16. Will
16
WILL
W aking up with Beth in my arms was the single greatest pleasure I'd had in years. Her warm skin against my chest and my body pressed against her drew me from my slumber into something far better than the lucid dreams of work that I was having. I kissed the back of her shoulder and slid my hand up under the covers to cup her breast and squeezed gently.
"Good morning," she mewled, yawning and stretching a little before turning to face me in the bed. Her legs tangled with mine as she grinned against my chest and peppered me with kisses.
"Well, good morning to you…" I kissed the top of her head and pulled her more tightly against my body. I woke up rock hard as usual, pressing my dick against her thigh. She reached down, gripped it, and stroked.
"Hello, to you too," she said playfully and stroked me a bit harder. Her grip was fantastic, but I'd rather have been inside her.
"How did you sleep?" I grunted as she touched me. It felt incredible to wake up to something so pure, and it made me wish I could do this every day. The bed was warm; her touch was gentle.
"Oh, I slept with naughty dreams and someone's hard dick in my back." Beth looked up at me and smirked, and I chuckled.
"This whole room smells like sex." I leaned down and captured her lips in a kiss, careful not to breathe on her. It wasn't coffee breath yet, but I wasn't sure she wanted to get a whiff.
"Mmm," she slunk lower under the covers, kissing her way across my chest and belly, until her lips wrapped around my cock as she stroked. The licking and sucking drove me wild, and I ran my hands over her hair. When I started to get really worked up, I folded the blanket back and watched her.
"This is a treat," I groaned and almost closed my eyes to enjoy it, but I heard a knock at the door and jolted. Beth sat up and pulled the blanket up around her and my eyes went wide. "Uh, one sec," I told her softly and I whipped my legs off the bed. "One sec," I shouted, knowing this was probably Abby.
She didn't usually wake me up, but she had been gone all day yesterday. I thought she was sleeping over, but maybe her friend's mom brought her home early. I scrambled to find a pair of shorts and my bathrobe, then with a glance at Beth, who had snuggled down on the bed under the covers, I slipped out of the room.
Abby stood in the hallway with a grin on her face holding a blue tie in hand. She thrust it out toward me and said, "Tada!"
I smiled at her and looked down at the tie thoughtfully. It was royal blue with a silver print on it, one that would match most of my suits for work. But the thoughtful part was that she'd purchased it for me without any reason.
"What's this?" I asked, taking the tie from her hands. She smiled brighter and shrugged her shoulders.
"It's a thank you. For letting me go shopping. We had such a good time…But I thought you'd wait up." Her smile faded a little as I turned toward the kitchen. I needed coffee and I needed to put distance between Abby and the bedroom.
I thought she'd be gone later, with at least enough time for me to get Beth breakfast and out of here. Anxiety prickled my skin and made me feel a bit on edge. If Abby saw Beth I wasn't sure what her reaction would be, especially after the interactions she and I had had about the topic. Abby was very upset about things for some reason. I didn't understand.
"Dad, I told you they were bringing me home at one. I thought you knew." Abby followed me to the kitchen and hoisted herself up onto the counter while I walked to the coffee maker. My mind had been so focused on having Beth over and planning something special, I hadn't even listened to all of Abby's plans.
The minute she said she'd be gone and her friend's parents were chaperoning, I must have tuned out. Now I felt bad about that because if I'd have known, I really would have been waiting up for her, or at least dozing on the couch, not locked away in my bedroom. I was probably deep in the middle of sex when she walked in and we never heard her.
"I'm sorry, honey…It must've slipped my mind." I tried to smile at her as I took out two mugs and started the coffee maker. My mind raced with thoughts of how to keep Beth in the bedroom and get Abby distracted doing something in her room long enough for Beth to slip out. I secretly hoped Beth would just stay put.
It wasn't that I didn't want the two of them to meet or that I was ashamed of Beth. I just didn't want to upset Abby again. I knew she was struggling with something—whether it be the idea that I might think more highly of someone else than her, or that I would move on and replace Kate I wasn't sure. But the last thing I wanted to do this time of year was upset her. Especially given the fact that graduation was only a few months away and she'd head off to college.
"Dad…Aren't you going to ask me about shopping?" She sounded impatient, swinging her legs so her bare feet smacked the front of the cupboard. The heels of her hands were planted on the marble countertop on either side of her as she stared at me.
"Uh, yes…How'd it go? Did you enjoy the helicopter?" I glanced up at her but there was no way to hide my anxiety. At work I had nerves of steel. I could sit through meetings and conferences that weren't going the way I hoped and nothing rattled me, but with my little girl, nothing would hurt me more than for her to be discouraged or upset with me.
"Well, we didn't end up going to Chicago, so no helo…That's what Mrs. Glostner calls it." She grinned and continued. "Anyway, so Cara saw this hot guy and asked for his number, but it turned out he was a junior at Penn State and he was just in Newark for the day too. So now she wants to go to Penn State to date the hot guys and—" Abby stopped abruptly and stared at me as I focused on the coffee pot and put a second pod into the machine.
