otherwise weird family.

“Darla, this is Frank, your father’s dear friend,” she replied, with a hand on my shoulder, “And Frank, you remember Darla?”

“Yes, we were just getting reacquainted,” he admitted, “I couldn’t believe how much she had grown.”

“I know! She is a woman now, not the little girl you knew,” my mother said, hugging me almost as though I was still a child and I felt like melting into the floor.

“It’s been too long,” he replied again, “But I am so pleased to have my life back together.”

My mother turned all her attention toward him now as she tilted her head to the side, “Is everything okay?” She looked around, as though she had just remembered something, “Where’s Sasha?”

“Oh, yes…Unfortunately, things didn’t work out between Sasha and I,” he answered, sounding far more matter of fact about the conversation than what seemed normal.

“I am so sorry,” my mother exclaimed, while I held my tongue, not wanting to draw any attention to myself.

“Please, don’t be. I am far better without having her in my life.”

“How long has it been?” Patrice asked.

“Oh, the whole thing started about a year ago and we’ve been divorced for six months. The divorce made me realize how much I was missing out on life, because she never wanted to do anything,” he chuckled, and I swore he winked at me when he added, “For a woman with so much spirit when I met her, she quickly settled into being a cranky old woman after being married.”

“Well, so long as you’re happy, we’re happy for you,” my mother insisted, which earned a grin from Frank.

“Thank you,” he replied, “I am still getting used to…everything all over again, but, unfortunately, that was what needed to happen.”

After that, the women dispersed, and my father came over to see what was going on. He seemed happy to see his friend.

“What are you doing in here with the girls?”

“You know I’m not a fan of sports,” he insisted, and I took notice, as I returned to the kitchen to finish the meal preparation with my mother and aunts.

All through dinner, I couldn’t help but think about him, though I tried my best to avoid eye contact. I wanted to know him better, but I knew that my legality didn’t mean anything, within my family.

I knew that I needed to set all the feelings I had for him aside and refocus on my own goals, since this was off limits for me. I knew it and until today, I would’ve agreed with it.

Although, it seemed the more I tried to look away and focus on something else, the more my gaze happened to lock on him.

Frank wasn’t staring at me, or anything of that nature, but I knew that every once in a while, his eyes would rest on me.

There was an automatic attraction that I was certain was mutual. Yet, there was no way I would be able to act on it.

Though, with everything he said and did, I was inclined to listen and watch. I was mesmerized by him but did my best not to show it.

My attentiveness allowed me to find out that he was moving back to this area, to get away from his old life with Sasha. My parents welcomed him with open arms and asked where he was staying.

He told them that he would be moving into an apartment of his own at the end of the week, but currently, he was staying at a hotel.

“Nonsense!” My father boomed upon hearing this. “You are not staying at a hotel. Cancel your reservation, please? Stay here.”

“I wish you’d have told me before you made the reservations,” my mother seconded.

“I’m sorry, Amy. I didn’t think much about it. My mind always has so much running through it. It’s hard to remember to do anything…I wanted to call and tell you I was coming here…but when I thought about it, I had plenty of time and then…I didn’t.” He chuckled in an apologetic manner.

“It’s alright,” my mother answered, “You always know you’re welcome here.”

“Yes, and I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want to put you out,” he insisted.

“You aren’t! We have plenty of room…and after all the times you helped me out?”

Frank returned a small, appreciative smile.

“You’re staying here,” my father insisted, and that was the end of the conversation.

After dinner, while we were cleaning up, my mother and aunts seemed to be like hens, ready to explode.

They couldn’t wait to get out of earshot of the men, so that they could start their gossiping.

“Oh my God…Age has certainly favored him,” my mother exclaimed as my aunts agreed.

“And so, does being single,” Patrice added with a cheeky grin, “I bet that bitch is kicking herself in her ugly-ass face right about now. Damn, I’m surprised he’s still on the market. A year?”

“Maybe he’s trying to take things slow,” my mother replied, almost as though she was trying to defend him.

“Yeah, I guess,” Patrice insisted, “But he didn’t even bring a date?”

“It’s a family function, not a wedding. If you’re taking things slow, you don’t bring a date,” my mother insisted.

At first, I tried to ignore their bantering, recognizing that it was really none of my business anyway, but every time they mentioned him, I could feel my heartrate increase and my stomach flutter.

Plus, their incessant fawning over him was making me slightly jealous, though I knew I had no right to be.

Due to all these emotions, which I was normally immune from, I thought it was best if I kept my head down and focused on what I was doing.

Yet, it didn’t take long before Patrice noticed my lack of conversation. Always wanting to be right, I should’ve seen this conversation coming, but I was too distracted by my strange feelings to focus on them, in any depth.

“So, Darla, I noticed you haven’t said anything to the contrary. What do you think about Mr. Dreamy?”

“Well, I wouldn’t call him dreamy,” I insisted, far more hostile than I intended. I turned quickly and narrowed my eyes at them, as they stared back at me in shock; well, to be fair, my mother and the twin aunts were shocked. Patrice shot me a half-cocked grin and I was sure she knew what I was thinking. “He’s far more intelligent to be dreamy. He has a sophisticated air about him and a debonair approach…” I stopped, realizing I had said far too much, so I tried to backpedal; another activity that I had little use for until today, “But, he is not dreamy. He’s an old man; what is he? Sixty? Sure, he aged well, but dreamy?” I shook my head, “I don’t even think he’s all that attractive.”

Patrice pursed her lips as though she was about to call me out in my boldfaced lie, but she simply continued to grin.

Besides my aunt, everyone else was stunned to silence.

I swallowed hard, feeling all their eyes on me in a manner that I didn’t appreciate. I ran my tongue over my lips nervously and eyed them all intently, “Well, I’m sorry. You asked my opinion.” Glaring at Patrice in one last failed attempt to dissuade her from what I knew she had already figured out, I insisted, “I’m sorry. You were wrong. I don’t find him as attractive as everyone thinks he is. I’ll admit, he’s handsome, but you guys swooning over him is a little much…”

“Darla,” my mom started, clearly misunderstanding why I was acting this way.

However, I walked out of the kitchen and tore up to my room.

Once inside, I closed the door and sat on my bed, feeling strange and conflicted.

After enduring far too many thoughts swirling around my mind for too long, I decided that meditating would be a good idea.

So, I leaned back against my pillow, closed my eyes, crossed my legs, and placed my hands, palms facing up, on each of my knees.

With an exaggerated breath, I took the air in through my nose and dispelled it through my mouth. I did this a few more times, until I heard someone open my door.

Dammit, I should’ve locked it… I thought, hastily pulling myself back to complete consciousness and opening my eyes.

To my surprise, Frank was standing in the doorway, with my door already closed behind him.

Strangely, I was not the least bit put off by his presence and any annoyance I had about someone entering my room unannounced was hastily dispelled the moment I realized that it was Frank.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” he replied quickly, “I just wanted to see where you were. I didn’t realize this was your room until it was too late…”

“No, Frank, it’s okay,” I told him, motioning for him to come closer.

“Are you sure?” He asked, in the same voice he had asked my parents if it was alright that he stayed.

“Yes,” I answered sternly, giving him the assurance that I knew what was going on. From what I’d observed, Frank was an intelligent man. He knew exactly what he was doing when he came up here.

Frank eased over to the foot of the bed and sat down.

I laughed and rolled my eyes.

“Come closer!” I exclaimed, allowing the passion I was feeling to translate into my best come hither expression.

However, before he moved any closer, I was overtaken by the urge to move forward.

I crawled towards him, slowly, easily, allowing his eyes to fall to my cleavage, which was abundantly present in the position I was in.

I watched as the left corner of his mouth ticked up, into a grin, as I received another waft of his cologne. This was stronger now, being that I was closer, and the salacious infusion of emotion and intrigue grew to a point of intense need.

He reached out, grasping me, pulling me toward him. His warm touch and masculine disposition comforted me.

I closed my eyes, taking in the essence of the moment and when I opened them again, I realized that we were both naked, laying together, while he played with my breast.

I felt his hands slide down my body, as he cupped my breasts in his hands, squeezing them playfully, before turning me around.

My chest tingled, feeling his bare warmth against me.

Kissing me gently, Frank eased me back onto the bed, before drawing back his hands, so that he could glide them between my legs. Parting my thighs, Frank eased himself between my legs and rubbed his aching manhood against me.

Simply the feel of his closeness drove me crazy. Yet, only after a few long, tantalizing strokes, he eased himself into me and I yelled with excitement.

He pulled back and thrusted forward, until I was able to work in conjunction with the tempo he set.

While we moved, he continued to fondle my bosom, allowing my whole body to feel appreciated and pleasured.

Back and forth, we moved, faster and faster, as the sensation of overwhelming excitement intensified…

Suddenly, I was jolted back to reality, by the knocking on my bedroom door.

I gasped, and my eyes popped open. I looked over at the bed beside me and was heartbroken to find that I was still in the bed, alone.

 

Chapter 2: Frank

I had no idea what happened.

One moment, I was sitting at the table, waiting for someone I knew to come out of the kitchen, so that I could become engrossed in conversation, instead of trying to sit through football; Chase’s idea of entertainment, when suddenly, my heart stopped.

For a moment, I genuinely thought I had died, when I laid my eyes on a beautiful woman, coming out of the kitchen.

At first, I was convinced that it was Amy, Chase’s wife; as she looked just like her, but no, it couldn’t be. Too much time had passed.

This girl looked barely legal, not nearly old enough to have a child in her teens.

No. This girl wasn’t Amy.

I realized that within a moment before my heart seemed to stop unceremoniously.

I opened my mouth to speak, feeling it dry up almost immediately.

There were so many different emotions running through my mind and I knew that most of them were not the least bit appropriate.

Because of this realization, I was terrified. I didn’t want to be thinking this way.

There was no doubt that I was caught off guard by this woman, who I was certain now that I didn’t know, but that still didn’t explain such an immediate reaction to her.

Before either of us even spoke, as I came back to my senses enough to realize that I wasn’t dying, I had the epiphany that this wasn’t the end of my life; this was a connection…one that I hadn’t had with another human being in a long time.

This conscious realization only horrified me further. However, instead of giving in to my fears, I forced myself to smile.

Throughout the conversation with the woman, I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest and my forehead dotting with sweat.

I kept swallowing hard, even though there was nothing left to swallow. My mouth was bone-dry, and my tongue felt like sandpaper against the roof of my mouth. I hadn’t felt this way in a long time and while I couldn’t help but enjoy the idea that I could still think this way and feel such a reaction, I knew I shouldn’t be feeling this way for her.

