Chapter 9
Katy peered out of her classroom window and smiled. A couple of weeks ago, she would've said that winter was her least favorite month. However, after the wonderful evening she had in the snow-covered car with Brennon a week or so back, at the park looking out across the river at downtown, all of that had change. For whatever reason, all this snow that had been building up outside during the day took on a new meaning. And to say the least, the way the children marveled at the window and commented about how they were looking forward to the holiday break warmed her heart.
Katy shivered a bit. She had just come back inside from walking the children out to the school buses. She relished in the idea that only a week or so to go before she would be off for two weeks. She was already wrecking her mind trying to figure out what she was going to get her parents for Christmas. On top of that, she’d also been wondering exactly what was her and Brennon’s status. She didn’t want to get him a gift and perhaps he wasn’t thinking of getting her one; then again, if she received one from him but didn’t have one to offer back, she would feel just as horrible.
Katy sipped her tea then looked at the time. She had been prepared to rush out of the door as soon as the school buses pulled off, but there were a few things she needed to tend to before heading for the interstate. Sitting back behind her desk, she scrolled through emails then started to grade some papers. When 3:45 came, she decided she was ready to head on out and get back to her parents’ house.
When Katy had made her way through the narrow neighborhood streets then to downtown where she normally got onto the interstate, seeing a church steeple in the distance made her think of Brennon. She then realized, while flipping her turn signal off and going on under the overpass rather than getting onto the interstate, that it was the same church she had noticed a few nights while looking out of Brennon’s bedroom window. She glanced at the time and remembered Brennon saying something about one of these days he would be done with his day earlier than usual. A spark of an adventurous spirit got into her so much so that she decided to maybe stop by Brennon’s place...if he answered.
“Hello?” Brennon answered.
“Hey, it’s me, Katy,” Katy said.
Brennon’s chuckle came through the phone. “Oh, that’s who this is.”
Katy’s squinted at the phone as she got into the turn lane to turn onto the street that led to Brennon’s neighborhood. “So, anyway, I was calling to see what you were up to. I just left the school and not really ready to go home yet. Was thinking maybe I could stop by your place...hehe.”
Brennon laughed. “Of course you can. You didn’t even have to call first. And it’s interesting you call me when you do because I was just thinking about you.”
“Oh, really,” Katy said. “And what were you thinking?”
“Well, it’s actually about tonight,” Brennon said. “We’ll talk about it when you get here I guess.”
“Okay, headed down Floyd right now,” Katy said. “Be there in a sec.”
Katy hung up then, with a warmed heart, headed down Floyd. As she made her way over to Brennon’s neighborhood then into the parking lot behind his building, she wondered what he would have to ask her about tonight. Would he ask if I could spend the night?
Lately, she’d been spending so much time at his place. And 9 out of 10 times, they made love if she came over at night. Katy could feel the questioning glares of her parents getting longer and longer by the day, but she enjoyed her secret romance with Brennon for what it was worth. She thought she had been in love once before, but the feelings she had for Brennon, perhaps because of the dynamics of their relationship as well as his relationship to the family, were something totally different. Life seemed different; she smiled so much more than she used to. And Eve sat on the edge of her seat waiting to soak up every single juicy detail she could when they talked.
Katy gently tapped on Brennon’s door. Before she could even get her next breath out, the door swung open and Brennon greeted her with a smiling face. When she stepped inside, he gently wrapped his arm around her lower back and pulled her closer to him, kissing her passionately then smiling. “Hello.”
“Well, hello,” Katy said. “That was like something out of a romance movie.”
Brennon made a sour face. “Yuck,” he said, sarcastically.
Brennon welcomed Katy in as he usually did. They sat with one another at the couch and Brennon asked Katy about her day. He laughed at some of her incidents, then told her to just hold on and that she didn’t have long to go before she would be off for a full two weeks. When Katy finished, Brennon butted in with what he had to say. “So, about to night,” he began. “Did you already have any plans?”
Katy thought about it for a moment. “No, not that I know of. Why? What’s going on?” She was intrigued to know, particularly because Brennon always had something up his sleeve. “If you’re thinking about another teenage love affair in the car in the park, you better think again. I won’t be doing that kind of thing all the time.”
Brennon laughed. “No, no. That’s not what I was thinking. I’ve been invited to this book signing at an art gallery downtown this evening. I kind of don’t want to go, but feel kind of obligated, I guess.” He rolled his eyes. “It’s for this guy I used to work with on some projects, but whatever. So, I was wondering if you would like to go.”
Katy smiled and nodded. “Absolutely. You remember I told you I love art galleries, don’t you? Sure, I’ll go. What time does it start?”
“I think seven o’clock,” Brennon said. “I can check on it or whatever to be sure, but I’m pretty sure it’s seven o’clock.”
Katy groaned under her breath. “Oh, with traffic and the snow, I don’t know if I would be able to get home and change into something more appropriate. I wish you would've said something earlier.”