I wasn't thinking. All I was doing was running on autopilot, hoping to get Abby content and back to her room so I could sneak Beth out of here. My morning plans were ruined, but it didn't mean it was a total disaster. I just had to keep the two of them from seeing each other and I'd be fine.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
I glanced up at her and shrugged. "Nothing, why?" Turning my attention back to the machine, I wondered if Beth took cream or sugar in her coffee. When I bought it from the café, I always got her some fancy mocha latte or specialized espresso drink. I didn't have anything but raw sugar and milk, so I'd have to check with her if she wanted something different than just plain black coffee.
"Dad, I don't drink coffee," Abby said, snickering. "What are you doing?"
My heart stopped when I heard the bedroom door click open, and I looked up with what I was sure was a ghostly complexion as Beth strolled out of the bedroom wearing only my boxers and a t-shirt. I felt my gut sink and heard the hiss of the coffee machine as it finished brewing the second cup of coffee.
Abby's eyes traced my line of sight and Beth smiled up at me. "Good morning," she said, as she tiptoed over toward us.
Abby's head whipped back around and she sucked in a breath. Her eyes were wide, her eyebrows high, and she looked like she'd seen a ghost. When she gave me a horrified and pained expression, I knew this wasn't going to be good.
"Dad!" she huffed. "Oh my God, really?"
My knee-jerk reaction was to get upset with her for being rude, but I knew shouting at her was only going to push her away.
"Abby, please," I said, reaching for her. I left the coffee sit on the counter as she backed away, holding her hands up out of my reach.
"Oh my God, I can't believe…You mean you…" Her eyes flicked over to Beth, whose face was now ashen with shame and embarrassment. "Oh my God, you're disgusting."
Abby stormed off, her feet slapping the hardwood floor. I followed after her hastily, hoping to catch up. I cast an apologetic glance at Beth, and she frowned and hugged her arms over her chest. It was hard to believe only moments ago we were preparing to have sex, and as soon as Abby knocked on the door, I went limp.
Now I was chasing my eighteen-year-old daughter across the penthouse. "Abby, stop."
"My God," she hissed again as she slammed her door shut and locked it. I walked up to it, knocked, and pressed my forehead against the wood.
"Abby, open the door." I jiggled the handle but it was pointless.
"Go away," she screamed, and then I heard her radio turn on. It was loud enough to vibrate the door, and I knew even if I screamed at the top of my lungs, she wouldn't hear me. I'd have to kill the power to her room to make her shut it off.
I stood there for a second with my head hanging before Beth walked up to me and took my hand. "Is everything okay?"
I turned to face her and she looked sad. "No…" I sighed hopelessly and pulled her against my chest. "It's not."
"Maybe I should go…" Her timid surrender made my heart break. This wasn't at all how I hoped for Abby and Beth to meet. I thought maybe they'd really connect, that Beth could be someone Abby looked up to, but maybe I was asking too much too quickly.
I followed Beth back into the bedroom with both cups of coffee in my hands. I set them down on the nightstand and by the time I turned around, Beth had shed my clothes and was searching for hers. I helped her find her skirt and sweater. She put the skirt on as I clung to her, caressing her skin and wishing we could back time up a few minutes.
"I'm sorry if me being here caused problems." Beth took her sweater and slipped into it.
I stopped her as I cupped a breast and pressed my thumb into her nipple. "It's not your fault. I just didn't plan things well. Abby will have to adjust; that's all."
Beth hissed and moved my hand, sliding it over her hip and up under her skirt. "You can come to my apartment if you want? We can finish this there…" Her suggestive tone, and the way her pelvis rocked against my palm made me want to accept her invitation, but I knew better.
"As much as I want to do that, I shouldn't. I have to talk to her somehow." The thumping of music was still vibrating the walls of the penthouse.
Beth leaned down to grab her shoes, and as she stood, she kissed my lips. The kiss was hungry and passionate, and I really wanted to pull her onto my lap and have my way with her, but my conscience wouldn't allow me.
"Then another time?" she asked, and I slid my hand down her thigh and straightened her skirt.
"Yes…My driver will take you home, okay? I'll have him ready at the curb by the time you get there. I'm really sorry about this." I hated sending her away, but it was the only thing I could do.
"It's alright…" She kissed me again and smiled. "I hope you can work that out…Let me know if there's anything I can do."
I reached around and squeezed her butt and she snickered. "Just be you." I winked at her as she walked out and then I stood and followed her. She went toward the door and I walked toward Abby's room.
I wanted to be upset but I knew my little girl was just having a hard time wrapping her mind around this. Maybe she just wasn't ready to move on, but I was, and I needed to. But I also needed to give her space to process and to be patient with her as she realized her dad wasn't going to stay single forever.
"Abs," I said, knocking again. "Can we talk?"
The music grew softer, but I knew the volume in this penthouse was going to rise again the minute she opened her mouth and started talking. It wasn't going to be an easy conversation, that was for sure.