Brad

I don’t know how many shots I’ve had tonight, but I know that if I were to stand, I would likely fall flat on my face. So, here I sit in this dingy apartment just off the Vegas Strip, with a warm beer in one hand and Candy sitting on my lap. Her back is to me as she talks to one of her friends. She’s wearing a backless shirt and my fingers itch to pull the string holding the shirt across her chest.

Whatever this is with Candy has been different from my previous entanglements with women. We’re not by any means exclusive – we haven’t had that “talk” – but when I come to town, I’m fucking her and only her. We don’t talk about other people we’ve slept with while I’m not here in Las Vegas, but I make sure to visit her city frequently.

Candy’s stringy blonde hair is swept up in a ponytail and she’s swaying to the loud music playing.

My vision is doubling but I take another swig of my beer. I pat her on the hip so I can get up and take a piss. She looks annoyed that I asked, but does so anyway and then replaces me in my chair.

When I return from the bathroom, some random guy is now in my seat, complete with Candy perching on his knee the same way she was on mine moments earlier.

“Whatever,” I say gruffly and stumble over to the fridge for another drink.

Her friend Ronnie is standing in front of the fridge as I approach. She sees me coming and moves over slightly.

“You’re usually so together, Brad. What has you letting loose tonight?” Ronnie’s arms are crossed over her chest, pushing her fake tits up to her neck.

“Nothing, Ronnie,” I reply, as I struggle to open my beer. She takes it out of my hands, uses the bottle opener, and hands it back to me.

“I call bullshit. You’ve been coming around now for about a year, always looking sharp, spending money, showing everyone a good time. Tonight your eyes are all glassy and your clothes are a wrinkled mess.”

“Don’t worry about it.” I shuffle into the living room with Ronnie on my heels.

“B-rad… you wanna have some fun tonight? Looks like Candy’s busy, so why not?” Ronnie pleads.

“Not a chance. You know that’s not how this works.”

“It’s not like you guys aren’t fucking other people when you’re in different cities. There’s really no difference.”

“Not interested.”

A commotion in the hallway disrupts Ronnie’s advances. Then I see Candy standing in the middle of the living room with her hands on her hips.

“Everyone out!” she yells, cupping her hands around her mouth. She looks at me and shakes her head, indicating for me to stay put.

After the last partygoer leaves, Candy approaches me seductively with two a beer in each hand. She passes me one and then motions for me to sit in the chair.

I hesitate but take the beverage anyway. While I suck down a long pull, my eyes never leave her face.

“I didn’t like Ronnie’s hands on you,” she purrs as she stands in front of me, running her hand down my chest.

“You know that you have nothing to worry about when I’m in town.”

“Aren’t you a good, obedient puppy?”

“That’s not what this is about and you know it, Can,” I say. Her hand roams down further and cups my cock through my pants.

“I want to do something different tonight,” she says, slowing her movements.

“Yeah?”

“I want to play a game.” She slides her hand into my waistband and grips my shaft. Her hand reverses its course and she uses both to undo the buttons, baring my cock.

“What kind of game?” I ask, hissing through my teeth as she squeezes and strokes.

“I want you to tell me some secrets tonight.”

“Why?” I ask, somewhat confused by the sudden desire to know more about me.

“Why not? Tell me something that no one knows.” She slides down to kneel between my feet and licks her lips. My cock is standing at attention, waiting for her to slide her mouth over the crown. My hand goes to her ponytail and I pull her head over me, then her lips start giving me pleasure and my lips start telling her a secret.

* * *

Mika and I stayed up late last night just talking. I told her all my truths and about how I got to where I am today. She didn’t judge; she just listened intently. When I was finished, I felt like less of an asshole, and I could feel her sorrow and sympathy for me.

I had realized after talking with Beth the other night, that I shouldn’t be a slave to what happened in the past. Rather, I should take action and do what I can to prevail. Yes, I royally fucked up, but maybe – just maybe – I could get it all back. So even though it took me three days to get my shit together and go apologize to Mika, I’m glad I swallowed my pride and did it. I knew I had to tell her my secret, the one that started my downfall. I had to put my trust in her, and I did.