“Hold up, hold up.” Brennon stood up and approached the window, looking out at the snow covered street. “You don’t have to worry about that. I was about to say the rest. And, if you would like, I want to take you to a couple of department stores so maybe you can pick out something to wear.”
Katy was genuinely surprised, and thankful, but she didn’t know what to say. “Oh, well, I suppose that would be alright. If you’re sure. Brennon, seriously though, I can go home and come back. I have plenty of things I could wear to something like that.”
“No, really, Katy,” Brennon said, sitting back down next to her and placing his hand on her thigh. “Just to make it easy, we can go shopping and get you something. Plus, I want to see what kind of shopper you are.”
“What kind of shopper I am?” Katy asked. She noticed Brennon then stood up as if he were getting ready to go, so Katy followed suit. “What is that supposed to mean?”
Brennon chuckled as he helped Katy back into her coat. “Oh, nothing. Just want to see how long you take to try on one thing.”
Katy sighed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, men,” she said, heading out into the hallway. Brennon quickly grabbed his keys out of the kitchen then caught up with Katy.
***
“See, this is exactly what I’m talking about,” Brennon said, shaking his head. He stepped up to the women’s dressing room door. “Taking all day for this one dress.”
“Oh, whatever!” Katy announced. She picked her clothes up off of the floor then looked at herself, in a strapless, blue dress in the mirror. She headed out to Brennon. “Okay, what do you think of this one?”
Brennon looked her up and down. “I think you look great, Katy,” he said. She wasn’t trying on evening gowns or anything that elegant; rather, she was simply getting something tasteful that wasn’t too loud for the art gallery. “Seriously, Katy. We’re going to be late at this point.”
Katy sighed and rolled her eyes as she headed back into the dressing room. This was the fifth dress she tried on. At this point, she was just going to go with it so she wouldn't have to hear Brennon’s mouth anymore. When she came out of the dressing room, carrying the dress over her arm, Brennon shook his head disapprovingly. “What?” she asked.
“Oh, nothing,” Brennon said.
They stepped up to the checkout lane. “No, seriously, Brennon, what is it?”
Brennon chuckled. “It’s nothing.” He kissed the side of her head. “Now it’s good to know what kind of woman you are when it comes to shopping. I’ll let you do this with your friends next time.” He laughed.
Katy playfully acted like an upset little girl as they waited in line. As they headed out the door, after Brennon paid for the dress, Katy stopped in her tracks. They’d been heading down the sidewalk to get back to Brennon’s car, which was parked two blocks over on the street. “Wait. Shouldn’t I go back in there and change in there. Where am I going to change into this?” She purposely got a dress that matched the shoes she already had on. “Brennon?”
Brennon raised his eyebrows suggestively. “In the car,” he answered then continued walking.
Katy quickly caught up. “You can’t be serious. Really?”
“Oh, calm down, calm down,” Brennon said, motioning for Katy to wrap her arm around his. And she did. “It’s not going to be that hard. I just have a thing about walking out of the store in stuff you just bought. You know.”
“Hmm, hmm,” Katy said. “No funny stuff until we at least get out of the art gallery.”
“Funny stuff?” Brennon asked. They turned a corner then both turned to the side to brace for the harsh wind coming directly at them. “I have been nothing but a gentlemen. You’re the one who climbed into the backseat of a car and woke a man up out of his sleep, forcing yourself onto him. That was you.”
Katy slapped Brennon’s shoulder as they approached his car. He held the car door open for her then climbed in himself and headed toward the other end of downtown. The shopping district, of sorts, was located in the heart of downtown, in the shadows of office towers and government buildings. The arts district, on the other hand, was about a mile away from the center – in an area that was really only open at night. Brennon cruised around the area for a while before finding a parking lot behind a closed-for-the-day printing press. He whipped into it and told Katy to go ahead and change.
Katy chuckled. “You just wanted to see me change with your own eyes. Not in a changing room.”
Brennon chuckled then mischievously adjusted his mirror so he could clearly see Katy. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Katy quickly changed into the dress, laughing about how cheap she felt changing her entire outfit in the backseat of a car in a parking lot behind a random building downtown. When she finished, Brennon headed back out to the street. Shortly after passing the gallery, he turned onto a smaller side street and parallel parked. “I’m so glad you came with me,” he said.
“Really?” Katy asked, feeling her heart warm. “Why? What makes you say that?”
“Because the kind of people that might be here,” Brennon admitted. “You’ll see. I swear I hate dealing with them unless I really have to. I will say, though, you might make some good connects in here...maybe. And every once in a while you meet someone who isn’t too full of themselves.”
Katy nodded then Brennon got out and helped her out onto the sidewalk. “Oh, yeah?” She started to feel a little nervous, wondering what to really expect as she locked arms with Brennon then allowed him to guide her down the street. There was something so romantic about walking down the street with Brennon. Of the few people who did pass them on the sidewalk, she looked into their eyes and wondered if they noticed the age gap. At this point, Katy truly didn’t care. Everything about this secret love affair she had going with Melanie’s older half-brother lit her heart on fire.
