Chapter Forty-Eight
Alan
I spent the afternoon on the phone with Sarah, my assistant, getting caught up on what I’d missed that week—especially since I hadn’t checked in once.
My company really was a well-oiled machine—it had to be if I was going to be gone “consulting” for weeks, or even months, at a time. Sarah was top-notch. Well worth the six figures I paid her. Same with my construction manager, Mike.
Angela, our new grants manager for the low-income housing project we were just awarded, was scheduled to arrive next week from Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
I’d served with her brother, George. He’d saved my life, so when he called and told me his baby sister had found herself homeless and jobless in one day after breaking up with her boss/boyfriend, I didn’t hesitate to offer her a job and a furnished house.
It felt serendipitous that she’d been a grants manager at a housing project in Minnesota.
I’d only met her through Zoom, but she seemed pretty squared away.
And if she wasn’t, I had no doubt Sarah would mentor her.
I needed to give Sarah a raise; she really was invaluable.
So, when she told me I was needed in Lancastle next week, I knew it wasn’t negotiable.
Still, I tried.
“Can’t it be a Zoom?” I asked sheepishly. “I’m uh—getting married.”
I heard her coughing on the other end.
“What did you say? We must not have a very good connection—it sounded like you said you’re getting married?”
“I am, in two weeks from today.”
I heard her let out a breath on the other end. “Wow. I didn’t even know you were dating someone.”
“It’s a long story.”
“Congratulations. I can’t wait to meet her. But to answer your question—no, it can’t. We’ve got the State coming to do a site inspection and sign off on the plats. You can’t make Angela deal with that during her first week.”
“Why not? It’ll be a good test to see what she’s made of.”
I was only half-joking.
Sarah’s voice was stern. “Alan… you’re the owner. You’re not out of the country; I can’t make an excuse for why you can’t be there.”
While I’d never come out and told Sarah where I was when I was “consulting,” she was a smart girl. I was pretty sure she’d figured it out.
“I think getting married is a good excuse.”
“You’re not getting married for two weeks. You can spare a few days and come back to Lancastle. It’s a two-and-a-half-hour flight.”
“Plus, an hour drive, each way,” I pointed out.
“You’re not making the case that you think you are.”
“Fine,” I said with a dramatic sigh. “I’ll be there.”
“I’ll book you on the earliest Monday flight.”
****
Jessica
I was exhausted when I rang the doorbell at Brian’s house around five o’clock. Who knew trying on dresses all afternoon would be so much work?
Alan was barefoot, in jeans and an olive-green vintage t-shirt of The Clash when he opened the door with a smile. I tried not to swoon when I looked up at him.
Easier said than done. He was flipping gorgeous.
“You can just come in—you don’t have to knock or ring the bell,” he said as he reached for the handle of Ruthie’s car seat.
“I didn’t want to be presumptuous.”
With his free hand, he reached for my left hand—the one sporting the diamond I was still getting used to—and brought my knuckles to his lips.
“You’re going to be my wife, babe. Presume away.”
A smile escaped my lips, and I murmured, “Okay,” as we walked inside.
“Did you find a dress?” he asked while leading me into the living room.
“I did. Thank you, again. That was very generous of you. My mom also says, ‘thanks’. I think she was panicking when there weren’t price tags on any of the dresses, until Lainey explained that came from you.”
He set Ruthie’s seat on the floor and replied, “I hope I didn’t step on your parents’ toes by buying your dress.”
“I don’t think my mom was offended. If anything, I think she was relieved once she saw the price of just the mothers’ dresses.”
“Did our moms find anything?”
“Your mom did. My mom is going to check the outlet stores.”
I didn’t blame her. It’d been an awful lot to spend on a dress she probably wasn’t going to wear again. While I’d been curious how much my dress was, I’d also secretly been grateful that Lainey wouldn’t tell me.
I’d probably have changed my mind and decided I could just borrow someone’s from the church.
As it was, I’d had a hard time not picking out a simple, tea-length one. It wasn’t until Lainey, Jade, and Kristy insisted I get a “gown suitable for a princess”—their words—that I allowed myself to try on the ones featured in bridal magazines.
I ended up going with a dress that was straight out of a fairy tale with its bead and lace bodice and full ball-gown tulle skirt.
I knew Mama was hesitant because it was strapless and showed my ample cleavage, but she didn’t put up a fight when everyone chimed in.
Jade exclaimed, “Oh my god! That’s the one!” when I walked out of the dressing room and onto the bridal pedestal.
Mrs. Callahan seconded her with, “You look absolutely breathtaking.”
Kristy smirked, “Alan’s not going to be able to keep his hands to himself the entire ceremony.”
Lainey just shook her head and said, “You are drop-dead gorgeous. But are you comfortable in it? You don’t want to be tugging at your dress all day.”
I spun around as I tried to figure out if there was anything poking me or not laying right against my skin. In the process, I caught my reflection in the three-way mirror and decided even if there was something, I’d suffer through.