When I realized what time it was, I finally left her place and went home to my own after I kissing her goodnight and promising that I would talk to her today.

I texted her during my lunchtime and learned she would be busy until later tonight since she works some crazy long shifts during the week. As an alternative to her usual take-out meals, I invited her and her son over for homemade dinner at my house. Now I’m standing in line at the grocery checkout with the all the ingredients to make lasagna. Seems like a good solution all around, since she isn’t one to cook, I find solace in the process, and we all need to eat.

They arrive shortly after seven in the evening. She and her son stand awkwardly in the living room after I let them in.

“Jared, this is my friend Brad. Brad, this is my son Jared.”

Jared is a spitting image of his mom. He holds out his hand for me to shake and I take it and smile.

“Nice to meet you. Do you like lasagna?” I ask, bending down so I can be eye-to-eye with him. When he nods and smiles, I take that as a sign that tonight might go well. If the kid’s stomach is happy, maybe the odds are better that he will like me.

Right? I should Google this. I pull out my phone and do more research on dating a woman with a child.

“If we put on something for him to watch on TV, I can help you in the kitchen. That would be best.” She smiles.

I fumble around with the remote control until Mika takes it from me and instantly finds children’s stations I had no clue that I had. She says something to him quietly, he nods, and she kisses him on the cheek. I feel like a creeper watching their tender moment so I pull myself away and head into the kitchen.

She hoists herself up to sit on one of the counters not currently being used for any of my preparations and we make small talk.

“Cute house.” She smiles.

“It used to be my parents’; it’s the house I grew up in. I had some things done to it once I took ownership, but overall, it’s still their house,” I say while grating cheese.

“That’s something we have in common. The house I live in used to be one house, but somewhere in time my parents split it in two for Reed and me. But ultimately, it was our childhood home.”

“Where do your parents live now?” I ask.

“They moved to the south bay right after I started nursing school. They live in Los Gatos now.”

“Do you see them often?”

“We used to do weekly dinners, but that became too much when I was in school, so we do at least a monthly something or other.”

“And you and Reed are close?” I ask.

“Close as two siblings can be. Meaning, I probably still annoy him and he still picks on me as if I were twelve.” She smiles. “Did your mom have any other children?”

“No. When she finally married, my step-dad couldn’t have children. The only siblings I have don’t even know I’m their brother.”

“I’m sorry,” she says sadly.

I stop my cheese grating, wipe my hands on a dish towel, and turn to her.

“I didn’t mean it like that. That sounded bitter, I know, but I was just making the statement. Sorry.” My hands rest on the sides of her legs, and I fit myself in between. I lower my face to hers and tentatively kiss her. I don’t want to overwhelm her or overstep as I’m still in the groveling process. But I can’t help but want to be touching her, kissing her. I don’t linger, but I slip my tongue in her mouth slowly to test the waters. When she drapes her arms around my neck and pulls me closer to her, one of my hands grips her jaw as I deepen the kiss. She moans softly as my hand reaches around into her hair as my tongue meets hers swipe for swipe. The only sounds in the kitchen are the sounds of our kiss, her light moans… and her stomach growling loudly.

I pull away with a smile. Her eyes are dazed and her parted lips are swollen.

“Sounds like I need to get you guys fed. Besides, I’m sure this is inappropriate behavior around a five year old,” I say, as she focuses her eyes and closes her mouth.

“So responsible.” She smiles.

“Just trying to behave appropriately in the presence of a young mind. I read recently that I shouldn’t be overly gropey and that I need to show good manners when meeting a child for the first time.”

“You read up on meeting a kid?” She pulls me back to her and hugs me. I wrap my arms around her as her stomach growls again.

I step away, rearrange my straining erection, and take a deep breath. “Sorry about that. I need to feed you guys.”