So, when her mother and aunts interrupted us, I couldn’t have been more thankful.

While part of me wanted to continue the chat, I was having with the woman, I knew that it was best I didn’t.

The reactions I could have with her mother and her aunts allowed me to escape my own mind a little, helping me to assimilate and put the feeling I had for the woman toward the back of my mind.

The invitation to stay with them was unexpected and honestly, completely unwanted. However, with the way that they offered the invitation, I knew that I didn’t have a choice.

I knew Chase better than anyone, or at least, I had for a very long time, and I knew when something would be solved by arguing and when it was a fool’s errand.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to stay with Chase and his family. In a way, I thought that would be nice, but as soon as everything was settled, without me having the ability to get a word in edgewise, the first thought I had was of Darla.

Fortunately, I was once again able to put all the thoughts out of my head and focus on seeing lovely people who were in my life a long time ago and who I hoped to reacquaint myself with; just not in the way my emotions were telling me to.

During dinner, I had to continue speaking, or I would find my gaze wandering back over to the illustrious, forbidden beauty.

Darla had dark, black hair that shimmered, with almost a blue haze every time she moved under the light. Her eyes were green, and her lips were a dark rouge, which I surmised was a result of lipstick, though it added to her natural comeliness, nonetheless.

Her presence seemed to light up the room, more each time she smiled.

Darla’s petite frame was exactly my type and her endowed womanly assets were undeniably attractive.

Even with the long sweater she wore, it was easy to see that she was voluptuous and the tight, black leggings that fit perfectly to her frame assured me that she wasn’t trying to misrepresent her physique.

Yet, the attraction I had wasn’t all physical, by any means.

I had always had a way with women and this reaction was a first for me. I didn’t know what to do.

This year was rough for me; that was undeniable but realistically, that shouldn’t have mattered. I still shouldn’t have this reaction to this woman…Unless, there was some reason we were supposed to be together. I thought, knowing that I was being a little too hopeful.

After all, things like that don’t happen.

When the rest of the men retired to the living room again, I went with them, though I had the same amount of disinterest in watching sports as I did before.

However, now, I was thankful for the distraction, because that meant I didn’t have to worry about speaking to or overthinking about Darla.

Although, try as I might, the annoyance of American football was not the attention leech that I hoped it was.

Instead, the more I tried to focus on the game, even if it was to make fun of it in my head, the more my mind wandered back to Darla.

I wondered what she was doing and if she felt the same way as I did. I thought there was a connection between us but that didn’t mean anything. I could be wrong and if I was, then it was only my own guilt that plagued me.

If I was making the connection I thought we had up in my head, it had no basis in reality. Thus, I didn’t need to worry about it.

I could stay here without a worry, as I certainly wasn’t going to do anything that Darla didn’t want. I wasn’t like that and regardless of how blinding my lust, or love, or crush, or whatever it was that I felt for her seemed to be, I was an honorable man.

I had always taken pride in that and there was nothing in the world that was going to make me do something that I would regret.

Still, the idea that I was right and the connection I felt as mutual continued to reverberate in my mind, distracting me.

I kept looking towards my friend, Chase and I wondered what he would say.

Likely, he would beat the hell out of me and I wouldn’t blame him one bit.

The thoughts I was having, certainly weren’t thoughts of piety.

I didn’t remember Darla much as a little girl. She was quiet, last time I met her, and she was extremely reserved. I remembered that she was about as social with me as she was with anyone else at that time, which meant that I didn’t speak to her very much.

My friend and his wife had raised their daughter to be polite, but we hadn’t had any connection. She hardly knew who I was, as I was with my ex-wife throughout her life and the woman would barely let me do anything.

Is this why I’m feeling this way? Do I have such pent-up emotion that it is gushing out on every woman I find attractive? Will this crush pass the moment I am paired with a more suitable partner?

I wanted this to be the case. I hoped I would be able to move past whatever it was that I was thinking about and redefine my emotions, so that they were more acceptable.

However, to my dismay, the more I thought about it, the more I feared it wouldn’t be that simple.

 

Chapter 3: Darla

For a split second, I wondered, hoped that the person on the other side of the door was Frank.

Although, a far more familiar voice shattered my thoughts the moment my hopes started to rise.

“Darla? Can I come in?” Patrice asked cautiously, giving another easy knock.

I almost told her no, but I knew that wouldn’t do any good, so I got off my bed and opened my door for her.

“Thanks,” she told me, confidently as she walked passed me, sitting on my bed with what seemed like one, easy motion.

I simply turned toward her, allowing my expression to demand what she wanted.

“Things got kinda heated down there, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to act that way. I should go apologize to Mom,” I told her, but I wasn’t surprised when she didn’t seem thrilled with my concession.

“Sure, you were rude, and how you reacted was uncalled for, even though I was trying to aggravate you, but that’s actually not what I came in here to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” I tried to play dumb.

“You know, Darla, you’re not a little kid anymore. You’re an adult.”

“Yes,” I answered, not entirely sure where this was going.

“You can make your own decisions and you don’t need to pretend like boys have cooties anymore. Your parents understand that you are a flowering woman and, as much as they don’t want their baby to grow up, they know that one day, you’re going to.”

“Thanks,” I replied, not sure how else to answer such an observation.

“Now, I don’t know who you like, what you like, or even if you like anyone. Maybe you’ve met someone you want to date and maybe you haven’t.”

“Did you really come up here to try to convince me…”

“No!” Patrice insisted, sounding as though I had insulted her. “That’s not at all what I mean, actually.

“Okay,” I replied, putting my hands up in the air slightly, trying to tell her I wasn’t trying to start an argument.

“No,” she repeated, her voice slightly less menacing. “I wanted to tell you that whatever you feel, regardless of…anything, you’re allowed to have those feelings. Your parents only want you to be happy. They love you and as long as you find your happiness, even if they don’t understand it, they will figure out a way to be happy for you as well.”

There were a million thoughts that ran through my head but my most predominant thought was to stifle a chuckle.

It wasn’t that I thought my aunt was being ingenuine, it was more a protection. Many new things were happening to me today.

For starters, I had met a man that made me feel things I hadn’t ever truly felt before and not long after meeting him, I had a wet dream about him.

While these weren’t incredibly abnormal, I never had a face and now, I had a person to associate with my fantasies.

I didn’t like that. It scared me.

After all, I was always the level-headed one, the intelligent one; not the guy-crazy psycho. I hated the people who were like that and refused to associate with them, unless they had some other, majorly redeeming qualities.

Now, I was feeling and acting all mushy over a guy who was decades beyond my age.

I knew that I was always a person who was friends with older people, but I wasn’t quite willing to accept that it went to this extreme.

However, whether I accepted it or not, I couldn’t deny it.

So, after staring at my aunt blankly for a good thirty seconds, I decided that I should get as much information as possible, without coming across as desperate.

“Are you sure about that?” I asked her, “I mean, my parents are a little…well, you know how they are.”

Patrice giggled, “Yeah…But that doesn’t mean they don’t love you and want the best for you.”

“I know they love me, but it seems like we can never see eye to eye and I don’t even have a love interest yet. How can I trust them to believe me when I tell them that I’m happy when I can’t even talk to them about school? They’re always telling me that I need more friends. I don’t want more friends. I’m happy with my life. If they can’t understand that, how are they possibly going to understand that I know what’s best for my love life.”

“I never said it was going to be easy for either of you. They want to make sure you enjoy your life to the fullest. They aren’t trying to tell you to get more friends to be mean, or hurtful. They just don’t want you to miss out and if they genuinely think that you’re in a good place, with a person that loves you as much as you love them, they’ll deal with it. They’ll find a way to understand. I promise.”

I thought about my aunts answer for a moment, trying not to shutter at the idea of telling my parents about my attraction to Frank.

However, it wasn’t just Frank I was concerned with. If Frank is truly my type, how many Franks will I have to forgo before I am no longer thought of as a gold digger? How long until my parents will truly be okay with my choices?

Patrice could say what she wanted, there was no way my parents would be okay with my choice.

Yet, instead of relaying that information to her, because I didn’t want to give away my secret, I altered the subject slightly, “So, why did you come up here? To just tell me that? Did Mom send you?”

“No,” my aunt answered easily, “I came up here because we all want to know if you’re alright and we’re worried about you. That’s all.”

“Really? There’s no ulterior motive?”

“Nothing,” she replied earnestly, “I promise.”

I thought for a moment before nodding and grinning cautiously, “So, is Mom mad?”

Patrice shook her head, “No. She’s worried about you. That’s all. She would like for you to come downstairs before desert, though.”

I nodded, drew in a deep breath and allowed my aunt to lead the way down the stairs, back to the company, while I tried to figure out how to keep the mysterious Frank out of my head.

 

Chapter 4: Frank

I noticed Darla’s absence immediately. I tried not to notice, or even care that she was gone, but since she was presently all I could think about, it was a difficult feat.

First, the realization came out of the corner of my eye when my observance picked up on the fact that there were only four women in the kitchen, instead of five.

With the idea floating around inside my head, I continued to focus on the people passing by in the kitchen for a good half-hour. Throughout that time, I continued to decipher where people were and what they were doing.

At first, I told myself that Darla must have gone to the bathroom but when she didn’t return eventually, I realized that she had to have gone away.

Why would she leave the party? I wondered, trying to think if I could’ve done anything to make her that uncomfortable. However, I couldn’t think of a single motion that could’ve been perceived as that terrible.

Since this was her house, after all, I would hope that she’d sooner tell me to leave than to hide.

The longer it took for Darla to return, the more anxious I became. I wasn’t worried about her, exactly, but I was worried that I had offended her unintentionally.

Still, our conversation was short, and she seemed to be enjoying it. After that, we didn’t have any further contact. There was nothing for her to be upset about.

Unless she saw you staring… I thought, but quickly dismissed it. I made a point to be discrete.

There was absolutely no way she had seen me and gotten that uncomfortable by my presence.

When forty-five minutes passed, I thought my time might be better spent looking for her. At least then, I could get some answers to my questions.

However, as soon as I thought about it, I dismissed the idea.

Regardless of my intentions, the attraction I had to her was raw, powerful and ravage. I didn’t trust myself, being alone with her, that I wouldn’t try something.

Of course, I wouldn’t do anything drastic, but even a simple advance could end in catastrophe, if it was unwanted and I was just getting back into my friend’s life.

