30. Victory Lap
30 VICTORY LAP
Daphne
“I’m stepping out,” I whispered. “I need to grab something quick.”
“What is it you are looking for?” Dora asked.
“I need to break away for a minute,” I said. “Can you just cover for me?”
We browsed racks of clothing in our private shopping area at Delphine’s. Mum was enmeshed in a rack of dresses fit for a Sunday. I went with her to Sunday mass and already had enough. Dora, a good girl, never complained. In contrast, I talked Cal’s ear off about how little I enjoyed pretending everything was fine. It wasn’t.
I heard from my divorce attorney that Chandler’s attorney had added yet another roadblock to what should have been a simple dissolution of assets. We had no children. He wanted spousal support and my house—which I inherited. He wanted me to grant him use . The judge would deny it, but it added time. I offered him a very handsome settlement, instead. Mum complained initially, but I wanted to be free. I’d make the money back with my business shares if there was value left after Davey finished running it into the ground.
“Why? You’re acting so weird. Can you bring me with you? I want to see what fun you get up to!”
“It’s not fun, Dora Elizabeth. It’s boring.”
It wasn’t fun, but it was a release. I made plans with Cal for the evening—plans that somehow had me riding high like some sex goddess. However, my underwear drawer reflected my reality—one made for a woman married for a decade and divorcing after a frigid last two years. Nothing matched and my panties were utilitarian at best.
“I’m going with you.”
“No, Dor?—”
“Mum, we’re going to look at something else. Be back.”
“Daphne, you have a rack of dresses to try on,” Mum protested.
“I can do it later,” I groaned, pulling Dora out the door.
We ventured to the fifth floor, which was luggage—something that didn’t sell well—and lingerie. I expected we’d find the floor surrounding the boutique, luxury collections busy. Everywhere else, it was dead.
“Why are we buying luggage?” Dora asked.
“We aren’t. We’re looking at… underwear,” I said.
“Oh? What are you doing?”
“I need some… staples.”
There was nothing more awkward than approaching the luxurious piles of naughty, lacy panties with your kid sister. I suspected Dora had limited experience with men and lingerie, but knew the difference between basic clothes and things one wore for titillation.
“Are you seeing someone?” Dora gasped.
I sighed. “Dora, I am seeing someone, but it’s not your business, and I’m not saying more.”
“Is he hot?”
“I don’t describe people my age as hot .”
Yes . I wasn’t going to deny the base attraction to Cal. With Cal, I couldn’t resist the idea of doing naughty things.
“Okay, but like… are you…” she lowered her voice. “Are you sleeping with him? Or is this your first big date, and you want to be prepared?”
She was so sweet and naive.
“Sweetie,” I laughed. “The train left the station. I want to embrace singlehood and enjoy life.”
“What about this?” Dora picked up an incredibly scandalous, strappy bodysuit I’d never pull off.
“No. I want to stick to something simple ,” I said. “I am too old for shit like that.”
“I like it. It’s sexy.”
“Then buy it for yourself,” I laughed.
“I could never !”
“Okay, well, I couldn’t, either.”
“So… it’s good, though?”
I beamed. “It’s so good. Like ridiculously good.”
I couldn’t hide it. I didn’t want to.
“I’m happy for you.”
I was in the process of setting a chemise aside when my worst nightmare arrived. A man cleared his throat, expecting something. I ignored him, assuming he was rude and expected me to move. He could go around.
My baby sister excitedly announced, “Davey! What are you doing here?”
“Mum said you were up here,” Davey answered. “I saw your names on the schedule. I get a bit of a tip off.”
I ignored my brother.
“Daphne, can we… chat?”
I kept ahold of the lacy garment, hoping to mortify him and sighed, “Last time we chatted, things went tits up quickly.”
Dora giggled. “Tits up! I’m dying! Given…”
Davey’s steely gaze at me quieted her exuberance.
“David, whatever you need to say, you can say with Dora here.”
Davey shook his head, looked down, and scratched the back of his neck. “Daph, I wanted to apologize to you.”
“Oh, really?”
Davey sighed, “Daph, I was out of line?—”
“Again.”
“Yes, again. I will find you something. Give me time. We can talk about the discussion we had earlier. I am… working on it. But you need to give me this quarter?—”
I played it cool, but deep down I guessed I’d won. He may have needed another few weeks to fire the president, but Davey would come around eventually. I’d give him a few more weeks to make progress while lining up my ducks. I still needed the votes to secure a spot as president or a place in the c-suite. And, unlike my brother, I wasn’t keen to be caught with my pants down burning bridges.
“I can do that,” I was firm but fair. “But you need to be kind to me in the interim. We want the same thing. We both want everything to work.”
“In the meantime,” Davey said. “Come up with your plans. No matter what happens, you need to show me—and everyone—how serious you are about this. Nepotism isn’t enough.”
I nodded, my heart leaping. I had plans—loads of them. “I can do that. I am a team player.”
“I know,” he agreed. “I will… leave you to… this.”
He blushed and fled.
“God forbid we buy frilly things!” Dora snickered. “What is going on with you two?”
“We fought. He was an ass,” I answered. “And I suspect Mum harangued him over it. But let’s hope things improve now.”
“A fight about what?”
“Handling the estate,” I answered. “Boring business stuff. You’re not missing anything.”