“My stomach tends to interrupt moments that it has no business to interrupt.” She smiles shyly.

“Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes. This is the last of the cheese and when that timer goes off”—I point to the time ticking down on the stove—“I’ll put this on and it’s just a matter of time.”

“Would you mind if I used your shower? I mean, Jare is good with the TV on,” she asks, hopping down from the counter.

“Sure thing. C’mon.” I lead her down the hall to my bedroom, grab her something to change into and hand her a towel. “As much as those scrubs are fucking sexy, here’s something fresh to change into if you wanted.”

“Thank you.” She leans up and kisses me softly on the lips then disappears behind the bathroom door. Moments later, I hear the shower start and the glass shower door open and close. Knowing her body is naked underneath the water just behind the door, I have to force my feet to move back to the kitchen.

Feed the kid. Feed the woman.

Then dote on her when the kid is not looking.

I poke my head into the living room and decide since dinner is in the oven, I should go hang out. I sit with Jared on the couch and he starts to tell me all about the show he’s watching.

By the time Mika comes back to the kitchen, I’m pulling the dish out of the oven and setting it on top of the stove.

“It smells delicious. I think my stomach may try to jump out and take a bite.”

“That provides quite the image.”

“It’s like the little baby alien that jumped out of the dude’s stomach when he was at the diner.” She smiles.

“The movie Alien?”

“Or Spaceballs, but yeah. That would totally be my stomach right now.” Her smirk is mischievous as she sidles up to me at the sink.

“Would you like wine with your lasagna?”

“Sure. So this lasagna, it isn’t from the freezer section?”

“Nope.”

“You made it all by yourself?” Jared asks in astonishment as he walks into the kitchen.

“Sure did, with these two hands.” I hold them up for his inspection. She plays along and admires them, looking mesmerized, then catches my eye and winks.

“Show me where things are and I will set the table for our fancy feast,” Mika requests. I follow her into the kitchen as she looks around.

“Just go through everything. But not that drawer.” I point specifically to the silverware drawer and say in a whispered stern voice, “Never that drawer.”

She goes straight for the “forbidden” drawer and opens it slowly, then peeks in. “Very disappointing. I was hoping this was where you keep all your sex toys,” she whispers.

“Why would those be in the kitchen?”

“Why not?” she shrugs.

“Wait, what kind of sex toys would I have?” I ask quietly so Jared won’t overhear from the dining room and get confused. Women, in my experience, have more sex toys than men do.

“What? What kind of world have you been living in, Brad? This is the 21^st century and both men and women have plenty of sex toy options. I mean, haven’t you seen Fifty Shades of Grey?”

“No, thankfully I have not.”

“Thankfully?”

“Isn’t that a chick flick?”

“Oooooooh, Brad, Brad, Brad. What ever will I do with you?”

“Take me to your red room of fun?”

“Ah, so you have seen the movie?”

I shake my head, don’t answer her and begin plating our meal. She set the table so that she and I sat side by side and Jared sat across from us, which I found interesting. And after we eat, she insists on doing the clean up. And by “cleaning up,” she meant soaking the dishes in the sink and sitting on the couch with us. When she joins us, Jared is on his twentieth question of twenty-one questions.

Jared’s eyes begin getting heavy and Mika looks to me.

“I don’t want to end our night. Do you have somewhere I can lay him down?”

“Yeah, let me make sure one of the rooms has a bed made up.” I retreat down the hall and open up the first bedroom. I quickly close it, remembering it’s full of boxes and has no bed. I go to the next bedroom and double check that there are sheets on the bed. I head back to Mika and see Jared lying in her lap. I bend and pick him up, then walk down the hall with Mika on my heels. I lay him in the bed and she tucks the blanket around him.

Once we return to the living room, she grabs the remote and manages to find her way to the On Demand menu. She smirks as she finds her selection and I groan, running my hand down my face.

Fifty Shades of Grey.

