Chapter 11

Will

I was desperately trying to tell myself that I was in complete emotional control of myself, but the fact remained that I thought nonstop about Ella and the hot sex we’d had in the restaurant, from which I still possessed her black silk panties. I sat there wondering if thinking about Ella like that was a good thing or a self-destructive thing. I hadn’t ever dealt with anything like this before, and I really had no idea whether my feelings were natural or if there was something more to it, something I was still unable to admit to myself. Regardless of any emotional attachment, I couldn’t deny that what we had was incredibly sensual and steamy. I found it hard not to think about her thighs, her breasts, and the way she looked at me as I fucked her. None of the passion from months ago had subsided in the least, and it was driving me absolutely crazy.

I had loved every part of having sex in the bathroom of that restaurant. The thrill of sex in a public place was new to me, but I’d liked it more than I probably should have. On top of that, the idea that I was fucking Ella’s brains out just feet from where her obnoxious, self-righteous father and mother had been sitting had made it all the more erotic. I was completely turned on by the idea of sneaking around and fucking Ella anywhere at any time. The control and lack thereof made everything that much hotter. I could almost imagine closing my office door and fucking her right there on my desk, and getting a blow job underneath it beforehand.

On top of the sensual nature of everything and the fact that I was more than satisfied every time we had sex, there was a silver lining that I couldn’t ignore. Just the thought of being with Ella pushed all the negative thoughts about Megan right out of my head. The fears, the depression, the sadness—it all left with one flick of Ella’s tongue. Part of me loved that, but the other part of me was starting to wonder whether that was fair. I wasn’t sure if I liked Ella for her or as a placeholder. One thing was for sure. Regardless of how I felt about Ella, I knew I definitely didn’t want to go back to feeling like I had before. Besides, everything about our time together made me think she was having a good time as well. It wasn’t like I had promised anything to her. We weren’t boyfriend and girlfriend. We weren’t engaged. We were just two people who were extremely attracted to each other and acting on that passion.

There were people my age and her age engaging in sexual relationships like ours all the time. We were no different than them, and the fact remained that no matter how much I thought about my emotional status, there was no way I wanted to cut things off with her. The sex was just that good, and the lust and passion we felt for each other every time we were together was something I hadn’t felt since Megan was alive. It was carnal and raw, and neither of us had the willpower to pull away from it once we were near each other. One wrong—or right—look and it was too late to stop it.

My thoughts were interrupted when a call came in on my cell from my son’s school. That was strange since they never called us unless there was something wrong. I quickly picked up my phone and answered.

“Mr. Scott, this Avery’s school,” the lady said. “Your son has come down with a fever and is feeling pretty bad. We are going to need you to come pick him up.”

“Of course,” I said, already standing up. “I’ll be right there.”

I headed over to the school and picked up Avery, who was obviously not feeling well; he clung to me immediately. We got back to the complex and made our way upstairs to the apartment. As we walked exited the elevator and turned the corner, Ella and Taryn walked out of their apartment. Ella walked quickly up to us, a look of concern on her face.

“Is everything all right?”

“Yeah.” I sighed, looking at Avery, whose face was pressed against my shoulder. “Avery has come down with some sort of bug. He’ll be okay I’m sure. He just needs some rest and relaxation. That’s all.”

“Well, do you need anything?” she asked. “I’m going out, and I’ll be gone for a while, but I can still pick you up whatever you need.”

“Yeah, actually. That would be great,” I said. “If it’s not too much trouble.”

“No trouble at all,” she said, smiling. “What do you need?”

“If you could get some Children’s Tylenol for his fever and maybe some Pedialyte so I can make sure he stays hydrated,” I said. “Thank you. I didn’t even think about it until I got back here. I just wanted to get him in bed.”

“It’s not a problem at all,” she said. “I’ll be back in a little while.”

She turned and made her way to the elevators as I took Avery inside. I placed him straight in his bed and took his temperature. It was only slightly high at that point, which relieved the worry in my chest. Avery didn’t get sick very often, so I wasn’t used to it. Avery turned over in his bed, and I covered him, watching him as he fell asleep. Within thirty minutes, Ella was back, knocking on the door with all the things I had asked for. I was surprised she had gotten back so fast.

“Thank you so much,” I said, letting her in and watching her unload everything on the counter. “You didn’t need to rush, though. He’s fast asleep in his bed. His fever has gone down a little, and he doesn’t seem to be very uncomfortable at all.”