Katy was a bit nervous upon entering the art gallery. She helped herself to the wine tasting going on. As she anticipated, the wine calmed her. She then realized how good it would be for her to be in this sort of environment. She mixed and mingled with a few artists and even went as far as buying a print. She and Brennon had sort of drifted apart for a few minutes, but when Katy caught back up with him, she was graciously introduced to people Brennon worked with on different committees. By the end of the night, Katy had collected a few business cards from people who could potentially be great connections as she moved forward with her career.
Conversations were had about politics; about city council and how they were screwing up certain projects trying to come to the city. Katy admired Brennon’s passion about educational facilities going up around the city; Katy impressed Brennon when she stood her ground against a hardliner banker guy who was in favor of reallocating funding to public schools in the inner city. Before walking back out into the night air, the couple enjoyed some wine and a Greek salad at a table toward the back of the restaurant.
In the car ride back to Brennon’s place, they couldn’t stop talking. “And where do you know that one lady from? The one with the red hair and green eyes. She’s kind of, umm...”
Brennon chuckled. “Yeah, you’re talking about Helen. She was a friend of my aunt who wound up getting me this internship back before I became a professor. She really is a nice lady, but she has always had that kind of creepy look to her.”
Katy laughed just as Brennon had been pulling up in the parking lot behind his apartment building. He turned the car off then looked over at Katy. After a few moments of awkward silence, she looked over at him, wondering why he’d gotten so quiet. “What?” she asked, smiling.
“You really are a beautiful woman.” He looked her up and down. Her dress seemed to glow because of the streetlight on her side of the car. “You look amazing tonight. And I was so honored to have a beautiful woman like you on my arm tonight. I know some people will be asking me later about you.”
Katy giggled, not sure what to say. “Well, thank you. And you were handsome too. Very astute, you could say. You sure you’re not really a spy or something?”
Brennon smirked. “If I was, I wouldn’t be able to tell you. If I told you, I would have to make you disappear like what’s-his-name?”
“What’s-his-name?” Katy asked, her eyes widening. Before she could even get an answer, Brennon had leaned over and started kissing her passionately. Katy melted in his embrace then grabbed the side of his face.
After kissing passionately for several seconds, Brennon walked Katy up to his apartment in a very hurried pace. No sooner than the door slammed shut had they been all over one another. Was it the wine? Maybe it was the particular time of night. Maybe it was Katy looking absolutely stunning in this beautiful dress.
They became lost in one another’s arms, eventually winding up on Brennon’s couch. After several minutes of bonding emotionally with one another, Brennon leaned up and looked down at Katy’s chest with wide eyes. Katy giggled, rubbing the back of his head. “Go ahead,” she said. “You know...”
Brennon chuckled then Katy leaned her head back. Brennon gently pulled the collar of her dress down over her chest while she reached around to her back and undid her bra. In no time, Brennon blessed her olive skin with kisses: rotated his tongue around her nipples. Katy laughed, playfully pushing Brennon away but her efforts were useless. She laughed out loud and kicked her legs when Brennon motor-boated his face between her breasts.
“I love you, Katy,” Brennon said, pulling his red face up and looking into Katy’s eyes.
Katy paused for a moment, almost as if she were stalled in time. She rubbed the side of Brennon’s face as she looked into his eyes. “I love you too,” she said. The words seemed to come out of her mouth effortlessly. The couple locked in another passionate embraced then Brennon got undressed. Katy smiled, anxiously waiting to feel Brennon inside of her.
“Awe,” Katy said, feeling the stretch inside.
Brennon muttered on about how much he loved Katy. Katy closed her eyes, her soul lost in a daze. Brennon slowly built up to a nice stroke then made love to Katy right there on his couch. Both his and her body were streaked with light slithering in through the closed blinds from the street light out in front of the building. Brennon gripped Katy’s breast while her legs clamped around his back.
“Brennon!” Katy yelled out as soreness started to come on.
She had just been closing her eyes when Brennon wrapped his arms around her back then pulled her up. He now sat with his back against the back of the couch. Katy smiled, kissing him and looking into his eyes while she rubbed the side of his face. She moved her hips a bit then worked her way up to rising up and down on Brennon’s cock. He eventually leaned in, wrapping his arms tightly around her back.
“Katy, you’re about to make me...” Brennon said several minutes later.
Katy looked down, smirking as she kept her rising and lowering at a very steady pace. Brennon closed his eyes tightly as he leaned back, but still held on tight to Katy’s hips. Katy planted her hands into his chest as his body shuttered then he came.
They lay in one another's arms on the couch until Katy brought up she’d better get going home so she could do a bit of grading then get ready for work in the morning. As usual, Brennon didn’t want her to leave, but he understood she had things at home to tend to. He sloppily threw back on his clothes then walked Katy down to her car. Katy looked up the parking lot at Brennon in the rear-view mirror. Thought started to creep into her mind that made her wonder how their secret romance was transforming. Whatever it was, Katy felt like her love life was finally going in the right direction.