More than that, though, I was just getting my life back together. So, I knew I shouldn’t risk it.

Eventually, Darla and her aunt came back down the stairs and I decided that something must’ve happened between her mother and Darla. When they spoke, they were both careful of how they spoke and what they said, but after a few strained moments, the women hugged, and it was business as usual.

As soon as I saw her again, I felt a ping of renewed attraction. I wanted her badly. I felt a yearning that reverberated through my body and it seemed the more I tried to ignore it, the more intense the urge became.

Amy announced that desert was served, breaking me out of my cycle slightly, and we all returned to our spots at the table. I wasn’t exactly thrilled to be back in such close quarters with Darla.

However, I figured if I was going to be staying there, I might as well get used to the idea.

I needed to control myself, no matter what happens or what I think might be happening.

Thankfully, I made it through desert and the rest of the evening without incident.

Yet, when the next morning came around, both Amy and Chase went to work, leaving me alone with Darla.

When I first realized this, I panicked. Although, I managed to calm myself down eventually and I was able to think logically.

Just stay away from her, I thought. She’s a teenager. She’ll probably sleep until noon and leave the house without a single word.

However, that wasn’t at all what happened. I suppose my wishful thinking got the best of me, because I was shocked to see Darla up and about not more than ten minutes after her parents went to work.

Don’t overthink it. I told myself as my heart started to pound heavily at the sight of her. I swallowed hard, hoping she didn’t notice.

“Good morning, Frank,” she replied. Her hair was wet and the skin that I could see was still slightly rosy from the hot shower. I found my eyes tracing her neckline and I immediately became embarrassed. I looked away.

“Good morning, Darla,” I replied, sipping my coffee so that my gulp seemed more normal. Already, my mouth was dry, and I had a million questions zooming around inside my head at once. “How…how did you sleep?”

“Well,” she replied with a beam, “How did you sleep?”

“Well,” I replied, giving her a curt nod, trying my best not to give anything away. “Uh, your parents have already left for work…I suspect you already know that, though.”

“Yes,” she replied as she went for the coffee.

I focused intently on my own mug as I heard her scuffle around the kitchen as she prepared her own morning beverage.

“So, I suppose you’ll be off soon? I’m sure you have a full social life,” I inquired, hoping to God she was up early and dressed because she had an engagement that would leave me alone with my thoughts.

“No,” she chuckled, coming back to the table and sliding in next to me. When I looked up at her, I noted that her cheeks were slightly red, but not because of the shower. She looked down when my gaze attempted to meet her eyes as she replied, “Unfortunately, no. I’m kind of a home body…I mean, if I had someone to go out with, I would go, but I don’t…so…” As she stopped, she laughed and shook her head, “God, I sound pathetic…”

“No, you don’t,” I replied, my eyes resting on her as a portion of her hair fell over her shoulder. I simpered in her direction, trying to ignore the thought of how adorable she looked right now.

There was something about her that was uniquely sexy. Everything she did caused my stomach to flutter and my pulse to race.

As she moved to take a long drink of her coffee, her freshly-washed scent wafted toward me. I inhaled it as much as I could, holding it inside my lungs for a moment, before easily letting it go.

“Why is it you don’t have anyone to go with? You’re a beautiful girl and from what I’ve seen so far, you’re extremely well-mannered.”

I watched her petite shoulders rise and fall gently, as though she was earnestly contemplating my response.

“It’s not them…It’s me. I’m very picky about the company I keep,” she answered, “I don’t know why. I’m extremely private, though I don’t have any reason to be private…I mean, I’m not hiding anything, and I don’t do anything wrong.” She shrugged again, “I don’t do anything,” she chuckled sheepishly.

“I’m sure there’s something you’d like to do,” I answered, trying to be supportive, though I wasn’t quite sure why I insisted on caring.

She looked up at me, this time with more confidence and grinned.

I wasn’t sure if the grin was supposed to be suggestive, or if I was only taking it that way, because of the allure she entranced me with. However, there were warring parts of me that wanted it to be one way or the other.

 

Chapter 5: Darla

I had no idea what had gotten into me. It was as if I had blossomed into a woman overnight. I thought about Frank for the rest of the evening and continued to dream about him throughout the night.

The next morning, I woke up early, as usual, but the first thought I had was of Frank and how he was in my house and we were going to be alone. I had never wanted anyone like this before. The feeling was immediate and all-consuming.

The idea of being home alone with Frank and the possibilities that created seemed infinite, alluring, and serendipitous.

I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity, though I couldn’t be sure if Frank even felt the same way. I didn’t want to come across as some sex-crazed teenager.

However, I didn’t want this prospect to slip away, either. I had never had such an intense urge before. It was all-consuming.

Taking all this into consideration, I got up, took a shower, put something slightly more formfitting on and walked downstairs.

I was sure my parents were gone by then, but even still, the sight of Frank, in my kitchen made me feel slightly uneasy. I didn’t know why, because I had prepared for this, apparently all night. Yet, I still didn’t know what I was doing. I had never tried to seduce anyone before. I was never attracted enough to them to put forth the effort.

Just act like yourself, I told myself, wondering if that was bad advice. After all, I had acted like myself my whole life and I had always ended up never being truly attracted to anyone.

For as strange as this attraction was and for as much trouble as it had caused already, I was still interested in seeing where this could go.

I had no earthly idea what was supposed to happen, or even how we were supposed to start, but I wanted it so badly, I could taste it.

I wonder what he tastes like... I thought yet was still in the habit of shaking such dirty thoughts out of my mind.

Seeing him there, as handsome as he was last night; already dressed to the nines, before nine in the morning, I was intrigued by this man.

However, when he looked up at me, I quickly turned away and got my coffee, trying to take as long as possible, while I tried to come up with a plan.

When I sat down, he started to ask me strange questions, but I wasn’t overly concerned with it.

After all, the more intimate the question was, the easier it would be to curve the conversation into something sultrier.

I felt heat radiating between us and all I wanted to do was kiss him. I watched his lips move, carefully, easily and I wanted to feel them against me.

I had kissed a few men before, but I had a feeling those kisses weren’t anything like this. After all, every kiss I had ever had was from a boy.

I wanted the kiss of a man.

When he asked if there was something I would like to do, I felt as though this was a great lead into my true intentions.

Even though I still hadn’t the faintest idea what I was doing, I knew that if I wasn’t going to attack him randomly, I would only have a limited amount of opportunities.

“Of course,” I replied, as my body decided long before my mind that it was now or never. I eased myself toward him, locking my eyes onto his sharp, blue gaze.

I was mesmerized by him.

When I spoke again, it sounded like someone else talking when I replied in a husky voice, “Can I show you?”

Sitting back slightly, Frank’s eyes narrowed, and I wasn’t sure what that meant.

“Sure,” he replied as the corner of his lip ticked upward.

I wondered if he knew my plan, or if he was as surprised as his body language suggested.

Mimicking his grin, I closed my eyes, breathed in deep, and pressed my lips firmly against his.

The taste of him was almost immediately apparent. He tasted like coffee and a subtle hint of his own, unique flavor.

I felt his beard and mustache rub against my lips and face, likely causing them to redden. Although, I didn’t stop. I continued to ease into the passion more, until I felt his hand on the side of my face. His fingers slid through my wet hair easily, as he tilted my head so that he could thrust his tongue into my mouth.

I moaned as the sense of excitement and a fluttering of my stomach intensified.

I kissed him back, deepening the need I had for him

Before I knew it, I had drawn closer, straddling him in one quick motion as I ran my fingers through his thick silver and black hair.

I knew that I had done well when I heard him moan and through the thin fabric of his suit, I felt his manhood rise to the occasion.

I was wearing a skirt, so only his thin pants and my skimpy underwear were between us.

Suddenly, though, Frank pulled away, his eyes focusing seriously on mine, “Why?” He breathed, “Are you sure you want to do this?”

I nodded my head eagerly and pressed both my palms against his face, attempting to draw it near to me.

“No,” he whispered, adding to the distance between us.

I stared at him with confusion, my heart breaking as rejection hit hard and fast. “Why not? I want you. We have a connection.”

The words spilled out and even though I couldn’t control them, I realized later that they were probably the truest words I had ever spoken to anyone.

While I was usually intensely reserved and usually kept my full opinion and feelings to myself, I found that I couldn’t keep anything to myself with Frank.

My words, my hands, even my womanliness, all seemed to thrust completely out of my control while I was in this man’s presence.

Although, I didn’t mind, unless, of course, he didn’t want me.

The thought made my heart burn with rage, horror, and embarrassment.

“I don’t disagree,” he finally replied, “But I want to make sure, before we do this, that you want this.”

“I have spent my entire life trying to figure out what I want,” I told him earnestly. “You are the first person that has ever made me feel like this.”

“Wait,” he called again, before I could even attempt another kiss, “You’re a virgin?”

I nodded, “I’ve been waiting for the right person,” I breathed, my chest heaving as I allowed my womanly essence to remain in control of my body.

“How do you know I’m the right person?” He asked, and I interrupted him before he could say something we both knew meant nothing.

“I know,” I grinned confidently, “The same way you know.”

With that, I was able to kiss him again, wrapping my arms around his neck and grinding myself against his now throbbing manhood.

“Please,” I whispered when my lips trailed off his, “Don’t push me away.”

When my eyes returned to meet his, I maintained a beseeching expression.

He stared at me and I felt my tongue run over my top lip, inviting him back.

“Are you sure?” He finally asked, his eyes wide and serious.

“Yes,” I responded, this time giving him a straight stare, trying to impress upon him that I wasn’t some crazy teenager. “I know what I’m doing, Frank,” I assured him, “I’m a woman and I want you more than I have ever wanted anyone in my entire life.”

After keeping his gaze solidly for a few seconds, I watched his lips curl up into a grin as his breath let out and he replied, “Thank God…”

With that, he grasped my face in his hand once again, drawing me toward him and tilting my head so that he could deepen the kiss as he graced my lips.

I felt his hand ease up the side of my leg, underneath my skirt, teasing my moistening flower.

Of course, I had been aroused before, but this was different. This was intense, almost to the point of being overwhelming, yet stopping right before the sensation burned past pleasurable.

Easily, and in one motion Frank ran his hand up higher and grabbed ahold of my underwear. In a moment, he pulled the material down and tossed them uselessly to the side, before retuning his grasp to my womanliness and cupping it in his hand.

I writhed as the warmth of his hand massaged me, causing the wetness of my arousal to intensify.