“I know, but he looked so sad and sick on your shoulder. It broke my heart,” she said. “I felt like I needed to just get the stuff and get back to you. Besides, the place was just a block away, so I didn’t even have to take a cab.”

“You are sweet,” I said, taking the supplies.

“Well, I really care about Avery,” she said, putting her hands in her pockets. “I wanted to make sure he was well taken care of and had everything he needed to get better really fast. I hated being sick as a kid.”

“Did we ruin your plans?”

She scoffed. “No. Taryn and I were bored out of our minds, so we thought we would go do some shopping. I didn’t actually need anything. I was just trying to pass the time without going crazy while holed up in the apartment.”

“Well, thank you again,” I said. “You want to come sit down?”

“Sure,” she said, following me into the living room.

I stopped at the bar and pulled out two cans of soda before tossing her one and sitting down across from her. She smiled and opened her soda, taking a sip and looking around awkwardly. I knew I needed to start a conversation.

“So, things between you and your dad seem pretty tense,” I said. “I don’t know your father that well—we’ve only ever been acquaintances—but he seems pretty hell-bent on you going to law school.”

“Yeah,” she said. “That has been going on since I started college. He just will not let it go no matter what. I thought for a while that he had given up on trying to get me to change my career path, but over the last year, he has really ramped up his harassment. I’m assuming it’s because I’m going into my senior year and still haven’t changed my mind like he thought I would.”

“Parents can be a bit overwhelming sometimes. My parents were not at all pleased when I dropped out of Princeton with just a year left. My dad still grumbles about it.”

“But you’re, like, a tech genius with a multi-billion-dollar company,” she said.

“Yeah, but I’m not a Princeton graduate, which is what my father cared about,” I pointed out.

“Well, I really appreciate that you stood up for me at dinner,” she said. “It at least calmed the situation for the time being. He couldn’t really argue with you at that point, especially since he views you as higher up on the socioeconomic ladder than him.”

“Which is strange since last time I checked, your father’s company was way up there on the corporate list of law firms,” I replied. “Everyone who gets into some type of issue immediately calls your father’s firm.”

She sighed. “It’s all about the dollars for him. But I am determined to walk my own path. I want to be a teacher, and that hasn’t changed since I was Avery’s age and still thought that being a ballerina was a lucrative career.”

I chuckled. “It is if you are the one out of a million people who gets chosen.”

“Which I wouldn’t have been since I can barely walk without tripping,” she said, laughing.

“I do have to say, though, I did appreciate that sex,” I said, giving her a coy look. “It was more than enough thanks for helping you out with your father. That restaurant bathroom is now one of my favorite places in the city. I’m pretty sure I’ll never be able to eat there again without thinking of you and me and that cold tile wall.”

She laughed. “It was pretty cold.”

“But in all honesty, it was one of the sexiest things I’ve ever done,” I said, sitting back.

“Well, it was probably one of the hottest things I have ever done, too, even if it was in the public bathroom of my mother’s favorite restaurant,” she said. “I’ll definitely look at her future birthday dinners in a different light now. In fact, I may put in for a change of venue next year so I don’t spend her whole celebration blushing.”

“Or we could just make it a standing order to make sure I am always invited to your mother’s birthday party,” I responded with a smirk. “I wouldn’t mind looking forward to that every year.”

“I’ll be honest, though,” she said. “When it comes to sex, until I met you, things have been pretty vanilla. I’ve never done anything even remotely close to that. The fact that we were in a public bathroom was pretty arousing, knowing someone could knock on the door at any minute. With my parents just a few feet away, I felt like we were kids sneaking off to my bedroom to fool around and trying not to get caught.”

I laughed. “You sound like you had an exciting childhood.”

“Yeah, that was just an example,” she said, rolling her eyes. “My father never actually let boys step foot in the house, much less get anywhere near my bedroom. I was shocked he didn’t install cameras to catch us when we got up for a drink of water in the middle of the night. I blame myself for my father deciding the girls’ academy was a good place for Taryn. He probably figures they will keep her on lockdown.”

“Personally, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the bathroom at the restaurant, but I can think of a much nicer one for us to have sex in,” I said, leaning forward.

She smiled. “I do need to get my panties back.”

“Daddy,” Avery said from the other room, stopping us in our tracks. “I don’t feel good.”

And that was the end of that.