I start over to the refrigerator and pull out two beers from a side shelf. Turning on my heel, I raise one up toward Mel.

She nods her approval and takes a seat on a stool by the kitchen worktop.

Popping the caps off each bottle with my bare hands, I walk over to join her. “Need a glass?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

I pass her a beer and neck back a large swing of my own, my lips smacking together when I’m done.

“Hard work chasing after a five year old?” she asks, taking a smaller swig from her beer.

“Hard work . . . but great work. That little mite certainly keeps me feeling young.”

“Aw, he’s a sweetie.”

“Thanks.”

I round the countertop and take a seat next to Mel. Her cheeks glow a bright pink. “Thank you for today.”

Her eyes meet mine. “Why are you thanking me?”

“For understanding. Normally girl’s run a mile when they know I have a child.”

She smiles at me before dropping her gaze to the floor.

My brows meet. “Are you okay?”

“Do you think your ex-wife liked me?”

I chuckle.

Her gaze snaps back to me. “What?”

“I’m not sure. I think so. What does it matter anyway?”

She shrugs. “Nothing, I guess.”

“I’m sure she’ll get used to you.”

We both stare at each other.

Abruptly, I rise from my stool. “Your cake!”

“It will be too cold by now.”

“Let me be the judge of that.”

Walking out to the hallway, I pick up her cake from the side table I left it on yesterday. When I return, Mel shoots me an anxious look. I bring the cake up to my nose. “Still smells good.”

She leans against the edge of the countertop and smirks. “Sure.”

“I mean it,” I say, walking over and placing it down next to my bottle of Bud. “I can tell it’s a good one.”

She frowns at me.

“Something wrong?”

“I was so excited for you to taste that fresh.”

I exhale and take her hand in mine. “And I appreciate that. I’m sorry for the misunderstanding yesterday.”

She narrows he eyes.

“Want me to taste now?” I ask.

“It’s over a day old.”

I shrug. “So? I’ll just have a little taste and the we can feed the rest to the ducks later.”

She snorts. “Cheers.”

Reaching for a knife, I cut a small piece away and immediately pop it into my mouth. Being old and left out it does taste a little flat and rubbery, but I can tell it would have been sensational straight from the oven. Finishing, I give Mel the thumbs up.

She folds her arms. “Now you’re just being kind.”

“No I’m not. It’s really pretty good.”

She rolls her eyes and leans forward on the counter top, reaching for her bottle of beer.

My eyes trail down the length of her body.

As she presses her torso into the edge of the countertop, her perfect ass pushes out. She has one foot crossed over the other, so that the shape of her butt is accentuated more in her dangerously short daisy dukes. Her ass almost looks like a heart shape—inviting me, tempting me as only she could.

Wiping my mouth clean of sugary crumbs with the back of my hand, I slowly walk behind her and push up to her body. The erection in my jeans presses against her and I start to massage her smooth shoulders.

“What are you doing?’ she whispers, glancing over her shoulder.

“Something we couldn’t with Zach being around. Something I’ve been fighting with the whole day.”

“Which is?”

“Taking what’s mine.”

Cutting short the small talk, I brush hair away from her sleek neck and begin to kiss the perfumed skin just behind her right ear. She softly purrs as I work my lips up to her fleshy earlobes and playfully tug on them with my teeth.

My cock is fit to burst.

Unwilling to wait any longer, I reach around to the front of her waist and pull down the zipper of her jean shorts. Pushing her harder to the countertop, so she can’t escape, her arms stretch out in front of her.

I snake my hand down her shorts and run my thumb along the slick seam of her sex. Her white cotton panties are soaking wet and I can clearly smell the addictive nectar of her impossibly tight pussy.

Suddenly I stall before I get too carried away.

She looks back over her shoulder, keeping her submissive posture. “Why did you stop?”

“Condoms.”

She tuts and reaches back for my hands, directing them to her firm tits. I can feel her nipples are erect through her flimsy rock-band tee.

“Mel—”

“Just pull out before you cum.”

I’m shocked by her brazen attitude, but I like what I hear.

“Want me to brand you?”

“Yes,” she moans as she uses my hands to squeeze on her ripe breasts.

“Say it.”

“I want you to brand me. Mark me.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Please,” she begs, rocking her hips against my groin. “Mark me. I want you to.”