I felt his hand glide across my sheath with a deliberate motion, easing me into full and unfettered arousal.

Frank’s arm slid across my back as I leaned into him, propping myself against his knee, while his hand morphed into just two fingers that he was easily able to slip up inside me. Grasping me for support, I felt my eyes grow wide as he pulled back, before penetrating me again.

I started to shake with excitement and my body felt weak.

I moaned, grasping onto him desperately as he grinned down at me.

With every stroke, I felt myself opening more, wanting more than just his fingers, longing for the true feeling of womanly desire to consume me.

However, he continued to ease me into full penetration, until I felt like I was going to explode.

My heavy breath gave way to a scream of passion, as my pelvis thrust toward him.

With a chuckle, he whispered calmingly, “Shhh…You don’t want the neighbors to hear…Shhh…”

Pulling his hand back, he unzipped his pants and introduced me to his masculine member, which protruded with length out from his pants.

While I still tried to catch my breath and calm my racing heart, Fred turned me toward him and helped me to stand over him.

Directing me with his hands on either side of my pelvis, he eased me down, before helping me direct himself inside of me.

He started slowly, easily, but I was ready for him. Each time he pulled away, without fully thrusting himself into me felt like a cruel tease.

It felt so right, my body begged him to complete the movement, until finally, he was able to. He slid me down, until I was in a straddling position, while his manhood reached deep inside of me.

I gasped, surprised and intrigued by the interesting feeling of becoming one with him.

Being that I was a virgin, my body fit him like a glove, melding into each and every arch throughout the length of his endowment.

Again, he started slowly, pulling out before easing me back in.

Each time I took him back, I felt an overwhelming wave of enchantment incased me.

As the motions eventually sped up, I felt him ease his way in and out of me by the moistness of my body, while my emotions felt as though they were building up for a catastrophic explosion.

I opened my mouth to speak, to scream, to do something, but I was completely consumed by my breathlessness, until finally, with one final thrust, I felt a warm detonation saturate every crevasse of my femininity.

“It’s okay,” Frank insisted, before he continued to help me move up and down, until my emotions eventually erupted into a cataclysmic explosion of arousal and enthrallment.

Instantly, I felt dizzy and my eyes rolled back into my head as I yelled out, unsure how to process the mass of emotion I was experiencing.

This was better than I had ever imagined it. This was better than the dreams I’d had and the fantasies I had relied on to prepare me for this moment.

However, I realized then, that there was no preparation that could accurately, express the budding, undeniable euphoria of this moment.

When my body finally started to settle down, all I wanted was to experience that heavenly transformation all over again.

 

Chapter 6: Frank

Holy shit! Did that just happen? I thought to myself as we laid together, naked on the kitchen floor.

For the second time in twenty-four hours, I had to figure out if I was still alive, since it made far more sense that I was dead.

Our lovemaking was abrupt and needy. However, while we were two passionate beings, simply wanting to hold one another, there was something more lurking in the recesses of our passion as well. It wasn’t simply a physical reaction. It was deeper than that; deeper than I’d ever felt anything before.

While I hadn’t exactly been discretionary with my lovemaking in my youth, I had never experienced anything like that before. It was amazing, and I honestly couldn’t wait to do it again.

It almost felt as though it was the first time. It was only now that I realized lovemaking could be more than fucking, more than simply a natural reaction to a hormonal attraction.

This was soul-deep, penetrating through the flawless skin of my lover, right into the heart of her empathetic existence.

I held Darla in my arms, stroking her hair, lightly, while she caught her breath.

“Are you alright?” I asked her after giving her a few moments to return to reality.

“Oh my God,” she exclaimed, turning her face toward me and smiling widely. “Holy crap! That was…” she sighed in place of an answer and shook her head, “Wow…”

I chuckled. Her innocence seemed to be contagious.

“Is it always like that?” She asked.

“For you, I hope so,” I replied, with the added thought, And I hope I’m always the one to make you feel that way. This, I didn’t voice. After all, I recognized that she was in a fragile place right now and I didn’t want to come on too strong or scare her away.

Although, her eyes narrowed as she replied, “You didn’t have a good time?”

“Oh, God…I’m sorry. I had an amazing time. I feel like I imagine you do. It was like the first time for me all over again. I didn’t even know sex could be like that.”

Her one eyebrow cocked as she sneered, “You wouldn’t just be telling me that, would you?”

“God, no! There’s no reason for me to lie.”

Darla didn’t respond at first, but her expression told me that she understood what I was saying, and it made sense to her. “So, what do we do now?”

I laughed at this, considering I supposed everyone had thought it at one time, but Darla, beautiful, sweet, naive Darla had said it.

Her eyes furrowed in aggravation.

“I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you, Darla. It’s just…that’s a very good question. What do you want to do? Some people take a shower…” I offered.

“I just took one,” she replied, and I stifled a grin.

“Others have a cigarette?”

“I don’t smoke,” she replied, understanding that I was teasing her now.

“Well, we could always do it again,” I offered, and her eyes grew wide.

“I’d love to…but I’ll need a minute…” She replied, “I’m still not feeling completely myself from the first time.

I snickered and rolled over, pulling her toward me, growling playfully.

She laughed and screamed, but we were immediately interrupted by a loud, angry knock at the door.

My heart sunk and by the look on Darla’s face, I could tell that she was experiencing a similar reaction.

I held my hands up, as she quickly pulled herself back together.

“I’ll get it,” I replied, standing and straightening my suit. “Whoever the hell that is, I want to make sure they don’t get in the house.”

As I spoke, there was another irate knock, followed by a woman’s voice screaming, “Chase! I know that shit is in your house. His car is here! Send him out here!”

I stopped abruptly, my eyes grew wide as my ears started to ring. While I didn’t think we were in danger, my ex-wife was a bitch, and wherever she went, drama shadowed her like the plague.

“Stay here!” I hissed to Darla, this time in a far more menacing voice than she deserved, but there was no way I was going to subject her to Sasha.

Hastily, I moved toward the door and yanked it open.

“There you are!” She screamed, pushing herself inside.

“Sasha, what the fuck are you doing?” I demanded, my eyes filled with rage. “This isn’t my house! Why are you here?”

“I’ve been looking for you, you town-skipping piece of shit!” She screamed.

“Sasha!” I hissed in a serious, but level tone, “Lower your voice!”

“You’re not my husband, so you can’t tell me what to do,” Sasha answered stubbornly, slurring her words heavily and wobbling around in a drunken haze.

“Sasha, what is the matter with you? How did you get here?”

“I took a cab,” she answered and even though I hated the woman by this point in our long, painful relationship, I was happy she didn’t risk her life by driving.

Still, I wasn’t about to praise her good judgement in transportation. I was too angry for that.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I demanded again.

“I told you, I’ve been looking for you,” she replied, staggering again and against my better judgement, I grabbed ahold of her and ushered her toward the couch. “I need more money!” She yelled in my face. “So, stop wasting it on whores and give it to me! Your wife!”

“Sasha, I’m sorry, but I’m not your husband anymore. If you need money, I will give it to you, but you can’t keep doing this…And you seriously went through all of the settlement?”

“That wasn’t shit.”

“That was half of what I had. I’ve lived on far less than that my entire life,” I explained, though I knew that what I had to say meant nothing to Sasha. It was that way when we were married, and it got even worse when we were divorced.

“Yeah, cause you’re a cheap sonofabitch…” she slurred as her glassy eyes looked me up and down, “Have you had sex?”

“What?” I demanded, trying to hide the genuine shock that I was sure plastered across my expression.

“You know, sex…What we used to do a lot of, before you started to hate me,” she retorted slovenly, narrowing her eyes at me as though her response was supposed to surprise me.

“I don’t hate you,” I replied, though the emotions I was feeling now were teetering on the brink of extreme dislike. “If you don’t have any money, how the hell did you get here?”

“The cab,” she answered, as though that should’ve been obvious.

“I know that,” I hissed, “How did you pay?” I answered, though I had a feeling the answer was self-evident.

“I didn’t!” Sasha exclaimed and almost as though on cue, I heard the horn of a taxi blare.

“Shit! Really?” I huffed, and she laughed, as though she genuinely found it funny.

“What’s going on?”

I heard Darla’s voice and I panicked. However, when I looked up and realized that she was far less disheveled than she was previously, I felt better about needing her help.

“This is my ex-wife,” I answered tightly, “She’s out of money, so I need to go pay the cab driver…Will you please watch her?”

I watched Darla’s eyes grow wide, though she nodded without question.

“Of course,” she replied, walking over to Sasha and sitting down next to her.

“Thank you,” I answered, “And if she keels over or throws up, just go out the back...I don’t really care at this point,” I grumbled, knowing that there was nothing Darla was going to be able to do as I stood up and moved toward the door.

I left without another word.

 

Chapter 7: Darla

The moment Frank left, Sasha turned her head toward me. Her eyes were rolling around in her head, like they had broken lose and she reeked of alcohol.

I tried to keep my expression blank, if not comforting, because I guessed that his ex-wife was already going through something. I was certain that my meddling wasn’t going to help anyone.

“Who are you? The whore he’s with now?” She demanded, glowering at me intently.

“No,” I replied, “I just live here…” I answered.

“Oh, you’re that asshole’s daughter? Chaz or Chase?” She laughed, and I narrowed my eyes.

She’s drunk…She’s drunk…Don’t react. It’ll only make things worse… I told myself, drawing in a deep breath and releasing it slowly.

“He always did like that little brat so much more than he ever liked me,” she continued.

It’s not hard to see why… I thought but bit my tongue.

“I knew he’d come crawling back to me when he couldn’t make it on his own. He’s nothing without me.”

“Listen, I know you’re probably going through something, so I’m going to let this go…But you probably should lay down.”

That, or I kick your ass out of my house, I thought, but couldn’t bring myself to say it. Even with everything she was spouting about people I cared about, I wasn’t comfortable with threatening people I didn’t even know.

I was raised to be hospitable and unfortunately, I assumed the temperament of the person who needed help was notwithstanding.

I would still feel kind of bad if I kicked her out and she got hit by a truck but if she kept talking, there was a possibility I’d be the one driving the truck.

“I don’t need to lay down. I’ve come here for my money and I’m gonna get it,” at this, she paused, staring at me in a malicious way. Her mouth soon coiled up, into an evil sneer as she added, “One way or another, I’m going to get what I want.”

At this, Frank returned, glaring at his ex-wife, “A thousand-dollar cab ride? Next time you have the urge to come see me, don’t! I’m done with your shit.”