Mika

He is asleep. And by that, I mean he is outright snoring, twitching, and everything that comes along with deep sleep. I smile to myself as the movie ends and Christian Grey watches as the elevator doors close with Ana on the other side. At least he tried to watch one of my favorite movies.

I nudge Brad gently to wake him and when that doesn’t work, I lean over him and start kissing his neck. A rumble in his chest lets me know he’s awake, then one of his hands grabs my hip and moves up my side. His eyes open a little and a lazy smile forms on his face.

“Did I miss the movie?” he asks, his voice groggy from sleep.

I continue light kisses around his jaw and briefly touch his lips with mine.

“Don’t worry, it’s on demand. We can watch it again.” I smile as I slip my tongue into his mouth and meet his. His grip on my hip tightens as he deepens the kiss, waking up to my touch.

He rolls fully onto his back, his head against the arm of the couch. By his movements, I’ve come to straddle him. I can feel him hardening underneath me and I’m shameless as I grind myself on his lap.

“Fuck. We can’t do this here. Your son is asleep in the other room,” he mumbles against my mouth.

“I can be quiet,” I reply imploringly.

“What if he wakes up?” I stop kissing him as he asks.

“Such a buzzkill.” I shake my head and sit up.

“I don’t know much about kids. I’ve never been around any, so I’m not sure what the protocol is here. I assume that couples continue fucking when they have children, but are there rules?” I don’t get angry at his questions as I watch his expression. He genuinely is asking.

“Being a parent is definitely exhausting, since you spend a lot of energy during the day working and then tending to another little human. It’s hard to find those moments with your spouse, I assume, but you have to make time for that.”

“You assume?”

“Jared’s dad and I never became a thing after I got pregnant. The pregnancy scared him off, and I immediately became a single mother.”

“Sounds like a dick move,” he mutters.

“It was. But I’m glad it happened, because I wouldn’t want to be in a forced relationship. Jared’s dad is a good father, but I’m not entirely sure about the partner part, since we didn’t get that far.”

I’m still sitting on Brad’s lap, and he tries to sit up. I start to remove myself but his hands go to my waist.

“No, stay…. Continue…,” he says.

“Derek – that’s Jared’s dad’s name – Derek and I were ships passing in the night. We were working a lot. I guess we sought each other out for the mutual attraction and to scratch an itch.”

“Did either of you think of a relationship?”

“For a moment, yes. At least on my end. When reality settled that I wasn’t in love with Derek, that I couldn’t picture us as a couple, and that I didn’t even know general facts about him, I didn’t question the decision not to pursue a relationship.”

“And him?”

“I’m not sure. We talked about schedules, classes, and work, but nothing about being together. As soon as I told him I was pregnant, he looked at his calendar and told me what conferences he would be attending in the next year. He told me he would look into solutions about child care if either of us were working and that was about it.”

“Sounds very to the point.”

“I appreciated it, like I said; we weren’t in love, far from it.”

“Have you ever been?” he quizzes.

“In love? Sure, I used to think I was in love all the time in high school. But as an adult, no. I haven’t had the opportunity. You’re the first guy to come along since Jared has been born. What about you?”

“Before—” He clears his throat. “Before, when I was with a woman, I didn’t give the chance to have solid conversations.”

“Is this where you tell me you fucked anything with tits and didn’t do commitment?” I quirk my eyebrow, waiting for the typical playboy words.

“So you’ve heard that before?” he says with a smile.

“A time or two.”

He shrugs, knowing he doesn’t need to say anything more.

“But now, things are different. I’m different. That was a part of me, a part of Bradford Maddox, the don’t give a fuck playboy, who didn’t care about the repercussions. I’m not that guy any more. I don’t want to be that guy.”

“No more of the womanizer?”

“Doesn’t matter. That version of me, that part of me is locked away. I’m no longer Bradford Maddox the Playboy.”

“Oh yeah? And who are you now?”

“I’m still trying to figure that out, but I’m liking where this is going.” He leans in, his big hands splayed on my lower back, and grazes my neck with his teeth.