I looked freaking amazing.
And I liked the idea of Alan not being able to keep his hands to himself.
With his palm pressed to the small of my back, he led me into the kitchen where I perched on a stool at the island while he stood next to me seasoning the steaks.
He didn’t look up when he asked, “So, how upset will you be with me if I don’t go to the florist with you on Monday?”
To be honest, I’d been surprised when he’d said he’d go to the appointment in the first place.
“I won’t be upset at all.”
He paused and glanced at me with a sheepish look. “Or the cake tasting on Tuesday?”
I winced. “I don’t want to pick out a cake without you. What if I pick something you don’t like?”
He resumed putting dry rub on the meat. “How is that possible? It’s cake; you can’t go wrong with cake.”
“Okay. As long as you won’t complain about what I choose.”
“Unless you go with something crazy, like orange marmalade frosting—which doesn’t even sound bad, actually—I promise I will love whatever you decide.”
I was still hesitant, but I agreed. “All right.”
“But you have to promise me you’ll get what you want. You won’t let Lainey or Jade or anyone else talk you into something. Stick to your guns.” He set the steaks on a platter then put it in the fridge.
“I promise.”
“And money is no object.” He turned the sink on and washed his hands as he continued, “I mean it. Get what you want—I don’t care how much it costs. I want you to love everything about our wedding.”
“What about you? It’s your wedding, too.”
He looked at me with a soft smile as he dried his hands with a paper towel. “As long as you’re the one walking down the aisle, everything else is a bonus.”
And how was I not supposed to launch myself at him after he said that?
****
Alan
I think I let out a small “oof,” when she leapt off the stool and straight into me. But it only took a second after her arms wrapped around my neck to get my bearings.
Her soft curves pressing against me helped me figure things out fast.
With no hesitation, I leaned down and kissed her lips. I wasn’t gentle, but I wasn’t feverish either. Not yet.
She pulled me closer and pushed her luscious tits harder against me.
My brain was screaming, “This is a bad idea!”
Not because it actually was a bad idea—it was a very, very good one—but I’d promised myself I wouldn’t consummate things until we were married.
At the time, I’d thought I was doing right by her, but the way she was grinding her hips against mine had me second-guessing everything.
I lifted her onto the island counter and notched my hard cock between her thighs as we continued kissing. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d just made out with a woman—maybe high school, and like high school, I was horny as fuck.
But our first time together wasn’t going to be on a kitchen counter. Not to mention Ruthie was going to wake up soon, and there was no way I was rushing this.
Still, I had a dilemma. I knew she was as turned on as I was, and I did have some pride. I wasn’t going to leave her unsatisfied.
I reached between us to undo the button on her jeans, then pulled the zipper down before tugging on the denim. She lifted her ass to help me, and I was able to get them off her and deposit them on the floor, leaving her in nothing but her underwear and pink blouse.
My dick punched my zipper at the sight of the wet spot on her black panties. I couldn’t wait to get my head between her legs and taste every drop of her.
I sat down on the stool and scooched her back on the oversized island so I could get comfortable, making a mental note that I needed to offer the larger kitchen islands as an upgrade on my homes.
I pulled the satin to the side and my mouth watered at the sight of her glistening pussy. Just as I dipped my head to get my first taste, she sat up like a shot.
“What are you doing?”
I looked up at her, confused. It seemed pretty obvious what I was doing.
“Having your pussy as an appetizer?”
She stared down at me, her chest rising and falling fast, and her hand shook as she brushed hair away from her face.
“I—I’ve never done that.”
What exactly did that mean?
“You’ve never done it because you don’t want to, or you’ve never done it because the opportunity hasn’t presented itself.”
“Um, the second one.”
I felt the corners of my mouth curl up.
“And now that it has—may I continue licking your pussy?”
She bit her bottom lip as she leaned back and smiled. “You may.”
I wanted to beat my chest like a caveman when I ran my tongue down her seam, knowing I was the first man to taste her.
The only man.
Don’t get ahead of yourself, dude.
I had a lot of work to do but thought this was a good start.
****
Jessica
Holy hell; how is it possible that it feels this good?
When I felt his tongue circle my clit, I bowed up off the granite surface. His lips suctioned on my little bean and he rapidly flicked his tongue at the same time I felt him slide a finger inside me, and I let out a soft, “Yessss!”
I felt my temperature rise as my entire body went tight.
I’d never had an orgasm, but I knew I was on the precipice of one.
Alan’s deep voice rumbled against my skin, “Come for me, baby,” and it was like I had no other choice but to obey his command.
Waves of euphoria crashed over me, and I cried out Alan’s name as my body shuddered from head to toe. He didn’t stop, even as I jerked and twisted. It wasn’t until I lay in a heap on the granite counter that he lifted his head with a smile.
“That was awesome, babe.”
I could only muster a whimper in agreement.