“Oh, no…You’re not, Frankie…You’re stuck with me,” she hissed, and I backed away, suddenly feeling threatened by her.

“Like hell I am,” Frank insisted, “You need to get the hell out. I’ve paid for you to go home. Now, get out. I don’t owe you anything.”

Turning her head to the side, she narrowed her eyes even more, “I’m sorry…that’s not how this works, Frank. You’re going to give me my money and you’re going to pay for the inconvenience of me coming all the way out here to get it.”

“You’re crazy,” he retorted, “You’re going to get in the taxi and go home. The only thing I’m giving you is a bottle of water and Aspirin to give you a better chance of sleeping it off on the way home…Not that you deserve that much,” Frank grumbled.

“No, you’re wrong,” she stated simply, before, in a clumsy motion, she swung her head toward me, before staring pointedly back at Frank, “You’re going to give me that money…”

Instantly, Frank’s expression changed from pissed off to completely irate, “Are you threatening me?” He growled, stepping toward her, “Because if you’ve got something to say, you need to say it.”

“No,” she replied, wagging her head back and forth in a sloppy motion. “I’m not threatening you…I’m just saying, if Chase found out that you were banging his little girl…”

“That’s enough, Sasha!” Frank insisted, cutting her off and grabbing her arm, trying to get her off the couch.

“It’s only a matter of time before he puts his hands on you,” she giggled as he yanked her toward the door.

“Get the hell out!” I screamed, losing it completely. It was one thing to be drunk and say stupid things, but Sasha knew exactly what she was doing. Loss of inhibitions or completely sober, she was trying to manipulate Frank and I was done with her shit.

“No…” She exclaimed, digging her heels into the floor, trying to stop him from pushing her out.

“You’re wrong!” Frank screamed, when she wriggled enough that he had to let her go, or risk hurting her.

Sasha laughed, “Yeah, fine. Whatever. It doesn’t matter…Right, wrong, who the fuck cares? All I have to do is plant that seed in Chase’s head and…Well, bye-bye friendship,” her eyes narrowed, and she grinned widely, looking like a crazy person. “And, if you are screwing her, I can guarantee that’ll be over too.”

“Shut up!” He screamed. Yet, after a moment Frank dropped back and his voice was more pleading than irate, “Sasha, don’t do this. I’m begging you.”

“Money, or friendship…You can’t have both,” she replied, annunciating the last three words while poking Frank hard in the shoulder.

Frank’s hands balled into fists, but I cut between them, fed up with this bitch.

“Sasha, it is time for you to go. If you don’t leave right this second, I am going to call the police.”

“Ha!” Sasha yelled in my face, as Frank pulled me back, behind him. Slowly, her eyes moved up to meet his and she replied, “You never were one to fight your own battles. You’d much rather a woman do it for you.” She snickered, “I’m okay with a cat fight, but it’s gonna have to go down another day. I’ve got to get to my hotel. You’ve got about a day to figure out what to do.”

With that, Sasha finally left, practically stumbling off the porch and staggering into the taxi cab.

 

Chapter 8: Frank

My mind was racing.

Standing there, after everything had happened, I couldn’t believe that I was caught up in the middle of all this.

“Shit,” I muttered, finally, after maintaining my silence for the better part of five solid minutes.

“It’s okay,” Darla exclaimed, rushing after me when I turned toward the couch. “We’ll figure this out.”

Half ignoring her, I slammed myself down on the couch and buried my head in my hands. As I squeezed my eyes shut, I felt Darla’s hand on my back, trying to comfort me.

I felt sick and shrugged her off. Standing up I started to pace.

“I have to pay her,” I finally decided, dragging my hand over my face, contemplating how I would be able to get the funds together in such a short amount of time.

“No!” Darla explained, this time speaking up with conviction. Slightly startled by her reaction, I turned around and to stare at her. “No,” she repeated, shaking her head adamantly, “You are not doing that, Frank. I’m sorry.”

“But Darla, I can afford it. It’s a shitty thing to do, but it isn’t going to put me out in the street.”

“I don’t care. If she gets away with it this time, what’s to stop her from demanding more next year? Next month? Or, hell, when you bring her the money tomorrow?”

“She wouldn’t do that,” I answered hastily, only for my optimism to be shot down within second.

“Did you think she was going to threaten you?” I demanded, “Or me?”

Realizing that she had made an unfortunately good point, I sighed, “Fair enough…but I don’t think she has the guts to do something like that.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she replied earnestly, staring at me seriously, “You can’t give her anything, or she will always have the option to demand more. You’re going to be stuck in a loop of never-ending debt to her.”

I felt my teeth clench as I glowered at the door as I weighed my options. Finally, I looked back at Darla and asked, “Okay, so then what do you think we should do?”

Darla thought for a moment, before she sighed and replied, “We have two options. One, we could tell my parents ourselves and explain our side of the story…or, we could call her bluff and deal with the consequences.”

“Either way, there will be consequences, for both of us,” I answered, still trying to work through my plan.

“When we started this, we knew there would be consequences, eventually,” she replied, in an even voice. It seemed strange to me how calm she was. I would’ve thought she’d be coming unhinged by now. However, she seemed to be the one with the level head.

“There is one other option…” I stared at her for a response but when nothing was given, I added, “I’ll tell your parents that I coaxed you into it or…”

“Eww! No! Don’t insult me like that!” Darla replied, now becoming heated and sounding hurt.

“What do you mean? That gets you off the hook and…”

“And possibly gets you thrown in jail, or worse. No! We agreed to do this, together and whatever happens, we’re going to stick together.”

With that, she grabbed my hand, as a show of her commitment.

“No,” I replied, yanking my hand out of her grasp, “I don’t think you understand the gravity of all this.”

“I don’t think you get that we’re both adults,” she hissed, narrowing her eyes at me with an intense amount of anger. “Do you think you did something wrong? Do you regret what you did?”

“No, I want to be with you.”

Again, she grabbed my hand and pulled it toward her, “Then, be with me, dammit!”

Her eyes glistened with rage and her cheeks again grew red, but this time from anger and aggravation.

Despite how screwed we were, I couldn’t believe how sexy she was and how much I still wanted her.

“I want to be with you, but I want to protect you.”

“I’m not a little girl, Frank.”

“I know that,” I answered, heatedly, tearing my hand out of hers again and retreating upstairs to think.

Darla followed me, and I tried to get away from her by closing the door behind me, but she caught it with her hand and shoved it back open.

“Please don’t walk away from me,” she replied.

“I just need a moment to think. I wasn’t trying to walk away from you,” I grumbled, throwing myself on the bed and covering my eyes with my hand. “Christ, how did we get into this mess.”

“Okay, well,” she replied, sitting at the foot of the bed, “Let’s pretend, that we never did anything. Would you still feel this way?”

“What way, exactly?”

“Either. Both,” she replied, realizing there were two distinct questions. “First, would you still feel terrible?”

“Well, I wouldn’t have to decide whether or not I was going to lie,” I responded honestly.

“Yeah, but one of the few well-thought, out things she said was true. Unfortunately, the threat is valid whether we did it or not.”

“No, it’s definitely worse that we did it,” I retorted, feeling slightly annoyed by her questions.

“Okay, but you agree that it wouldn’t matter all that much, at least initially.”

I shrugged, without removing my arm from over my eyes.

“Sure, I suppose so,” I sighed.

“So, you would still feel horrible, whether we did anything or not. Now, the only thing that we can do is figure out where to go from here.”

“Sure,” I answered again.

“Which brings me to my next question; Would you still want to do something?”

At this, I stopped my grumbling and sat up, staring intently at her before answering.

“It’s a simple question.”

“Yes,” I replied finally.

“Yes?”

“Yes, I would still want to do something, which is probably, partially why I would still feel guilty,” I turned toward her, trying to impress the seriousness of my response. “Darla, I don’t know what this is, but from the second I met you, I wanted to know you…I have never felt this way about anyone before. I didn’t even realize that I could feel this way about someone. I swear.”

Looking at her, I slid into imagining how easy it was to get lost in her gaze. I grinned, drawing strength from her presence.

Darla didn’t speak, which I thought was slightly strange, considering I wanted to have some assurance that she felt similarly. However, she did place her hand on top of mine, squeezing it lightly, trying to show her support.

“So, what about you?” I finally asked, needing more than a squeeze of the hand to assure me everything was going to be alright.

“What about me?” She asked, her eyes raising with ease, sincerity, and even a little bit of teasing.

“What would you be thinking? Would you still want me?”

“Of course,” she responded, without delay. I must’ve thought her reaction was strange, though, because she quickly continued her statement, “I know what we did, Frank. I was aware of what we were doing, what I was doing, long before we started. I dreamt about you. I’m not a crazy person, Frank. I’ve never had such a connection with anyone either. I had no idea I was going to feel the way I do about you. I would like to continue to explore it too,” she stopped to grin at me, before she continued, “And just so you know, I would do it again in a second.”

“You would?” I inquired, instinctively growing closer to her. I grinned at her, reaching for her. I felt her skin, soft and warm under my fingertips. Her face was so perfect, and her lips called to me.

I grew closer to her and tilted my head carefully.

Darla grinned, invitingly, easing closer to me, until our lips touched.

The taste of her was sweet, salacious, and erotic.

Immediately, I felt my body pulse with excitement. The amount to which I needed this was exponential.

“When are your parents coming home?” I asked within a breath in the moment that we broke away.

“We have time,” Darla exclaimed, pulling me closer to her, as she started to remove her shirt.

Within moments of our decision, Darla was completely naked, while I savored every kiss down the front of her spectacular body.

My mouth, tongue, and touch scoured her flawless, alabaster skin, mesmerizing every curve, freckle, and crevice that I encountered.

Her skin was so comely, so inviting, and so pure, while her breasts were even more voluptuous than had imagined.

I was wrong, the shirts she was wearing did little to flatter her; easily sifting over the most important attributes. The shape of her breasts, the size, and the scent were memorizing, while the pink, blossoming beads that hardened in my touch were seductive and intensely feminine.

Darla was the perfect blend between inviting innocence and torturous provocation.

As my lips trailed down, my hands carefully spread her legs apart, while my face buried inside her beautifully endowed flower; which was ripened and ready for me to pluck.

Feeling me against, her in such a sensitive spot caused Darla to writhe with a shock of arousal and yell out.

Instinctively, I grasped her legs and thrust my tongue inside of her, showing her already moistened womanliness exactly what pleasures, I could bestow upon her.