I step back slightly and yank down her shorts, taking her cute white panties down with them. She shifts her legs wider and pushes her sweet ass as high as it can go.

I quickly unleash my starved cock and rub it along the pink fleshy crevice of her sex.

She moans louder as I tease her with my tip and I can see her hands ball into fists.

Pressing a hand to her back, I hold her body down and slowly insert into her pussy from behind. My balls immediately tremble. The feeling of her naked pussy on my thick, hard dick is enough to have me coming right away.

I hold onto it though. I want her to scream my name. I want to feel her heavy release explode on my naked cock before I spray my load all over her shapely butt and legs.

She feels tighter somehow.

I begin to push in and out, gathering the pace as her moans become louder.

“Faster,” she pants.

I’m more than happy to do as she asks. With much more purpose, I slam deep into her tiny snatch. I am buried nice and deep and every time I recede and jerk back in, she whimpers.

Keeping one hand on her tits, I use my other to press down on her throbbing fleshy clit. The more I rub her, and the faster I pump my cock in and out, the more she moans—moans that bleed into screams of unadulterated pleasure.

I can’t believe how lucky I am. I can’t believe I can make this girl go completely crazy for me. Her reactions turn me on so much; making my cock twitch and convulse.

My balls start to pulsate.

“I’m coming.”

“Vincent, oh yes, fuck me, don’t stop . . .”

My whole body is arched over hers as I rut and play with her pussy. “I want you to scream my name.”

Through staggered breaths she begins to scream.

“Say my name,” I command again.

“Vincent, I’m—”

Her pussy walls crush my rock hard length and the sweet juices of her release paint my shaft.

Right on cue, I pull out of her moist slit and explode all over her ass. My release shoots out across the trembling terrain of her body—from the small of her back, to her ass, to the back of her silky smooth thighs.

I roar. It feels like I’ve purged every single part of me.

I hug her tight from behind as my cock continues to weep.

Sagging in my embrace, she begins to laugh. It sets me off and I mirror her laughter.

“That was quick,” she says, almost breathless.

“What did you expect? I’ve been holding that in for ages.”

She giggles. “Then you better take me to bed so we can go slower next time.”

“Take it easy on an old man, will ya?”

She chuckles. “You’re not that old.”

* * *

We make love at least three more times before we both give out. We go slower and then faster, enjoying every conceivable position. My body feels like it’s ran ten marathons.

With her snuggled into me, I softy brush the hair from her sticky forehead and begin to massage her temples.

“Mm, “she whispers. “That feels nice.”

“Mel . . .”

She gazes up at me, her face flushed pink. “Vincent.”

“There’s something I want to tell you.”

She grins. “Don’t tell me you have another secret child.”

I snort. “No. No more surprises like that. No, it’s something I want to ask of you really.”

Propping her head on my chest, she shifts up closer. “Oh?”

“I think you’re ready.”

“Ready for what?”

I pause.

“Tell me,” she presses, now looking a little concerned.

I take a deep breath. “Next week we have a food critic coming by the restaurant. I’d like you to prepare a dessert for him.”

Her beautiful green eyes widen. “What? Really?”

I nod.

“But, I’m just . . . I don’t think I’m—”

“You are ready, Mel. I believe in you.”

There is a fleeting look of fear in her eyes but her expression soon softens. “Who is it?”

“Heard of a guy named Collin Stanworth?”

She bolts upright. “Shit!”

I smirk. “Don’t tell me he’s an ex of yours?”

“Of course not. Yes I’ve heard of him. Fuck. You want me to cook for him?”

“Yep. I want you to make one of your sponges. I will have three chefs make up a full course on the day. Yours will be the icing on the cake so to speak. The last thing he remembers.”

“But . . . why? I mean, don’t I need more experience, prove myself?”

I shake my head. “You’re ready.”

She pulls the sheets up to her chin and looks away. “I’m not sure.” A few seconds later she looks back into my eyes. “Why are you asking me to do this? What if I mess up under pressure?”

“I don’t think you will.”

“Why don’t you? I mean, how do you know I won’t screw something up? Spoil the reputation of the restaurant?”

I place my palm against the warm curve of her left cheek. “That’s easy . . . I trust you.”