“Just all the fun,” Dora sighed. “Is it silly if I just buy that ridiculous red thong just for me?”
“Why else would you buy it?” I asked.
“For a man?”
“Dora, a man will not care if you are wearing panties—more than likely. If it makes you feel beautiful, buy it. Make yourself happy first. Don’t rely on a man to do it for you, okay? That’s where I got lost with Chandler and now, I get to spend another ten years playing catch up.”
Dora grinned. “I think you’ll make up for lost time much faster with whomever this dude is. Seriously. Who is he?”
“I plead the fifth,” I snickered.
“Oh, so he is an attorney?”
“Lawyers don’t talk like that, Dora Elizabeth. No, he’s not. You’ll get nothing more from me.”
* * *
Cal
“You better put down your drink,” Daphne said.
She came in like a hurricane—a woman on a mission. Before I knew it, she stripped down to her bra and panties.
“Slow down,” I said.
“I am single-minded and I’ve been thinking about this all day.”
Daphne kissed me, unashamed by what I might have described as desperation. It was the type of desperation I could get behind, though. Her hands went straight to my belt, unbuckling it.
She bit my lip and pulled back. “You want my mouth around your cock, right?”
Did I ever!
She unzipped my pants.
“Daph, you don’t have to?—”
“Oh, I will unless you tell me not to.”
“I won’t stop you, baby,” I confessed. “God, you are… possessed.”
Daphne tossed the dress she’d been wearing aside, revealing the blue-green set of underwear. The bra was barely-there, mostly see-through, and the panties covered little. Damn .
“This is… unexpected.”
“I went shopping,” Daphne kissed me slowly and deeply. “I know what I want, okay?”
“Yes, princess,” I gasped as she ran her hand over my cock through my boxers.
I was rock-hard in anticipation as Daphne freed my cock and dropped to her knees. Holding it in one hand, she looked up obediently but held all the power. I wanted to be inside her pretty mouth. I fantasized about it plenty, but now it was here .
“There are rules,” Daphne said. “If you try to push me or thrust into me without my consent, I’m done. Full stop. That’s a hard boundary.”
“I won’t, then.”
I didn’t mind rules. Negotiation was a big part of sex—especially with Daphne.
She licked the head of my cock, keeping her green eyes on mine. I moaned and played with her hair, pulled into a loose ponytail.
“You could take your hair down,” I said.
“It makes all of this more complicated. Trust me.”
I wanted to tell her I never thought about that before. I shuddered as she took me in her mouth—only a bit, then all of me. She went torturously slow, then sped up. I suspected she did that for effect, pumping her hand on my shaft in a beautiful rhythm. I held her head, not forcing it. I needed to believe it was real. She was straight out of a fantasy.
“Daphne, you are… fucking great… at this,” I panted.
She tickled my balls, as if taunting. I threw my head back.
“I’m gonna cum if you do that much more, baby.”
Daphne pulled back, her fingers rolling slowly over the head. “Call me princess. And isn’t that the point?”
“I’d like to savor this,” I admitted. “And still fuck you.”
“You can fuck me in a bit,” Daphne said. “And you’re on bided time with my jaw, Cal.”
“Oh, I… I get that.” I shuddered as she took me back in her mouth. She took me in deeper and deeper. It felt delicious.
“Just like that, princess. I’ll cum like that.”
Daphne increased the intensity of the suction and ran her tongue over the tip of my cock with each bob of her head. She stroked my balls. I couldn’t do more than pull on her ponytail to steady myself as she brought me closer to climax. Was there nothing she couldn’t do well? Maybe she claimed to be sex-starved, but I unlocked the unexpected naughty side of her.
“Oh, fuck. I’m?—”
There was no finishing the sentencing as I came in her mouth. She gagged, then spit me out and wiped the remaining bit away.
“Sorry, I wasn’t… fully prepared,” Daphne grimaced. “I should have told you; I sometimes cannot swallow. It’s…”
She looked for words.
I finished her sentence, tilting her face towards me. “Amazing and I don’t care. Let’s clean up, princess. You’re such a good girl.”
Daphne’s mischievous grin made me want her even more. She stood as I fetched a kitchen towel.
“So, tell me all about your victory,” Daphne said. “And I’ll tell you mine.”
“Does it have to do with that bra?” I snickered.
“No. Well, sort of. I was browsing the lingerie racks when Davey found Dora and me. It got awkward—and I’d suspect it would be much more awkward if he knew my real reason for buying lacey things.”
I grinned and mopped the cum off the floor. “He’d shit a brick, Daph.”
“Well, he told me he’s going to fire the president. He asked me to give him the rest of the quarter. And by then, I know we’ll have our ducks in a row. So, can I meet your guy?”
I took a deep breath. “I will try to make it work.”
“How does it feel to be the Reform Mayor in a machine city?” Daphne gripped my shirt.
“Oh, stop it,” I snickered.
“I will not. I’m proud of you. You outsmarted people who refused to listen or cede power. They endangered the lives of children and refused to see their errors. You’re trying to fix it. Don’t forget this day. And don’t apologize for the win. It’s a turn-off if you cannot own your success, Cal.”
“Then what is a turn-on?”
“Your ruthless embrace of being a complete badass when it happens, Mr. Mayor,” Daphne said. “Don’t apologize when you nail the landing.”