Darla screamed, grasping the sheets on either side of her and thrusting her head back into the pillow, barely able to contain herself.

After giving her a moment to calm herself, I flicked her clitoris, causing her pelvis to jump and her to whine with tormented pleasure. I kissed her, suckling on her, until I felt it was appropriate to thrust my tongue deep inside her again and without pausing, I started to move it in a circular motion, which only added to Darla’s outburst of arousal.

“Oh…Oh…” she cried, nearly thrashing back and forth, unable to contain herself. “Yes, Frank…Yes…Yes…”

I stifled a laugh, as the sound of her desire caused my own body to react.

Soon enough, we were both close to climaxing and so, I pulled myself out of her, and repositioned myself on top of her.

Using the sultry arousal that I had cultivated during our foreplay, I easily inserted myself inside of her and started to move back and forth, while she grabbed my arm and eased into the motion that I directed.

It didn’t take long after that. Following a few dedicated thrusts, the two of us were transported into the oasis of erotic rejuvenation.

 

Chapter 9: Darla

When we were finished, I rolled over, easily folding into his arms. He was so warm, so sensual; even without trying to.

It was so strange to me, that the two of us could lay there, simply holding one another, without speaking, and it seemed so natural.

I had never experienced anything like this with anyone else.

I never wanted this moment to end.

Alas, when we heard my mother come home, Frank leapt out of the bed. He gathered up his clothes and ran into the room down the hall, carefully shutting the door to get dressed again.

“Hi, Mom!” I called, trying my best to sound normal.

“Hi, sweetie…How was your day?” My mother called back, and I walked out of my room and down the stairs to meet her, hopefully giving Frank more time to get ready.

“My day was good. I just hung around…I didn’t do much,” I answered in a strange voice, realizing that my deception game needed a major upgrade if it was going to fool anyone.

“Really? You didn’t do anything? That doesn’t sound like you,” my mother answered with a grin and I felt my stomach drop.

I knew that I was simply guilty, so I shoved the absurd idea that she knew anything out of my head, trying to think of a more natural response.

“Well, it’s kinda hard to do anything with a strange man in the house,” I replied.

“What do you mean?” My mother laughed, “You don’t walk around naked when we’re not home or something, right?”

I wondered if my cheeks were as red as they felt. Although, I forced myself to laugh it off as I insisted, “Wow, Mom…Um, no.”

“You know what, I don’t even want to know if you do,” she replied in a teasing manner as she carelessly shuffled through the mail. “Where is Frank, anyway?”

“I don’t know. He’s probably taking a nap, or something,” I answered, with the first thought I had spilling out.

At this, my mom looked up from the mail, staring at me with a strange expression. “Darla, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, never better,” I insisted, “How was work?”

“Fine,” she answered suspiciously.

“I’m just…bored, you know?” I replied, shrugging my shoulders, as if it was simply a normal day.

Unfortunately, that only made her more suspicious, because I rarely ever got bored. I was a homebody, without many friends. I preferred solitude and yet, when I had my fill of it, I was claiming to be bored? I knew it wasn’t me, but neither was lying.

My mom looked as though she was about to comment on something, but eventually decided against it, just shaking her head.

Thankfully, Frank came down the stairs and started to monopolize the conversation. I tried to pretend I wasn’t hanging on his every word.

“I have a question,” my mother told Frank, after the two had exchanged greetings. “Sasha didn’t come by here, right?”

“No,” Frank insisted quickly, while I tried not to get sick. “Why would you ask that? I thought she was at home…Her home. Why would she be here?”

Apparently, Frank was no better at lying, at least to my mother, then I was.

Again, my mother looked suspicious, but this time, she was looking between the two of us. Yet, before she said anything about her thoughts, she shook her head again and continued with her thought, “It’s just so weird. I could’ve sworn I saw Sasha get out of a taxi on my lunch break. She was going into a hotel.”

“Yeah, that is strange,” Frank answered, shaking his head, “I have no idea why she would be here. She’s weird.”

My mom locked her eyes onto her friend and stepped toward him, “Frank, you wouldn’t be lying to me, now would you?”

“No,” he replied, a little too quickly for her, “Why would I lie about that?”

“Frank, come on,” my mother hissed, “Are you okay? Is there something that I should know about? I mean, I have a right to know whose been in my house, don’t I?”

“Of course, you do,” he replied easily, though I felt the need to step in.

“Wait…Was that crazy lady Sasha?” I inquired, having my mother turn her attention to me and Frank glared at me with appalled eyes.

I tried to reassure him hastily, without drawing attention. Yet, I wasn’t sure he had gotten the message, so I continued to talk to my mother, “Yeah. She came here all strung out. I don’t know if she was drunk, or what, but she was crazy.”

“Are you okay?” My mom suddenly sounded concerned.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I insisted, “She didn’t come in, or anything. She asked if Frank was here and I told her no. He was upstairs, so he didn’t know anyone was here. She cursed at me and slurred her words for a while, but eventually, she got back in her taxi and drove away.”

“Thank you, Darla, but I wish you’d have told me that,” Frank insisted, embedding himself back in the conversation and I hoped to God he wasn’t about to screw it up.

I thought I was mitigating our lie well. I figured if we could discredit her, then anything she says, would be looked at as a desperate act from a crazy old woman who didn’t know what she had until she lost it.

“Okay, well…obviously she intends to stick around, at least for the night. So, I’m sorry Frank, but I don’t want her anywhere near this house.”

Frank snickered, “No apology necessary, Amy. If I never saw my ex-wife again, it would still be too damn soon.”

“Okay, well, can we agree that if we ever see her here again, we’ll call the police?”

We both agreed, which seemed to help lessen my mother’s fear.

I had a few questions, but I wasn’t about to argue. She believed us and thought that she had gotten the secret out of us; that was currently all I cared about.

Eventually, my mother left the kitchen, which left us alone in the room.

I finally breathed a true sigh of relief.

“We can’t go on like this, Darla,” I heard Frank whisper to me.

“I told you what I wanted to do…” I insisted, grabbing his hand and giving it a tender, supportive squeeze.

 

Chapter 10: Frank

After the close call with Amy, I felt that it would be even harder to keep Chase in the dark. Besides the realization that neither of us were good at lying, I lamented it, but knew that Darla was right.

We had a basic idea of what needed to be done and while I wasn’t the least bit interested in coming clean, I knew that it was probably our only option.

Even if Darla had succeeded in making Sasha seem crazy, she was right when she expressed that it wouldn’t matter. Any doubt would start to whittle away at our relationship.

Darla’s parents would watch us more closely, simply to ensure that their initial reaction was correct.

I wondered if they could also sense the chemistry between us and if that would end up working against us in the end.

Realistically, though, it didn’t matter. I needed to come clean to Chase, because the truth was, if it was possible, I wanted to have a relationship with Darla.

I didn’t want to give her up; not when she had just come into my life.

So, I waited until after dinner. I knew that it was going to be a terrible conversation, regardless of how it ultimately turned out and therefore, I figured it was better to start something like this on a full stomach.

“Dinner was delicious, Amy,” I told her as she started to clear the table.

“Thank you, Frank,” Amy replied, grinning at me, which made my stomach recoil. I wanted to savor this moment, in case I never was able to share in it again. However, the guilt I felt and the worry over what I was about to say consumed me, ruining the moment.

I was silent until Amy returned and I glanced over at Darla, who shook her head in agreement.

“Um, pardon me, Amy…” I expressed, lightly gracing her hand with mine, when she went to pick up another bowl. She stopped abruptly and pulled her hand back, staring at me, confused. “I have something I need to tell you…”

“Okay…” she answered, sitting back down and staring at me intently.

“Is everything okay?” Chase asked, causing me to wish that Darla was sitting closer to me.

For as much as her supportive handholding had seemed pointless previously, I could’ve sure used the feel of her touch to help me now.

Regardless, I took solace and strength from her expression, waiting to figure out when she should join the conversation.

“Yes,” I answered, not wanting to worry them unnecessarily. I clasped my hands in front of me and grinned slightly, choosing my words carefully. “By that, I mean that everyone is alright, and no one got hurt, but there is something pressing that I’m afraid I have to get off my chest.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched as Darla tried to stand, with the intention to come support me, but I held my hand out, trying to be casual about the whole thing, “Please…Thank you, I’m fine,” I assured.

Darla nodded and sat back down while her parents looked between us, wondering what was going on.

“Amy,” I said to regain the attention of both Chase and Amy, “I’m afraid I wasn’t completely honest with you this afternoon.”

“Okay…” Amy insisted in a flat, yet slightly suspicious voice, “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, Darla wasn’t completely honest, I guess, but it was only because of me.”

“That’s not true,” Darla insisted, think that I was ditching our plan. I stared at her hard, desperately trying to explain to her that I wasn’t; that she too should hear me out before intervening.

“What is going on, Frank?” Chase demanded; his easygoing disposition dissipating as he looked from me, to Darla, to his wife.

“I’m sorry,” I insisted, “Sasha was here this morning. She was drunk off her ass.”

“She was here?” Chase demanded, his eyes alight with fury already.

“Yes, but I didn’t invite her. She just showed up.”

“I thought you two were divorced,” Chase spat.

“We are. I didn’t want her here. In fact, most of the reason I’m moving here to begin with is to get away from her. She told me that she needed money and I refused to give it to her. So, she told me that I would be sorry. She tried to hold something over my head, threaten me.”

“She’s good for that,” Chase muttered, crossing his arms over his chest, “Well, what is it? Is there any merit to it?”

“Well,” I replied, feeling my throat get dry. Yet, this time, it wasn’t from anything more than fear.

“The bitch said that she was going to tell you guys that Frank and I were sleeping with one another,” Darla exclaimed, tired of keeping quiet.

“What?” Amy exclaimed, laughing as she looked from me to her daughter. “I think she’s going to have to turn the clock back a few decades for that threat to…”

Even though Amy found this all hilarious, Chase wasn’t so amused.

“Wait,” he boomed, stopping his wife mid-sentence, causing her to stare at him absurdly.

“Chase, you don’t seriously believe that, do you?”

“I don’t know,” he replied seriously, looking from me to Darla, “Should I?”

The moment of truth, I thought, though I couldn’t bring myself to either confirm or deny it.

Darla didn’t speak either.

“It is true,” Chase exclaimed, outraged.

“Dad, wait!” Darla replied desperately as Chase stood up, his eyes locked on me.

“Chase, please…We didn’t mean to…”

“Oh, I know Darla didn’t mean to, but you!” He screamed, throwing himself around the table and getting in my face with magnificent speed.

“Dad!” Darla screamed.

“Chase!” Amy called.

“No!” He yelled back at the two of them, before returning his attention to me, “How dare you?”

“Dad, wait!” Darla exclaimed, getting between her father and myself.

“What?” Chase snarled.

“It wasn’t his fault. We have a connection.”

“Bullshit!” Chase retorted angrily.

“It’s true!” I seconded her, “I’ve never met anyone like Darla before, Chase.”

“And I’ve never felt anything for anyone like I feel for Frank,” she replied, grabbing my hand again.

Instantly, the feel of her touch was calming to me.

“How the hell would you know? You haven’t known him more than a day,” Chase screamed at Darla before returning his attention back to me. “And you! Have you always felt this way?”

“No, Chase, I swear.”

“I’m a grown woman, Dad! I’m eighteen. I know what I’m doing and what makes me happy. I can think for myself and I know how I feel!” Darla answered earnestly, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible. “I’m not telling you I love him. I’m just telling you that I want to see where this goes.”

“Not while you’re under my roof, you’re not!”

“Fine! Then, I don’t want to be under your roof!” Darla answered, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Please, Chase…Calm down,” Amy exclaimed, taking his arm, but he shrugged her off.

“No! Don’t tell me to calm down! Do you realize what’s going on, here?”

“Yes, but screaming at two grown adults isn’t going to solve the problem,” Amy insisted, simply trying to diffuse the situation before it spiraled out of control.

“You know what? Fine!” Chase exclaimed, “She’s right. You are two grown adults. I can’t tell you what is right and wrong, so if you want to go fuck, you’re more than welcome! Just don’t do it in my goddamn house!”

“Dad! It’s not like that,” Darla insisted, but Chase was done.

“Get out! Both of you!”

“Chase, really…” Amy replied, trying to calm him once again, but it didn’t work.

“Chase, I’m sorry for upsetting you, but I can’t apologize for the way I feel about Darla.”

“Then, you can get the fuck out!” Chase screamed again, pointing toward the door.

 

Chapter 11: Darla

Frank and I were abundantly quiet as we climbed into his car. I felt sick to my stomach. Although, as angry as my father was, I couldn’t say I felt ashamed.

I was simply angry and hurt, that we didn’t even get a chance to explain ourselves; they simply wrote us off and then, my father just kicked us out.

I wasn’t sure where we were going, but presently, I was happy simply to be away from my father.

My mom was willing to listen at least, though I didn’t think she would’ve been any more understanding about the situation; though I do believe she would’ve gone about it differently.

“You know, you didn’t deserve that,” I told Frank eventually. “After everything you’ve done for my father, all the help you gave him, throughout his life, that he’s told me about, he should’ve at least had enough respect for you to hear you out.”

“Yes, well, you have to look at it from his perspective too. We knew he wasn’t going to be happy about it, but at least Sasha can’t hold anything over my head any longer.”

“And, at least we’re together,” I offered, grinning up at him and sliding my hand seductively over his leg.

Immediately, his eyes shifted toward me and I felt him twitch slightly with arousal and surprise.

“Oh, really? Does this kind of stuff turn you on?” He asked me.

“No, you turn me on,” I answered earnestly, feeling somewhat freed to be able to say that aloud.

His chuckle came from deep within the back of his throat.

“So, where do we go from here?” Frank asked me, and I was feeling naughty, so I responded in the most freeing way possible.

“Anywhere that’s private,” I replied with a cheeky expression, “Or not so private. I’m not picky.”

“That’s not what I mean, Love,” he answered his accent thickening with the tail of his comment, “I mean, what should we do about us, about your parents…Everything.”

“Honestly? I think we should wait for it to all shake out. Fortunately, Sasha is out of the picture. Telling my parents completely screwed up her plan, so now, I think we should simply wait. I mean, I want to see where this goes with us. I think we have something, but we’ve got to explore it to be sure. So, let’s use this time to explore,” I grinned as my hand easily rode up his pant-leg, closer to his manhood.

I watched Frank swallow hard, but otherwise, he didn’t acknowledge my tease.

“I feel the same,” he assured me, “But I feel bad about your parents.”

“Well, if we continued to see one another, they were bound to find out anyway. I think it was best that they figured it out sooner rather than later. This will give us time to decide what we want, and it will give them time to settle down.”

“Yes,” he added carefully, “It’s just that, I’ve been friends with your father for a long time. I helped raise him, in a lot of ways and when Sasha came around, it tore us apart.” He looked at me in earnest, with his eyes wide, before refocusing on the road, “I just don’t want that to happen again. Your parents mean a lot to me.”

“And you mean a lot to them,” I assured him, feeling somewhat disjointed, though I knew I had no right to feel that way. “If you want, take me home and beg my father to forgive you, but if you trust me, even a little, give them some time to get used to the idea, just the same as we are.” I stared at him seriously while he continued to drive, “Do you think I meant for all of this to happen?”

“Well, no…” Frank replied with sincerity, “I didn’t mean for it to happen either.”

“But it did and now, we have to figure out what’s right for us. If we’re meant to be, things will work out, but if we’re not, it’s been fun,” I grinned brightly, teasingly, hoping to God I wouldn’t have to use that to cheer me up one day.

The truth was, I was upset with what had happened at my parents’ house too, but I knew I couldn’t dwell on it. I needed to get over it and move on. I hoped that in doing that, my parents would eventually be able to move on as well.

Perhaps, they might even understand.

Although, neither one of them ever truly understood me, so perhaps it was unfair of me to believe that either of them would start now.

Eventually, we settled into a hotel room. It was a nice hotel, but neither one of us cared about where we were. All that we cared about was that we were together.

After checking in and getting to our room, Frank closed the door and looked at me with a strange expression.

“Well,” he grinned, “We’re alone.”

“And, we don’t have to worry about anyone finding us anymore,” I answered, “And, since my parents know way more than they really should, you’re free from your ex-wife.”

“I am…” He insisted, nodding his head slightly.

As he spoke, I felt a buzz of excitement and allure thrust through me. I laughed as I ran toward him, backing him against the bed.

I felt his arms easily wind around me as we both fell back onto the bed. I giggled, as my legs instinctively wrapped around his pelvis.

When we stopped moving, I was on top of him, with my legs spread wide, while his excited manhood throbbed against the fabric of my underwear.

I reached down and kissed him gently, while my hands pressed against his chest. Running my palms up and down his fresh shirt, I felt a tingling that ran from my hands up, through my breasts, enticing me.

The taste of him was magnificent and the feeling of his beard against my face was now a welcomed pleasure, adding to the intensity of my arousal.

Our tongues intertwined with romantic intentions as I felt Frank’s hands travel up and down the side of me, before easing his way underneath my shirt.

At the same time, my hands started to unbutton his shirt. Once it was open enough, I pressed my hands against his warm skin and easily drug my nails down his chest, which I felt his muscles react to.

For a man so slim, his muscles were taught and acutely defined. The muscles of his chest roped together and weaved down, into an easy transition to his washboard abs.

It was again, that the perfection I saw in him gave me pause.

I eased my head back, as my eyes glazed over his upper-body with a ravenous, intense desire.

His eyes eventually connected with mine, but before he could say anything, I dipped down and immersed him in another consuming kiss, while I worked on undoing his pants.

I felt him thrust and grind against my hands in a naughty fashion, before I was able to free him from his societal tatters.

Once I did, however, I grasped his manhood in my hands, the warmth and pulsing power of it causing a shudder of anticipation to rattle through my womanliness.

I moaned, releasing him, as my pelvis eased me over him. His horniness was obvious and as his hands started to run up and down my thighs, I knew that he was already aching to get inside of me.

In one swift motion, Frank’s fingers curled around my underwear and slid it off, so that my moist sheath of downy hair pressed organically against his pulsing manhood.

Feeling the pressure of his unbridled arousal, I groaned, moving back and forth, over him, growing wetter with each pump.

As I moved, Frank’s hands fit securely against my thighs, easing me back and forth, until eventually, I had no other choice but the natural reaction to take him inside of me.

I groaned as he penetrated me, thrusting deep inside of me, filling my bodice completely.

As he did this, his hands curved around my body, grasping my buttocks and squeezing it with tenacity.

I felt my spine straighten, as I backed away, helping his massive member to glide deeper inside of me.

When I completely consumed him, I reared back, before thrusting down upon him again, beginning the rhythm of our lovemaking tempo.

The ebb and flow of our pulse was as fluid as a raging sea current, thrusting and crashing, before easily pulling back, only to quickly heighten the persistent speed of our motion once again.

This buildup of erotic progression thrummed back and forth, until finally, with one amazingly solid thrust, I felt the explosion of Frank’s love inside of me and my body reacted; hard and fast.

Almost without warning, I was thrust into another dimension of pleasure; as the eruption of emotion washed over me with an all-consuming power.

I yelled out, grasping my lover with a certain desperation only found in such a moment of both extreme vulnerability and extreme power.

I never wanted this moment to end.

However, eventually, our mutual climax started on it’s downward slope, until eventually, we were finished.

Once we came to that conclusion, we laid in the bed, snuggled up together and I thought about everything that had happened today.

It certainly was a busy day.

When I woke up this morning, I didn’t think that it would end the way it did, even with my urges and dreams fueling my actions.

In fact, I was sure I would chicken out. For, as much as I wanted Frank, this was a whole new me that I was just starting to discover.

So, to find myself lying next to Frank, in a hotel room, after such a day of altercation and awakening, I felt strange. It wasn’t a bad feeling, by any means, but it was odd.

I felt empowered, though I also felt that perhaps, there were some things I could’ve done better; differently.

I didn’t want to write my parents off, after all. I wanted to be able mend the shattered trust that, admittedly, Frank and I had brought on ourselves.

Yet, I didn’t know how to go about that.

Obviously, it made sense for me to wait a little while, since I didn’t want to return to a screaming match. I needed them to understand and I knew that the only way I would even have a chance of making that happen was if I was to give them some time to process everything that had happened.

After all, I still needed some time to process it. My mind was reeling. I didn’t feel ashamed, because this was what I wanted. I was comfortable with Frank. He was someone I had feared never existed. In fact, Frank exceeded the expectations I had of anyone filling the role of my significant other.

Until Frank, I had no idea who would be the type of person that attracted me and now, he was all I thought about.

It was interesting and slightly scary how in a matter of days, Frank had gone from meaning nothing to me to meaning absolutely everything.

At that point, I decided that this must be what it felt like to be in love, but I was still highly suspicious of the feeling. After all, I considered myself a logical person and despite the manner which my father presented his case, he wasn’t wrong.

Frank and I had only just met, but could that simply mean that we were a case of love at first sight?

I usually didn’t believe in such dramatic, fairytale-type nuances, but that was the most logical way to explain the way I was feeling.

“Darla?” Frank called to me in the darkness of our hotel room; his voice a husky whisper.

“Yes?” I craned my neck toward him, though I still could only make out a shadow of his profile.

“What do you want to do with your life?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your mother insisted that you were always busy, that for you to be bored was generally not a normal trait for you. What do you do with your free time?”

“I research,” I replied earnestly, “I want to become a microbiologist and recently, I’ve been studying for the pre-qualification test. If I do well, I can earn credits, so that I have less general school and more of the classes that prepare me for my major.”

“Wow…That’s interesting. What school do you want to attend?”

“University of Washington,” I answered, “It’s not the highest-ranking school, but it’s close to home and has a lot of great opportunities for jobs.”

“Interesting,” he replied, “I have a friend who might be able to get you into a personal interview if…”

“No,” I hissed sternly, now turning toward him and narrowing my eyes, though I was certain he couldn’t make out my expression, since I was unable to see his. Although, from the turn of the head I did see, I presumed that he was shocked by my reaction. “I’m not seeing you because of that. I will get my school through my own merit.”

“You realize, it’s all about who you know, right?” He answered, sounding slightly taken aback that I was so quick to dismiss his help.

“Yes, but I’ve been doing fine on my own. I would appreciate it if you allow me to do this on my own merit,” I insisted, but realizing how I must sound, I eventually softened my voice, “Frank, I want to get to know you. This, us…whatever is happening here is all extremely new to me and I’m still wrapping my head around it. I would rather get to know you and see if this is real. I’m not interested in anything but you. I don’t care about your contacts, your money, or anything else, other than trying to figure out what the hell this is that’s going on between us.”

When I was finished, I stared intently at his shadow, trying to decipher what he was going to say.

“I’m okay with that,” he finally replied, leaning down and kissing me softly, before drawing back and resting his head on the pillow.

After this, I settled down as well and lulled myself to sleep, confident that I had made the right decision.

The next morning, I received a call from my mother.

My heart sank when I saw who it was, but there was still a part of me that wanted to talk to her.

After all, I wasn’t the one who was angry with them. They were the ones who were blowing this whole thing out of proportion.

The only hesitation I had was because I didn’t want to get yelled at.

However, I soon realized that it was much better to answer and get yelled at, than to have them think I was ignoring them; or worse, that something had happened to me.

So, trying not to audibly cringe, I answered the phone.

“Darla?” My mother answered, sounding somewhat relieved, “How are you doing?”

“I’m fine,” I replied easily.

“Where are you?”

“We got a hotel for the night. It’s not far from you.”

“Darla, are you sure you want to do this? Is this your choice, baby girl?”

I tried to hide the distain in my voice as I expressed, “Yes, Mom. This is what I want. I’m not a child anymore. I know what I’m doing. In fact, I was the one who initiated it.”

“Darla, that is so unlike you,” my mother insisted.

“I know,” I replied, feeling a quick surge of excitement. “It’s great!”

“Okay, well, can we talk?”

“Is Dad going to be there?”

“Yes, the four of us need to sit down and discuss this.”

“I agree, but I don’t want it to turn into a shouting match,” I insisted. “That won’t solve anything.”

“I agree,” she replied.

“Alright, then…We’ll be at your house in an hour,” I replied and hung up the phone, realizing that I had completely accepted that my parents’ house was no longer my house.

In that moment, I wondered how much more was going to change from there.

However, ignoring all of that, I woke Frank up and we got ready to return to my parents’ house.

When we got there, I was nervous, but Frank assured me that everything was going to be alright.

My mother let us in and it was an extremely awkward experience.

We didn’t say much when we walked in, but there was a thick air that was looming throughout the house.

It was unsettling; nothing like what I had grown accustomed to in my house.

The idea that I was responsible for this change made me angry and sad.

My mother led us into the living room, where my father was already situated. He looked tired, as if he didn’t get any sleep the night before.

“Hello, Chase,” Frank said in a serious tone, walking toward him in earnest and putting out his hand. “I’m sorry for causing so much trouble. It was never my intention.”

My father glowered up at Frank, ignoring his outstretched hand, as his lip coiled with disgust.

“Please, I want to work this out,” Frank tried again, “Please know that, whatever happens between Darla and I, I will always treat her well. She will always be taken care of…and we both want you in our lives…Regardless of the outcome of the relationship that has blossomed between us.”

Finally, my father stood, yet ignored Frank once again. Instead, he turned his attention to me.

“Darla, are you happy?” He asked sternly, staring me right in the eye.

“Yes, I am. Frank makes me happy.”

He nodded, returning his attention to Frank, “You know, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but things will never be the same after this. Even if you two never saw one another again, the relationship we had is over. However,” he insisted, without giving either one of us a chance to protest. “If Darla is happy, there’s not much else I can do. I will never forgive you, but I will not deny my daughter’s happiness, and I am not going to lose the relationship I have with her, because you decided to pop back into our life. When you leave again, I’ll be there to pick up the pieces, to encourage her to leave you in the past, but until then, I’m not going to be foolish enough to try to come between you.”

“I hope, in time, you’ll see that my staying away was due to unforeseen circumstances and had nothing to do with you. It was my ex-wife.”

“Yeah, well, I hope you’ve learned your lesson, but I doubt it.”

With that, my father walked away, into another part of the house and eventually, we left.

I knew that this was going to be a slow-healing wound, but I was pleased to know that at least, we had started the process.

 

Chapter 12: Frank

One Year Later

I was far more nervous than I had ever been in my entire life. My stomach constantly felt like it was going to betray me, and I was absolutely terrified at the thought. Each time I had to settle it, the reoccurring nightmare of me being unable to control myself loomed. It was horrible.

However, for being the most important day of my life, I certainly felt far more nervous than I thought I would have.

So much had transpired throughout the past year. I was happier than ever, but with all the potential pitfalls, leading to this moment in time, all I could think about was how it could all come crashing down around me.

I never thought this would be so difficult. It never was before, but then again, I never cared quite so much either. There was never so much at stake.

If someone had ruined any of my other relationships, even when they were at their peak, I wouldn’t have been devastated. It would’ve hurt, but no more than a normal broken heart. It would’ve healed and even at the time, I knew this. I was okay with this.

In a way, though, I would never admit it, I liked it that way. With nothing more than a breakup to lose, life was easy.

Of course, I had tried to make it work, but when it didn’t, I could move on, pressing forward without so much as a second thought.

However, if someone were to even attempt to ruin this day, or the relationship Darla and I built, I would never forgive them.

I wanted everything to be perfect for her. For me, everything was already perfect. I knew this meant a lot to Darla, though, so I was going to do everything in my power to make this day the best she had ever experienced. I knew that giving her everything she deserved was impossible, but dammit, I was going to try.

If I ever lost her, I would be shattered. Destroyed isn’t even close to the devastation and irreconcilable pain I would be subject to.

Therefore, I had to do everything in my power to love her and treat her in a way that made her continue to want to be with me.

I had made a lot of mistakes in my life, but I was sure that falling in love with Darla was not one of them. I knew exactly what I wanted, and I hoped she felt the same. I needed her in my life. I hadn’t truly lived in a long while, until I first set my gaze upon her.

Darla rejuvenated me and continues to breathe new life into me daily. She is my one true love.

I wish that we could’ve been together longer, but I was thankful for every moment that we’ve shared and every second we have yet to share.

I thought about all of this as the music started and everyone turned around in their seats, to watch the bridal party start their march.

Holding my breath, I knew this was the moment of truth; of clarity and of truth.

I swallowed hard again, looking between the people in the congregation to the door. I watched as the women Darla had asked to be in her bridal party sauntered down the aisle. The procession was either too slow or too fast. I couldn’t quite decide.

As eager as I was to see my beautiful bride to be, I knew that once I saw her, everything was officially set into motion.

I was excited for this, as I didn’t have any doubts about our union. However, I was afraid that someone might be.

Just enjoy your day. You can’t control everyone. I told myself as the Maid of Honor walked down to her assigned spot. The flower girl proceeded and a few seconds after, an angel appeared.

Darla looked exquisite. She was so excited, I could see it written all over her face. Her dress was gorgeous; not at all her normal style but complimented her all the same.

Her white dress was lacy and curved down, into a deep, yet flattering neckline that came together at her bosom. The sleeves of the dress eased down her arms, coming to a point at the end of each hand. Her dress was long and flowy at the bottom, but not overly extravagant. Her veil was woven into her hair, which was eloquently pinned up, with bluish-black curls coiling down in exactly the right spot.

Although, despite her obvious elation, I could tell she was nervous by the way she held her bouquet.

However, seeing me, she relaxed.

I felt the same wave of relaxation wash over myself, upon taking in the magnificence of her presence.

She was here, I was here, and we were about to do something I had sworn I would never do again; though I was all too happy to do it today.

Chase and I had created a completely different dynamic, since all of this was revealed. That day at the house was the start of it all.

He had sworn before that, he would never forgive me for what I’d done but now, while I knew things would never be the same, he and I had rebuilt something of a relationship.

The dynamic as different, but it wasn’t a bad relationship. He had accepted how I felt about his daughter quite well and, true to his word, he had allowed Darla to choose her own path and to find her own happiness. I believed I had shown him that I made her happy and that was why he hadn’t killed me, which was where we were at, presently.

However, every day, I felt an improvement and hoped that one day, he may not wish to kill me.

It was a work in progress, surely; though it was work that I was more than willing to put in.

I would do anything for Darla.

Today, Chase seemed to be in good spirits. His expression was that of pride, which was encouraging to me.

When the two finally made it down the aisle, they stopped. Darla leaned over to her father and kissed him on the cheek. Then, Chase turned to me, with a stern look in his eye.

Yet, to my surprise, he put his hand out and I shook it, before Darla joined me on the altar.

Taking her hand, in that moment, I was finally certain that nothing could come between us. This marriage was the gateway into our new life. It was everything I had ever wanted it to be and so much more. I wouldn’t trade this moment for the world.

For the first time, I felt completely ready, to abandon my old self and create something wonderful, something as beautiful as Darla, with the time we had together.

I was ready to become the man I was always meant to become, with Darla, my wife by my side.